Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of Oil Palm Fiber (OPF) Partial Replacement of Cement

Abstract

This research showed the results of experiments effect use of oil palm fibre (OPF) from oil palm industry as partial replacement for ordinary Portland cement. Research on the reuse of waste materials in the concrete industry has been quite intensive in the past decade. The objective of this research is to identify the Effect of oil palm fibre as a partial cement replacement in the production of concrete. After the treatment, the economical ways to dispose of it is by using landfill method. But due to a limited landfill site in Malaysia and it is the temporary solution for the disposal of the waste, it becomes a problem to Malaysia and the number of the oil palm fibre keeping increase year by year because of the population increase year by year too. The results showed that oil palm fibre (OPF) greatly improved the compressive and flexural strength of concrete. The rate of water absorption of oil palm fibre (OPF) concrete was reduced as oil palm fibre filled up the existing voids, making it more impermeable. However, the compressive strength of the oil palm fibre concrete decreases gradually when the amount of oil palm fibre (OPF) increased. It can be concluded that the optimum percentage of oil palm fibre as a partial cement replacement is 10%. In this direction, an experimental investigation of ultrasonic pulse velocity, carbonation test, compressive strength, flexural strength and water absorption was undertaken to use oil palm fiber and admixtures as partial replacement for cement in concrete.