Properties of Self Compacting Concrete Incorporating Rice Husk Ash and Waste Foundry Sand

Abstract

The widely available rice husk (RH) is burned to produce rice husk ash (RHA), an agricultural by-product that may be used in place of cement which will limit environmental hazards. Worldwide, the casting industry produces more than 60 million metric tonnes of Waste Foundry Sand (WFS) each year, causing environmental issues. Disposal of WFS generated from the casting industry poses serious environmental problems. On the other hand, continuous extraction of natural resources is depleting the environment at a rapid pace increasing the cost of production due to an insufficiency of natural resources. These issues may be resolved with the use of waste materials in concrete. The present study has been carried out to explore the use of RHA and WFS as partial replacement of cement and fine aggregates in SCC. In this research study, RHA up to 30% by weight is used as a partial replacement for cement as one of the ingredients in self-compacting concrete (SCC). The fresh properties of SCC were investigated by experimental programmes. Compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, sorptivity, water absorption and porosity, rapid chloride permeability test (RCPT), and sulphate resistance were all assessed up to a 365-day curing period. It was determined that the strength properties improved with replacement of cement with RHA. RHA up to 15% replacement level yielded the maximum value. While the durability properties increased noticeably at all replacement levels of RHA. The results of the compressive strength tests were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) microstructure analysis. Waste Foundry Sand (WFS) has been studied for use in SCC to test its strength and durability. Self-Compacting Concrete prepared with various proportions (0-30%) of WFS as a partial replacement of fine aggregates.