Experimental investigation on strength properties of concrete incorporating ground pond ash

In the present era, the consumption of electricity has increased rapidly with each passing year, due to the industrialization. Coal is a raw material for the production of electricity in the thermal power stations. Particularly, a large amount of unused ash is dumped in ponds, which are major problem concerning many developing countries. Further, dumping of ash in ponds causes environmental hazards effects such as soil, land and water pollution. Identifying a viable alternative to utilize pond ash becomes a necessity, to avoid these environmental hazards. In this research work, an attempt has been made to partially replace cement by the pond ash as a supplementary cementitious material [SCM] in concrete, which will considerably reduce the hazardous effects of pond ash, to the environment. The pond ash was ground to 45 μm and it was used to replace the cement in concrete by proportions of 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25% by mass. Test on compressive strength, split tensile strength and modulus of rupture were conducted on concrete mixes. The result indicate that the addition of 10% pond ash to concrete significantly increased the strength properties of the concrete at the age of 7, 28, 56 and 90 days.