Effects of Method of Incineration on Rice Husk Ash Blended Concrete

Rice Husk Ash (RHA) produced in a charcoal fired incinerator was milled and characterized using Back Scatter Electron (BSE) imaging and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) methods. Compressive and tensile strengths development of Normal Strength Concrete (NSC) containing the RHA was investigated in the laboratory at different ages. Split tensile strength of the concrete mixes containing RHA was tested after 28 days of curing. The RHA used for the study as Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) replacement by weight in concrete was in the range of 0 - 25%; the water/ binder (w/b) ratio used was 0.45, 0.50 and 0.55. The total binder content in the mixes was kept constant. The results show that the RHA could be used to replace 25% of OPC in NSC at w/b ratio of 0.55 without compressive strength loss. The results also show increased tensile strength for the mix containing RHA over the control.