International Journal of Science, Engineering and TechnologyAuthors: Ahmed Raza, Hasnain Ahmed, Ali Hamza, Zaheer Ahmed, Sadam Hussain
Abstract: This study experimentally investigates the influence of Rice Husk Ash (RHA), Fly Ash (FA), Marble Powder (MP) and Expanplast SP100 on hardened properties of concrete. A total of 14 concrete mixtures were prepared, including a control mixture and modified mixtures containing individual and combined replacements of RHA, FA, and MP, while 1% Expanplast SP100 was incorporated in the modified mixtures. Mechanical properties were assessed through 28-day compressive, splitting tensile and flexural strength tests. The results demonstrated that moderate replacement levels generally improved the mechanical properties of concrete. The 10% RHA mixture achieved a compressive strength of 33.92 MPa, compared with 30.00 MPa for the control mixture, representing an improvement of 13.07%. The corresponding splitting tensile strength increased from 2.85 MPa for the control to 3.24 MPa, an improvement of 13.68%. For flexural strength, the 10% RHA mixture achieved 4.76 MPa compared with 4.20 MPa for the control, representing an increase of 13.33%. The highest overall performance was obtained from the ternary mixture containing 5% RHA, 5% FA, and 5% MP, which achieved compressive, splitting tensile and flexural strengths of 35.10, 3.40, and 4.95 MPa, respectively. These values correspond to improvements of approximately 17.0%, 19.30%, and 17.86%, respectively, compared with the control concrete. The improvement is attributed to the combined effects of pozzolanic reactions, filler action, improved particle packing, pore refinement and enhanced cement-particle dispersion provided by Expanplast SP100. The findings demonstrate that the combined utilization of agricultural and industrial waste materials can provide a technically effective and more sustainable approach to concrete production while reducing dependence on conventional cementitious materials.
DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23100719
