Mechanical Properties of Brick Aggregate Concrete Containing Rice Husk Ash as a Partial Replacement of Cement

Abstract

The objective of this research was to determine the mechanical properties, including among others compressive strength (fc′), tensile strength (fsp), flexural strength (fr), modulus of elasticity (Ec), and Poisson’s ratio (ν) of a brick aggregate concrete (BAC) containing rice husk ash (RHA) as a partial replacement of cement. Concrete cylinders with 1-mm diameter and 2-mm height were cast using –25% RHA as a partial replacement of cement with water-to-binder ratios of .45, .5, and .55, with a mix ratio of 1:1.5:3, and cured in water at room temperature. The experimental results indicated that fc′ and fsp increased gradually with the increasing RHA up to 15%. However, the maximum values of these were observed with 1% RHA. By contrast, fr of BAC containing up to 25% RHA was found lower than that of control concrete. Ec and ν of BAC with RHA were higher than those of control concrete. It was observed that mechanical properties of BAC were influenced significantly due to the inclusion of 15% RHA as a partial replacement of cement with a water-to-binder ratio of .5.