Key Fresh Properties of Self-Consolidating High-Strength POFA Concrete: Fid-Bau Portal

Key Fresh Properties of Self-Consolidating High-Strength POFA Concrete

Safiuddin, Md. / Salam, Md. Abdus / Jumaat, Mohd. Zamin

Self-consolidating high-strength concretes, including palm oil fuel ash (POFA), were produced based on the water/binder (W/B) ratios of 0.25–0.40. POFA was used in the concrete mixtures by replacing 0–30% of normal Portland cement by weight. The freshly mixed concrete mixtures were tested to determine the key fresh properties such as filling ability, passing ability, and segregation resistance. Filling ability was measured with respect to slump flow, $T_{50}$ slump flow time, inverted slump cone flow spread and time, and V-funnel flow time. Passing ability was determined from J-ring flow and L-box flow tests. In addition, sieve and column segregation tests were carried out to quantify segregation resistance. The concrete mixtures were also tested for compressive strength. The experimental results showed that W/B ratio and POFA content had significant effects on the filling ability, passing ability, and segregation resistance of concrete. The filling ability and passing ability of concrete increased with a lower W/B ratio and a higher POFA content. Moreover, the use of POFA greatly influenced the segregation resistance of concrete. The optimum POFA content for filling ability, passing ability, and segregation resistance was 20%, which also produced the maximum compressive strength in concrete.