Effect of Palm Bunch Ash on the Compressive Strength of Concrete

Abstract

The compressive strength of concrete made with ash from palm bunch was investigated in this study. In the tests, varying compositions of palm bunch ash (0. 5, 10, 15, 20) % were used to replace cement, then a suitable mix design of 1:2:4 was used as the control test. The engineering properties of both fine aggregates were obtained by conducting sieve analysis, slump test, and curing to find out the characteristic strength of the concrete on the cubes produced. A total of 50 concrete cubes were moulded, cured and tested after 28 days for the basic compressive strength. The result obtained showed that, the compressive strength of concrete decreased with an increase in the percentages of palm bunch ash. Thus, the addition of palm bunch ash alone did not improve the compressive strength of concrete. Therefore, palm bunch ash could be a suitable modifier when used together with other additives to achieve the desired strength of concrete.