The dam that fly ash built

Abstract

When the first concrete was poured in 1949 for the Hungry Horse Dam (Montana, USA), pozzolan cements had already been used in several major North American dams, including Grand Coulee on the Columbia River (diatomaceous earth explored but ultimately not used), Friant on the San Joaquin River and Altus on the North Fork Red River (pumicite) and Bonneville on the Columbia River and Davis on the Colorado River (calcined clay). But Hungry Horse Dam stands out as the first dam constructed using coal combustion fly ash. Utilising 2.4 million cubic metres of concrete, the dam is located on the South Fork Flathead River, one of the tributaries feeding one of the nation's major waterways, the Columbia River, and closely related to the adjacent Glacier National Park. In this respect, Hungry Horse is directly connected to two momentous periods in modern history – the massive adoption in the 1950s of coal as fuel for power plants, and the ongoing threats to fresh water supply and the rapid retreat of alpine glaciers due to global warming. Two concrete cores from this dam, one with fly ash and one without fly ash, are examined microscopically to explore the long‐term suppression of alkali‐aggregate reaction by fly ash. The core without fly ash exhibits clear evidence of alkali‐aggregate reaction, manifested by sandstone coarse aggregate particles with darkened reaction rims. Sandstone coarse aggregate particles of the same lithology in the core with fly ash are without signs of alkali‐aggregate reaction. A detailed examination of the darkened rims indicates that alkali‐silica reaction products fill the narrow gaps between adjacent sand grains in the sandstone. This alkali‐silica gel infilling allows for optical continuity between adjacent sand grains and is responsible for the classic darkened rim associated with the alkali‐aggregate reaction.