Effect of Plantain Leaf Ash-Saw Dust Ash Composite on the Compressive Strength of Concrete under Prolonged Curing

Abstract

The rate of increase in the cost of construction materials in Nigeria and beyond has bestowed on researchers the responsibility of seeking ways to reduce the cost of infrastructural development. This paper investigated the effect of partial replacement of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) with plantain leaf ash (PLA) on the compressive strength of concrete. 100 concrete cylinders of diameter 100mm and 200mm height cylindrical mould were produced at percentage OPC replacement with PLA of 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%, crushed to obtain their compressive strength value at 7, 14, 21, 28 and 56 days of curing. The result showed that the compressive strength of the concrete cylinder increased as the OPC replacement with PLA increases till 10% replacement and then started to decrease as the percentage replacement was increased beyond this point. Empirical models were developed to predict the compressive strengths of OPC – PLA blended composites using polynomial regression analysis. The model values obtained from the various equations adequately corresponded with the laboratory values. The results supported earlier researches on plantain leaf ash as a partial replacement for cement in concrete production and therefore OPC-PLA blended composite could be good for civil engineering works with good quality control.