Statistical analysis of the physical properties of ternary blended concrete

Abstract

The use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCM’s) is one of the extensively adopted means to mitigate the CO₂ emissions of cement. Thus, the research on the effective use of more SCM’s and their combinations ensuring the performance of concrete in terms of mechanical and durability properties is imperative. Pond ash is one of the unused by-products from power plant poses threat to the environment. An attempt is made to use dried and ground pond ash as a partial replacement for cement in concrete using M-sand as fine aggregate. Further, the dolomitic limestone powder is replaced with cement in the concrete containing pond ash. Thus, the mechanical properties of concrete such as compressive, split tensile and flexural strength of concrete are studied at 7, 28, 56 and 90 days. The durability parameters such as porosity, water absorption are also studied. The use of ground pond ash showed a comparable level of performance with conventional concrete. The effect of combined use of pond ash and limestone is more significant than using pond ash alone. Statistical analysis is performed to evaluate the relationship between physical properties of concrete and to predict the compressive strength.