Cement hydration depends on reactions between cement minerals and water, as well as the presence of gypsum. The hydration products are hydrated calcium silicates, hydrated calcium hydroxide and calcium sulfoaluminate [
7,
8]. In
Figure 7, the X-ray diffraction diffractograms for the standard mortars are shown (no added fly ash), at 3, 7, 14 and 28 days of curing time. The mineralogical species identified were: portlandite (CaOH
2O) (JCPDS 020969), Calcite (CaCO
3) (JCPDS 471743), ettringite (Ca
6Al
2(SO
4)
3(OH)
12) (JCPDS 371476), Iron Oxide (Fe
2O
3) (JCPDS 540489), Silicon Oxide (SiO
2) (JCPDS 882487) and sillimanite (Al
2SiO
4) (JCPDS 831562). These results are characteristic of a typical mineralogical composition of portland cement during the hydration process [
25]. Portlandite (calcium hydroxide) is the mineral phase responsible for maintaining the pH of the mixture at high values and to keep the reinforced mixtures protected against electrochemical corrosion. It is the first mineral to decompose at high temperaturas (600°C) which can be reduced with the addition of pozzolans such as fly ash [
26]. Ettringite phase (calcium trisulphoaluminate) It is the mineral species that gives cement greater cohesion and is generally produced at late ages (greater than 28 days) by the reaction between gypsum and water [
26]. It can be seen in
Figure 7, in the spectrum corresponding to 28 days of curing time, an increase in the intensity of the peaks corresponding to this phase located in 2 ≈ 27, 44, 48 and 71°, which is indicative of the consolidation of the ettringite phase with increasing curing time. In
Figure 8 and
Figure 9, X-ray diffraction diffractograms for the mortar mixes with Portland cement replaced by 10% fly ash are shown (
Figure 7) and with substitution of portland cement by 15% fly ash (
Figure 8) at 3, 7, 14 and 28 days cure time. Again, the mineral species identified were mainly the characteristics of the cement during the hydration process: portlandite (CaOH
2O) (JCPDS 020969), Calcite (CaCO
3) (JCPDS 471743), ettringite (Ca
6Al
2(SO4)
3(OH)
12) (JCPDS 371476), Iron Oxide (Fe
2O
3) (JCPDS 540489), Silicon Oxide (SiO
2) (JCPDS 882487), sillimanite (Al
2SiO
4) (JCPDS 831562) and additionally, the Magnetite specie was identified (Fe
3O
4) (JCPDS 110614). It can be noted that the addition of fly ash as a replacement for portland cement in mortar mixes does not drastically influence in the modification of the composition of the mineral species formed, since, with the exception of the magnetite phase (Fe
3O
4) (JCPDS 110614) identified in these samples, the mineral species are the same as those identified in the mortar mixtures without replacing cement with fly ash. Magnetite phase identification (Fe
3O
4) is attributed to the presence of fly ash in 10 and 15% (
Figure 8 and
Figure 9 respectively), according to the results shown in
Figure 1. Has been reported [
5,
7] that fly ash is a material whose physical and chemical characteristics allow it to develop the pozzolanic function in the mortar and generate a dense microstructure with a discontinuous pore network that makes it difficult for chlorides to pass through the material. It is also noted in
Figure 8 and
Figure 9 that the peaks corresponding to the main hydration products: (portlandite (CaOH
2O) (JCPDS 020969)), identified in the positions 2 ≈ 21, 39, 55 y 59°, and ettringite (Ca
6Al
2(SO
4)
3(OH)
12) identified in the positions 2 ≈ 27, 44, 48 y 71° exhibit an increase in their intensities with the increase in the curing time of the mortar mixtures from 3 to 28 days which is attributed to an increase in the consolidation of mineral species.