A New Approach to Improve Durability of Rice Husk Ash Blended Concrete with Re-Dispersible Polymer Powder

An experimental investigation was conducted to improve the limitation of Rice Husk Ash (RHA) blended concrete in terms of durability, by incorporating Re-dispersible Polymer Powder. To examine durability properties of Rice Husk Ash Polymer-Modified Concrete (RHAPMC) matrix, the RHAPMC mix of 1:2:3 proportions was used to prepare the specimens. To prepare Rice Husk Ash-Modified Mix (RHAMM), 10% of RHA was replaced with cement. RHAPMC was made with the inclusion of polymer at the ratio of 1 to 7.5% by the weight of cement. Most common durability related properties, i.e. water absorption, density, water permeability, ultrasonic pulse velocity and compressive strength were experimentally investigated. The results showed a remarkable improvement in durability characteristics in newly developed matrix of rice husk ash polymer modified concrete and could be used as a repair material in aggressive environment.