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The Behaviour of the Different Types of Foam Concrete Load-Bearing Panels Utilising Palm Oil Fuel Ash as a Sand Replacement

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Abstract

Foam concrete is widely used in wall construction due to its high thermal and acoustic insulation, hence reducing energy consumption and CO2 emission. Meanwhile, the palm oil industry results in an enormous number of by-products in forms of fibre, shell, ash and clinker. About 12 million tonnes of palm oil fuel ash (POFA) are produced annually and regularly disposed in landfills causing several environmental, economic and health adverse consequences. The purpose of this research is to investigate the performance of different types of lightweight load-bearing panels under axial loading and the effect of using POFA as a sand replacement on the behaviour of the panels. A total of 16 panels were tested and compared in terms of bearing capacity and cost efficiency using four-panel types, namely normal, reinforced, fibreglass confined and infilled steel sheet panels. Two mixtures were used in panels casting: 0% and 40% POFA. The results showed that using POFA increased the capacity and slightly increased the ductility of the panels. Among the different panel types, the use of fibreglass mesh resulted in the highest axial capacity and ductility. However, reinforced and filled steel panels showed better brittleness and established a slight increase in the capacity compared to the normal panels. In addition, fibreglass confined panels are more cost-efficient compared with the reinforced and infilled panels. In conclusion, fibreglass confined panels demonstrated the best performance, and the use of POFA as a sand replacement significantly improves foam concrete strength.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the Universiti Sains Malaysia for providing financial support to this research through the USM RUI Grant Ref. No. 1001/PPBGN/8014015.

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  1. School of Housing, Building, and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia

    Abdullah Al-Shwaiter & Hanizam Awang

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  1. Abdullah Al-Shwaiter
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  2. Hanizam Awang
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Correspondence to Hanizam Awang.

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Al-Shwaiter, A., Awang, H. The Behaviour of the Different Types of Foam Concrete Load-Bearing Panels Utilising Palm Oil Fuel Ash as a Sand Replacement. Iran J Sci Technol Trans Civ Eng 46, 2873–2883 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40996-021-00782-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40996-021-00782-w

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