Effect of Polypropylene Fibre on the Strength of Concrete Incorporating Rice Husk Ash

Abstract The increase in Carbon Dioxide (CO 2 ) gas emissions during the production of cement have increased the necessity for the development of eco-friendly sustainable concrete using alternative binders. This research was conducted to study the strength behaviour in terms of compressive and flexural strength of concrete incorporating rice husk ash (RHA) as a supplementary cementitious material. RHA is a potential alternative binder due to its pozzolanic nature but it can partially replace cement to a certain amount, beyond it, the strength decreases making the concrete less viable. Therefore, to strengthen RHA-based eco-friendly concrete, Polypropylene (PP) fibres were used to reinforce concrete. Based on the results, it was observed that 5% RHA achieved higher strength than the control sample, however, a further increase in RHA content resulted in a significant decrease in strength. Concrete with 10% RHA which showed reduced strength was reinforced with PP fibres which resulted in a gain in strength.