Cement mortar characterization by adding waste rice husk ash

Abstract

Nowadays, the reuse of waste material as Supplementary Cement Material (SCM) is a trend in the construction industries. It is cause to not only economically beneficial, environmentally friendly technique due to decrease the CO2 emission but also increase the durability and strength properties of the cement mortar. This research was conducted to investigate the effect of Waste Rice Husk Ash (WRHA) which was collected from the Brick kiln on the durability and strength properties of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) mortar. The samples were tested with mortar containing 0%,5%,10%,20%,30% of WRHA by the cement mass. Testing included: raw material characterizations, fresh mortar characterizations, compressive strength, bulk density and sulfate resistance. With increasing WRHA level, the setting time and water demand have increased while bulk density was decreased. The expansion rate of the mortar bar by sulfate attack showed an expansion with 20% and 30 % WRHA level of 0.019 ,0.042, respectively. With 20% and 30 % WRHA level, the percentage of decrease in the expansion by 82% and 61 % respectively, as compared to the control sample. Strength activity index (SAI) of 5% and 10% WRHA level mortars achieved beyond 75% SAI. The 10- 20 % of unground WRHA replacement level will be a suitable range to achieve strength as well as durability.