Compressive strength performance of high strength concretes using binary supplementary cementitious materials

The increasing scarcity of raw materials and an urgent need to protect the environment against pollution has accentuated the significance of developing new building materials based on industrial by-products. Fly ash from thermal power plants and silica fume from the Ferro silicon alloy plants are posing a serious environmental threat to the society and ways are thought of to dispose these by-products. These can be utilized intensively in concrete to achieve economy without sacrificing important properties like strength and durability. An experimental investigation has been conducted to estimate the behaviour of a high strength concrete developed based on this binary combination. The parameters involved include dosages of silica fume and fly ash. A total of 150 concrete cubes were cast and tested and a comparison was brought to show the influence of silica fume and fly ash on the strength of concrete. It was concluded from the study-that fly ash has a great potential in the preparation of inexpensive building materials. The use of these binary cementitious materials in suitable dosages has good applications in developing high strength matrices and could also make the mixes economical.