Rice Husk Ash – An Alternative Material to Silica Fume For Production Of 100 MPa Mortar

This study focuses on the possibility of using rice husk ash (RHA) to produce high performance mortar of 100 MPa. The variables of study include effect of grinding and level of cement replacement with RHA. The fine aggregate used was mining sand instead of silica sand which is frequently used in producing high performance concrete (HPC). The average particle size of the RHA used was 13.50 μm, 20.43 μm and 29.92 μm and level of cement replacement was at 0%, 10 %, 15 % and 20 %. The results show that the use of 10 % RHA with the average particle size of 20.43 μm gave better compressive strength from 3 days onwards compared to control OPC and silica fume and the use of 20% of RHA with the average particle size of 13.50 μm at 28 days gave better compressive strength compared to other concrete.