Load capacity and crack development characteristics of HCWA–DSF high strength mortar ferrocement panels in flexure

In accordance to current technological advancements in the field of sustainable construction materials, high calcium wood ash (HCWA), a by-product from the biomass power generation sector, has been established as a highly viable supplementary binder material for the production of concrete and mortar. The research study was performed with the aim to investigate the effects of the inclusion of HCWA as a supplementary binder material. These effects were measured on the structural parametric response, crack development behaviour and ultimate failure mode of fabricated ferrocement flexural panels using HCWA mortar. Ferrocement flexural panels were subjected to four point flexural test till ultimate failure throughout the study. Mortars used in the fabrication of the ferrocement panels contained varying HCWA cement replacement levels from 2% to 10% by total binder weight. At the same time, all other experimental parameters of the ferrocement panels remained constant. The experimental results of 21 ferrocement panels indicated that the fabricated ferrocement panels fabricated with HCWA content up to 4% by binder weight exhibited superior structural performance as compared to the control ferrocement panels with no HCWA content. Structural performance parameters used for comparisons were the first crack load, ultimate failure load, deflection of energy absorbed to trigger ultimate failure, flexure stress–deflection response and flexure stress–concrete strain response. The number of cracks developed at failure was also taken into account with measurements of average crack width, crack spacing and failure mode. The inclusion of HCWA in the mortar within the ferrocement panels not only enhances the engineering performance of the panels but also contributes to potential binder material savings and resource conservation.