6. Conclusion
Pilot firings in a horizontal furnace showed that the best raw material for this technique is FA1 ash which was the finest of the tested ashes with the largest specific surface. Aggregate with a resistance to crushing of at least 2.3 N∙mm-2 was thus obtained.
During the experiments with the production of high-strength lightweight concrete containing ash, in the majority of cases after 28 days of curing the measured aggregate strengths were below the value of 55 N∙mm-2 needed for the inclusion of lightweight concretes in the LC 50/55 strength class. The required strength value of 55 N∙mm-2 was measured when sintered FA1 ash aggregate was used. LC 50/55 could be attained in concretes containing artificial ash aggregates if cement and plasticizer dosages were increased. However, this raises the risk of increasing the bulk density beyond 2 000 kg∙m-3, which is the limit value for lightweight concretes. Further research could be performed regarding the increase in strength which could be achieved, e.g. with an increased proportion of the 4-8 mm fraction.