The Compressive Strength and Water Absorption of Railway’s Concrete Sleepers Containing Palm Oil Fuel Ash (POFA) as a Cement Replacement Material

Abstract

Railway’s concrete sleepers demand high consumption of cement which generates higher energy assumption and carbon emission. Meanwhile, in Malaysia, around 100 tonnes of palm oil fuel ash (POFA) were disposed of in the landfill, which endangering environmental health. However, this POFA have pozzolanic properties that can be employed as cementitious material. Therefore, this study aimed to produce a sustainable concrete sleeper by using POFA as a cement replacement material focusing on the compressive strength and water absorption performance. Concrete samples with a strength grade of 55MPa and w/c of 0.35 were prepared with three design mixes containing 0% (control), 20%(POFA20), and 40%(POFA40) of POFA. For the compressive strength test, a compression machine was used. Meanwhile, the water absorption was measured at atmospheric pressure. Both tests were conducted at 7 and 28 days of curing age. The results show that as the curing age increases, their water absorption and compressive strength improves, indicating a pozzolanic reaction. In terms of POFA content, the water absorption increases by 14% and 54% for POFA20 and POFA40, respectively. Meanwhile, the compressive strength reduced by 39% for POFA20 and 67% for POFA40. Since POFA20 meets the standards, it is however applicable in slab tracks.