CD05-007

EVALUATION OF MECHANICAL PROPERTIES AND

DURABILITY OF CONCRETES CONTAINING RICE HUSK ASH

A.A.Ramezanianpour1, P.Pourbeik2, M.Mahdikhani3, F.Moodi4 , Gh.Ahmadibeni5

1
Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
2
M.Sc. Student, Dept. of Civil Engineering School of Engineering, Amirkabir University of
Technology, Tehran, Iran
3
Msc , Dept. of Civil Engineering School of Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology,
Tehran, Iran
4
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
5
Bsc, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

ABSTRACT
Replacement of cement with pozzolan in the production of concrete not only
improves the mechanical properties and durability of concrete but also decreases
the amount of consumed cement in construction projects as well.
For many decades, the concretes incorporating Rice Husk Ash (RHA) as an
artificial Pozzolan have been noticed for its qualities and properties. The ash
remaining from burning rice husk with high specific surface, decreases porosity
and permeability and increases durability of concrete as a result of considerable
pozzolanic activities and chemical activities with Calcium Hydroxide.
In this paper, in order to supply typical RHA, a special furnace was designed and
constructed in Amirkabir University of Technology.
XRD and XRF techniques were used to determine the amorphous silica content of
the burnt rice husk. Consequently, temperature of 650 degrees centigrade and 60
minutes burning time was found to be the best combination.
Then, various experiments were carried out to determine properties of concretes
incorporating optimum RHA. The results show that RHA as an artificial pozzolanic
material has increased the strength and reduced chloride permeability leading to
higher durability. As an example, the tensile strength increased up to 13% after 28
days and up to 23% at 90 days.

Keywords: RHA, durability, special furnace, mechanical properties, RCPT

1. INTRODUCTION
Sustainable development of the cement and concrete industry requires the
utilization of industrial and agricultural waste components. At present, for a variety
of reasons, the concrete construction industry is not sustainable. Firstly, it
consumes huge quantities of virgin materials which can remain for next
generations. Secondly, the principal binder in concrete is Portland cement, the
production of which is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions that are
implicated in global warming and climate change. Thirdly, many concrete
structures suffer from lack of durability which may waste the natural resources. So,
 792 / Evaluation of Mechanical Properties and Durability…. ––––––––––––––––
finding a solution to substitute a practical recycled product for part of the cement
seems to be desirable for sustainable development. [1-7]
Recycling of waste components contributes to energy savings in cement
production, to conservation of natural resources, and in protection of the
environment. Furthermore, the use of certain components with potentially
pozzolanic reactivity can significantly improve the properties of concrete [8-14].
One of the most suitable sources of pozzolanic material among agricultural waste
components is rice husk, as it is available in large quantities and contains a
relatively large amount of silica. When rice husk is burnt, about 20% by weight of
the husk is recovered as ash in which more than 75% by weight is silica. Unlike
natural pozzolan, the ash is an annually renewable source of silica. It is worth
mentioning that the use of RHA in concrete may lead to the improved workability,
the reduced heat evolution, the reduced permeability, and the increased strength at
longer ages. [15-21]
In Iran, rice production has increased during these years, becoming the most
important crop. Rice husks are residue produced in significant quantities. While in
some regions, they are utilized as a fuel in the rice paddy milling process, in our
county they are treated as waste, causing pollution of environment and disposal
problems. Due to increasing environmental concern, and the need to preserve
energy and resources, efforts have been made to burn the husks under controlled
conditions and to utilize the resultant ash as a building material. In addition, rice
husks are able to be an ideal fuel for electricity generation [11-14].
The use of Rice Husk Ash (RHA) in concrete was patented in the year 1924 [14].
Up to 1978, all the researches were concentrated to utilize ash derived from
uncontrolled combustion. Mehta published several papers dealing with rice husk
ash utilization during this period. He established that burning rice husk under
controlled temperature-time conditions produces ash containing silica in
amorphous form [22-26].
Depending on produce method, the utilization of rice husk ash as a pozzolanic
material in cement and concrete provides several advantages, such as improved
strength and durability properties. Rodrı´guez de Sensale [16] reported that mortars
and concrete containing RHA have compressive strength values inferior or superior
to that of OPC concrete. In addition, in most of the cases [18, 19, 26], mortars and
concrete containing RHA improves durability of concrete at various ages.
Generally, there are two types of RHA in concrete. The type of RHA which is
suitable for pozzolanic activity is amorphous rather than crystalline. Therefore,
substantial research has been carried out on producing RHA containing high
amount of amorphous silica. The results have shown that RHA quality depends on
temperature and burning time.
In fact, for an incinerator temperature up to 700°C the silica is in amorphous form
and silica crystals grew with time of incineration. The combustion environment
also affects specific surface area, so that time, temperature and environment also
must be considered in the processing of rice husks to produce ash of maximum
reactivity [5, 7].
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2. MATERIALS USED
The following materials were used in the preparation of the concrete specimens.
Local natural sand according to ASTM Standard with maximum aggregate size of
4.75 mm; Crushed granite according to ASTM Standard with maximum aggregate
size of 19 mm; Tehran potable water, Type I Portland cement and homogeneous
rice husk ash produced by the special designed furnace at 650°C and 60 minutes
burning time. Table 1 shows the physical and chemical characteristics of RHA
(RHA-650-60) and cement.

Table 1: Physical and chemical characteristics of cement and RHA

Physical Tests Chemical Analyses, (%) Bogue Composition, (%)
Specific Blaine,
SiO2 Al2O3 Fe2O3 CaO MgO Na2O K2O LOI C3S C2S C3A C4AF
Gravity (cm2/gram)
RHA 2.15 3600 89.61 0.04 0.22 0.91 0.42 0.07 1.58 5.91 ― ― ― ―

Cement 3.21 3200 21.50 3.68 2.76 61.50 4.80 0.12 0.95 1.35 51.1 23.1 5.1 8.4

3. TEST METHODS
A total of 4 concrete mixtures were made; one corresponding to a control concrete
(CTL) and three others with 7%, 10% and 15% RHA replaced with cement by
weight. Table 2 lists the mix proportions of concrete. Slumps were kept constant at
70 ± 10 mm. Superplasticizer with polycarboxylate base was used at very low
percentages according to the results obtained for the slumps. Concrete test
specimens were compacted by external vibration and kept protected after casting to
avoid water evaporation. After 24 hr. they were demolded and cured in lime-
saturated water at 23 ± 2°C to prevent possible leaching of Ca (OH) 2 from these
specimens.
Concrete cubes of 100×100×100mm dimension were cast for compressive strength
and water penetration tests. The results obtained are reported as an average of two
tests. While two 150×300 mm cylinder concrete specimens were prepared for the
tensile strength test and static modulus of elasticity, samples of rapid chloride
permeability tests (RCPT), according to ASTM C 1202, were prepared by cutting
and discarding 25mm slices from the top and bottom of 100×200 mm cylinders,
and the remaining section cut into three 50mm thick slices. The water permeability
test was conducted using a high-pressure permeability cell. The specimens used
were cubes of 150×150×150 mm dimension. In addition, 50×50×50 mm mortar
samples were prepared for the pozzolanic activity test. All specimens were moist
cured until the time of testing.

Table 2: Mix proportions of concrete

RHA cement Aggregate (kg/m3) SP/cement water/
(kg/m3) (kg/m3) Fine coarse (%) cement
CTL 0 420 815 995 0 0.45
7%RHA 29.4 390.6 815 995 0.15 0.45
10%RHA 42 378 815 995 0.25 0.45
15%RHA 63 357 815 995 0.40 0.45
 794 / Evaluation of Mechanical Properties and Durability…. ––––––––––––––––
4. TEST RESULTS
The results of pozzolanic activity test are shown in Table 3. Results demonstrate
high pozzolanic activity index of RHA over that of the control in accordance with
ASTM C-311/ASTM C-618 test method. On the other hand, produced rice husk
ash is a high reactive pozzolanic material, and entirely satisfies other requirements.
Figure 1 shows XRD patterns of the ash.

Table 3: Comparison in chemical and physical specifications of produced RHA with

ASTM standard C618-03
ASTM RHA results
Chemical Requirements
SiO2 + Al2O3 + Fe2O3, min., % 70 89.9
SO3, max., % 4 0.15
Moisture Content, max., % 3 0.23
Loss On Ignition (LOI), max., % 6 5.9
Physical Requirements
Fineness: Amount retained when wet-sieved
34 8
on 45 µm sieve, max., %
Strength Activity Index (20% RHA) at 3-day,
--- 102
min. % control
Strength Activity Index (20% RHA) at 7-day,
75 106
min. % control
Strength Activity Index (20% RHA) at 28-
75 110
day, min. % control

Figure 1. Results of XRD on rice husk ash sample

Results of the compressive strengths of concretes are given in Figure 2. In general,

the RHA concrete had higher compressive strengths at various ages and up to 90
days when compared with the control concrete. The results show that it was
possible to obtain a compressive strength of as high as 46.9 MPa after 28 days. In
addition, strengths up to 63.2 MPa were obtained at 90 days.
Figure 3 shows that concrete containing RHA has a greater splitting tensile strength
than that of the control concrete at all ages. It is clear that, as the amount of RHA
increases, the tensile strength increases up to 20%. For instance, at 90 days the
15%RHA concrete had a compressive strength of 5.62 MPa compared with 4.58
MPa for the control concrete.
Figure 4 shows the static modulus of elasticity in compression of concrete mixed
with different proportions of RHA at 28 and 90 days. After 90 days, mixture
 ––––––––––––––––––––––– 3rd International Conference on Concrete & Development / 795

containing 15% of RHA showed 7% increase in static modulus of elasticity in

compression as compared to the control concrete. On the other hand, concrete
containing RHA depicts a higher static modulus of elasticity when compared to the
control concrete.

Figure 2. Compressive strength (MPa)

Figure 3. Tensile strength (MPa) at various
at various ages for control (CTL) &
ages for control (CTL) & RHA mixtures
RHA mixtures

Figure 4. Modulus of elasticity (GPa) at Figure 5. Resistance to chloride ion

various ages for control (CTL) & RHA penetration (coulomb) at various ages for
control mixtures (CTL) & RHA mixtures

Results of the rapid determination of chloride permeability of concrete test (Figure

5) show that using RHA drastically enhances resistance to chloride penetration
 796 / Evaluation of Mechanical Properties and Durability…. ––––––––––––––––
compared to control concrete on average, around 4~5 times higher for the 15%
RHA. At 7 days, the control concrete showed the highest value of 6189 coulombs
while the charge passed through the 15%RHA concrete was 1749 coulombs.
With a continuous moist-curing of up to 91 days, the charge passed through all
concretes; was reduced. The charge for the 15%RHA concrete was reduced to 576
coulombs, which was well below that of the control concrete (2563 coulombs).
According to ASTM C 1202, when the charge passed through concrete is below
1000 coulombs, it is categorized as a very high resistance concrete to chloride ion
penetration.
The chloride permeability of the concrete specimens incorporating 15%RHA was
“very low”, while that of the concrete specimens with 0%, 7%, 10% RHA were
“moderate”, “low” and “low”, respectively, as per ASTM C 1202 criteria.
In addition to RCPT, investigations of water permeability were carried out. In this
test, water was forced into the concrete samples from one side for three days and
under constant pressure of 0.5 MPa. Then, the samples were split in a plane parallel
to the direction of water penetration, and the greatest depth of water penetration
into the concrete sample was measured. The depth of water penetration of concrete
incorporating RHA specimens is shown in Figure 6. As expected, depth of water
penetration of concrete specimens decreased significantly with an increase in RHA
content and curing period.
Figure 7 gives a linear relationship between compressive strength and tensile
strength, it is significant. A good relationship was also found between RCPT and
compressive strength, which is shown in Figure 8.

Figure 6. Depth of water penetration (mm) at various ages

for control (CTL) & RHA mixtures
 ––––––––––––––––––––––– 3rd International Conference on Concrete & Development / 797

Figure 7. Relationship between compressive strength and tensile strength

Figure 8. Relationship between compressive strength and RCPT test

5. DISCUSSION
Improvements in mechanical and durability properties of the concretes containing
RHA can be explained by the chemical and physical effects of RHA. Chemical
effect is mainly due to the pozzolanic reactions between the amorphous silica of
RHA and calcium hydroxide (C-H) produced by the cement hydration to form
calcium-silicate-hydrates (C-S-H). The physical effect which can also be
considered as filler effect is that RHA particles increase the packing of the solid
 798 / Evaluation of Mechanical Properties and Durability…. ––––––––––––––––
materials by filling the spaces between the cement grains in much the same way as
cement fills the spaces between fine aggregates, and fine aggregates fill the spaces
between coarse aggregates in concrete. Moreover, small particles of additions
generate a large number of nucleation sites for the precipitation of the hydration
products. This will accelerate the reactions and form smaller C-H crystals. RHA
reduces the number of large pores and increases the probability of transforming the
continuous pores into discontinuous ones. Therefore, all these mechanisms make
the microstructure of the paste more homogeneous and denser.

6. CONCLUSIONS
Based on the results of the present experiments, the following conclusions can be
drawn out:
1) The quality of the RHA cement is widely varied due to the differences in the
methods of production. So, it is generally advocated to use special
incinerators, which can guarantee controlled burning conditions. With the
proper production method, rice husk ash of a pozzolanic reactivity
comparable to other pozzolans can be obtained. A special furnace which was
designed and constructed was able to produce RHA with various qualities.
2) The duration and temperature of furnace are important parameters,
influencing the reactivity of RHA pozzolans. Silica in the rice husk initially
exists in the amorphous form, but may become crystalline when rice husk is
burnt at high temperature. In addition, silica in rice husk ash will not remain
porous and amorphous, when combusted for a prolonged period at a
temperature above 650°C, or during less than a few minutes at 1100°C, under
oxidizing conditions. The results of XRD analysis show that quartz crystal is
present in both types of ashes. So, investigation on the influence of
combustion conditions on the amorphous silica suggests that the RHA-650-60
can be considered to be non-crystalline RHA and to save the RHA production
time.
3) Huge amounts of crystalline silica or higher carbon content are detrimental to
the pozzolanic reactivity of the ash. Presence of un-burnt carbon can
adversely affect the reactivity even though it is rich in amorphous silica. The
results of pozzolanic activity demonstrate high pozzolanic activity index of
produced rice husk ash concrete over that of the control. In addition, the
produced rice husk ashes containing up to 90 percent amorphous silica
entirely satisfy other requirements of ASTM standard C618-03. This shows
the high quality of produced rice husk ashes.
4) The RHA concrete showed higher compressive strength at various ages in
comparison with that of the concrete without RHA. In addition, the RHA
concrete had higher splitting tensile strength and modulus of elasticity in
comparison with that of the concrete without RHA. It is concluded that
produced RHA provides a positive effect on the compressive strength of
concretes.
5) The performance of concrete with cement replacement by RHA is outstanding
considering resistance to water and chloride ion penetration which is in many
 ––––––––––––––––––––––– 3rd International Conference on Concrete & Development / 799

cases the most important characteristic concerning durability and corrosion

prevention.

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