Building Materials Exam 2 Practice

In alkali-silica reaction mitigation, what is the effect of using non-reactive aggregates?

They do not participate in the expansion reaction, reducing ASR risk. They increase curing temperature. They accelerate ASR. They have no effect on ASR.

Correct Answer:

They do not participate in the expansion reaction, reducing ASR risk.

Explanation:

The main idea is that ASR relies on a reactive silica in aggregates reacting with alkalis in the cement pore solution to form an expanding gel. If the aggregates are non-reactive, they don’t provide the silica that would participate in that reaction, so the gel can’t form (or forms far less), and the expansive pressure that drives cracking is reduced. In other words, non-reactive aggregates act as inert fillers with respect to ASR, lowering the risk of expansion and damage. This isn’t about curing temperature or speeding up the reaction—those would not be the mechanism here—and there is a real reduction in ASR risk when reactive silica is avoided.

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