Deformation behaviour of self-compacting concrete containing high volume palm oil fuel ash

Abstract

Self-compacting concrete (SCC) is an advanced type of concrete that can be placed and compacted under its own mass without vibration. Although SCC can be proportioned with a wide range of constituent materials, the utilization of supplementary cementitious materials can significantly influence the cost and performance of SCC. One of the potential supplementary cementitious materials from palm oil industry is palm oil fuel ash (POFA). The objective of the research project was to evaluate the effects of high volume POFA on the deformation behaviour of SCC. This study outlines laboratory tests, which were conducted through replacing ordinary Portland cement (OPC) by 0%, 50% and 70% of POFA by weight, with water-binder ratio of 0.4. Target properties for SCC workability were studied as a function of the application and in terms of filling ability, passing ability, segregation resistance which include slump flow, J-ring, and V-funnel at T5minutes for fresh properties, and compressive strength, split tensile strength, flexural strength, modulus of elasticity, creep, and shrinkage tests for hardened concrete. Test specimens comprising of cube, cylinder and prism were prepared and tested at 7, 28, 56, and 90 days. Results obtained in this study reveal that high volume palm oil fuel ash used in self-compacting concrete exhibited satisfactory performance particularly at later ages.