Civil Engineering and Architecture Vol. 12(5), pp. 3697 - 3715
DOI: 10.13189/cea.2024.120540
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Influence of Rice Husk Ash as a Partial Substitute for Cement on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Concrete

Robert Suclupe ^*, Marlon Cubas , Yheral Correa , Jose Maza
Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Cesar Vallejo University, Peru

ABSTRACT

Rice husk ash (RHA) is the residue from the burning of rice husks and is mostly disposed of in landfills, causing serious environmental damage. In this sense, the objective of this research was to analyze the influence of RHA as a partial cement substitute on the microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties of concrete, using proportions of 4%, 6%, 8% and 10%. To this end, the samples were subjected to various mechanical and microstructural tests, which helped to determine the performance of each of the RHA replacements in relation to the standard concrete. The results obtained show that the optimum percentage of 6% RHA significantly improves the compressive strength, increasing by 10.79%, whereas the modulus of elasticity reached an increase of 5.69%. Likewise, the tensile strength rose by 19.89%, while the flexural strength was higher by 11.46%, all these strengths being comparisons with those of standard concrete. On the other hand, the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed mostly silicon oxide (SiO₂) composites and an appreciable percentage of amorphous material. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed characteristic peaks referring to carbonates and silicates, while the thermogravimetric analysis showed that the final test mass at 900℃ is 78.25%. From the presiding information, it is, thus possible to produce a structural concrete with 6% RHA as replacement of cement, which meets the regulatory requirements and also at the microstructural level for a nominal strength of 27.46 MPa.

KEYWORDS
Rice Husk Ash, Compressive Strength, Cement, Modulus of Elasticity

Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Robert Suclupe , Marlon Cubas , Yheral Correa , Jose Maza , "Influence of Rice Husk Ash as a Partial Substitute for Cement on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Concrete," Civil Engineering and Architecture, Vol. 12, No. 5, pp. 3697 - 3715, 2024. DOI: 10.13189/cea.2024.120540.

(b). APA Format:
Robert Suclupe , Marlon Cubas , Yheral Correa , Jose Maza (2024). Influence of Rice Husk Ash as a Partial Substitute for Cement on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Concrete. Civil Engineering and Architecture, 12(5), 3697 - 3715. DOI: 10.13189/cea.2024.120540.