Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

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Strength and durability studies on ficus exasperata leaf ash concrete

K.S. Elango a,⇑, P.R. Remya a, D. Vivek a, R. Gopi b, V. Rajeshkumar a, R. Saravanakumar a
a
Department of Civil Engineering, KPR Institute of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
b
Department of Civil Engineering, Marri Laxman Reddy Institute of Technology & Management, Hyderabad, India

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: This paper deals with the feasibility of using Ficus Exasperata Leaf Ash (FELA) as a partial substitute to
Received 27 May 2020 cement. Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) was replaced with FELA. The replacement percentage varied
Accepted 10 June 2020 from 10% to 30% with uniform increment of 5%. The physical and durability properties were studied to
Available online xxxx
identify the performance of concrete when partially replaced with FELA instead of cement. The grade
of concrete used in this study is M25 so that it produces the characteristic compressive strength of
Keywords: 25 MPa. Moreover SEM and XRD studies have been carried out to study the microstructural properties
Ficus exasperata leaf ash
of FELA concrete. The results were arrived and discussed elaborately. From the experimental investiga-
FELA
Porosity
tion, it was clearly observed that 15% replacement of FELA in cement showed promising strength and
XRD durability properties when compare to other percentage replacement and it was considered as the opti-
XRF mum one.
Durability Ó 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Cost consumption Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Confer-
ence on Newer Trends and Innovation in Mechanical Engineering: Materials Science.

1. Introduction
In the modern construction world the most important binding
material produced in vast quantity is cement. Binder is the mate-
rial which holds the other materials closer. Among all the ingredi-
ents in concrete binder plays major role in strength and durability
properties. Because of the need for more sustainable cementing
products the assessment of pozzolanic activity of cement replace-
ment materials is increasing day by day. Bamboo Leaf Ash (BLA)
with a percentage of 10% to 30% with a uniform increment of 5%
as a partial substitute to cement was investigated and concluded
that replacement of BLA up to 15% shows promising strength and
durability properties when compare to other replacement percent-
ages [1]. The study has been carried out by partially replacing
banana leaf ash to cement. It has been noticed that the 15% percent
replacement of banana leaf ash increases the compressive strength
that 28 days for 15% replacement with cement and when the
replacement percentage increases 25%compressive strength
decreases. The same scenario has been observed for split tensile
strength and flexural strength and the optimum percentage of
banana leaf ash as cement in concrete is found to be 15% [2].
⇑ Corresponding author at Department of Civil Engineering, KPR Institute of
Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
E-mail address: kselango04@gmail.com (K.S. Elango).
Studies has been carried out by replacing Rice Husk Ash (RHA) as
a partial replacement for cement. It has been found that cement
replaced with 20% RHA gives promising strength and durability
test results [3]. One year, two year and three year bamboo leaves
(Gigantochloa scortechinii) chemical composition were studied
and it was found that carbohydrate content present in those leaves
plays major role in durability and service life. Moreover bamboo
leaf ash contains silica, calcium, potassium and inorganic chemi-
cals. The reaction of silica with lime forms secondary cementitious
materials that would result in gradual strengthening [4]. Signifi-
cant silica content present in bamboo leaf ash shows amorphous
nature through XRD analysis and a high pozzolanic activity [5].
Fly ash addition increases the sorptivity and it has been noticed
that sorptivity decreases with addition of silica fume [6]. An
attempt has been made to study the performance of Ficus Exasper-
ata Leaf Ash as a partial replacement for Ordinary Portland Cement
and it was noticed that FELA has natural pozzolanic properties
after calcination.
Ficus Exasperata Leaf is also known as sand paper tree which
grows in and around Kerala. Ficus Exasperata belong to the family
Moraceae, with 800 species occurring in the warmer part of the
world. It consists of cellulose fibers in it that would result in
increase of flexural and tensile strength. Fig. 1 shows the Ficus
Exaperata Leaf.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.06.195
2214-7853/Ó 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Conference on Newer Trends and Innovation in Mechanical Engineering:
Materials Science.

Please cite this article as: K. S. Elango, P. R. Remya, D. Vivek et al., Strength and durability studies on ficus exasperata leaf ash concrete, Materials Today:
Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.06.195
2 K.S. Elango et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

Table 2
Physical properties of ordinary portland cement (OPC).

S. No Tests conducted Experimental Recommended values

results as per IS 12269–2013
1. Specific gravity 3.08 –
2. Fineness of cement 3.05% Max.10%
by sieving
3. Consistency 31% –
4. Setting time
Initial 85 min Min. 30 min
Final 290 min Max. 600 min
5. Soundness 3 mm Max. 10 mm
6. Compressive strength:
7 days 37.20 MPa Minimum 37 MPa
28 days 54.50 MPa Minimum 53 MPa

Fig. 1. Ficus exasperata leaf.

Table 3
Physical properties of coarse aggregates.
2. Materials used
S. No Physical properties Test results

2.1. Ficus exasperata leaf 1. Specific gravity 2.60

2. Water absorption (%) 1.00
3. Aggregate impact value (%) 16.65
Dry leaves which have fallen were collected from Palakkad dis- 4. Aggregate crushing value (%) 18.38
trict, Kerala. The collected leaves were burnt in closed pit in order 5. Loose density (kg/m3) 1492
to convert as ash. After conversion, the ash was kept in muffle fur- 6. Compacted density (kg/m3) 1640
nace at a temperature of 500 °C over a time of 4 h for calcination.
When it is calcined then the ash is removed and sieved in 90m sieve
similar to that of Portland cement. Chemical analysis test has been
carried out at Sona College of Technology, Salem, India to confirm
the presence of pozzolanic nature. As per ASTM C 618:2003 the
content of SiO2 should at least 70% and the ash which produced
in this study satisfies the requirements. Table 1 shows the chemi-
cal composition of Ficus Exasperata Leaf Ash.

2.2. Ordinary portland cement (OPC)

Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) 53 grade conforming to IS

12269-2013 was gathered from local market. The physical proper-
ties of OPC were tested as per IS 4031-1988 (Reaffirmed 2014) and
the experimental results are given in Table 2.

2.3. Coarse aggregates

Naturally available coarse aggregate (crushed blue granite Fig. 2. SEM analysis of FELA.
metal) of size 20 mm was used in the present study. Tests were
carried out in accordance with IS: 2386-1963 (Reaffirmed 2011)
and the results are displayed in Table 3. ence of crystalline phase in the FELA such as mullite, quartz and
magnetite. Furthermore, XRD pattern of PPC mix has huge
2.4. Micro structural study on ficus exasperata leaf ash (FELA) scattered peak at about 20-30° (2h max). The presence of above
mentioned compounds that lead to improvement in microstruc-
The morphological study of the FELA by SEM and XRD are ture property of FELA.
shown in Figs. 2 and 3. It has been observed that the size and shape
of the particles in FELA varies. Different sizes such as spherical and 3. Experimental programme
round shapes were noticed. XRD analysis result confirms the pres-
Five mixes were prepared using FELA with partial replacement
percentage of 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, and 30%. The results arrived were
Table 1
Chemical composition of ficus exasperata leaf ash.
compared with conventional control mix (OPC). Mix ID CC repre-
sents conventional control mix and 10% FELA represents 10%
S. No Formula Percentage of concentration (%)
replacement in cement by using FELA. Totally 36 numbers of cube
1 SiO2 81.45 specimen of size 150 mm x150 mm
150 mm were cast and
2 CaO 5.88 tested to determine the compressive strength of FELA concrete.
3 SO3 3.78
4 K20 3.02
The specimens were tested at the age of 7 days and 28 days. Simi-
5 Al2O3 1.85 larly, cylindrical specimen of size 150 mm diameter and 300 mm
6 Fe2O3 1.95 height were cast and tested to determine split tensile strength of
7 MgO 1.82 FELA concrete. Furthermore, 100 mm
100 mm
500 mm prisms
8 Cl 0.25
were cast and tested to determine flexural strength of FELA

Please cite this article as: K. S. Elango, P. R. Remya, D. Vivek et al., Strength and durability studies on ficus exasperata leaf ash concrete, Materials Today:
Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.06.195
 K.S. Elango et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx 3

Fig. 3. XRD analysis of FELA.

concrete. Moreover, physical and durability studies such as poros-

ity and sorptivity tests were conducted to find the behaviour of
FELA concrete. The apparent porosity was determined by using
the Formula 1.

Apparent Porosity ðAP Þ ¼ ½ðW a  W d Þ=ðW a  W sd Þx100 ð1Þ

4. Results and discussion

4.1. Mechanical properties

Table 4 represents the mechanical strength properties of FELA

concrete. From the test results it has been observed that conven-
tional control mix produces 32.00 MPa at the age of 28 days. When
the replacement percentage of FELA increases, it has been observed
that there is a reduction in compressive strength values. When
compared with conventional control mix (M1), Mix M2 demon- Fig. 4. Compressive strength of FELAC.
strates 10.0% less compressive strength. In addition, 14.5% reduc-
tion in compressive strength was observed in mix M3 when
compared with M1. Furthermore mix M4 showed 33.06% reduction
in compressive strength when compared to mix M1. Moreover,
46.4% decrease in compressive strength was observed in mix M5
when compared to conventional mix. 49.3% reduction in compres-
sive strength was noticed in mix M6 when compared to conven-
tional control mix M1. Regardless of split tensile strength and
flexural strength, the trend observed in compressive strength is
resembled. However, increase in percentage of FELA greater than
20% would lead to substantial decrease in strength properties.
The graphical representation of strength and mix proportion of
Ficus Exasperata Leaf Ash Concrete (FELAC) is shown in Figs. 4–6.

4.2. Sorptivity

For water retaining structures permeability plays main key

parameter. In durability point of view above ground is sorptivity.
Fig. 5. Split tensile strength of FELAC.

Table 4
Mechanical strength properties of FELA concrete.
To improve the performance of structure and to improve the ser-
S. No Mix ID Replacement Compressive Split tensile Flexural
vice life of the structure sorptivity coefficient is essential. As per
percentage strength strength strength
of FELA (%) N/mm2 N/mm2 N/mm2 ASTM C1585 through sorptivity test resistance against capillary
suction of concrete was measured. Cylindrical specimen of size
1 M1 0% FELA 32.00 2.89 3.85
2 M2 10% FELA 28.52 2.74 3.62
100 mm diameter and 50 mm height was used. To prepare the
3 M3 15% FELA 27.35 2.62 3.50 specimen 100 mm diameter and 200 mm cylindrical specimen
4 M4 20% FELA 21.42 2.12 3.20 was cast and by cutting the specimen the specimen for testing
5 M5 25% FELA 17.15 1.67 2.75 sorptivity has been prepared. The test results of sorptivity revealed
6 M6 30% FELA 16.20 1.55 2.60
that 15% replacement of FELA in cement showed increased porosity

Please cite this article as: K. S. Elango, P. R. Remya, D. Vivek et al., Strength and durability studies on ficus exasperata leaf ash concrete, Materials Today:
Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.06.195
4 K.S. Elango et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
Fig. 6. Flexural strength of FELAC.
Fig. 7. Porosity of FELAC.
when compared to conventional control mix. when the replace-
ment percentage of FELA increases porosity percentage also
increases. This can be attributed to the fact that slower rate of
hydration observed in FELA concrete increases the porosity per-
centage. Fig. 7 represents the porosity measurement conducted
for conventional concrete mix and FELA mix concrete with various
percentage.
5. Conclusions
From the experimental investigations conducted on FELA con-
crete, the following conclusions are drawn,
 The micro structural study conducted on FELA revealed that, it
has a feasibility to use as mineral admixture for cement because
of its amorphous nature and chemical composition.
 From the compressive strength analysis, the optimum percent-
age replacement of OPC by FELA is found to be 15%. When the
replacement percentage exceeds 15% reduction in strength
properties are observed.
Please cite this article as: K. S. Elango, P. R. Remya, D. Vivek et al., Strength and durability studies on ficus exasperata leaf ash concrete, Materials Today:
Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.06.195
 It has also been noticed that FELA concrete shows good resis-
tance against porosity. OPC replaced by FELA by up to 15%
shows good performance against porosity among all the mixes.
 From the study it has been found that, FELA concrete showed
good performance against strength and durability.
 The optimum amount percentage replacement of FELA in
cement reduces the amount of cement by 15% from the original
value that would helps in cost reduction.
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing finan-
cial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared
to influence the work reported in this paper.
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Further Reading
[1] K.S. Elango, V. Revathi, Properties of PPC binder pervious concrete, Int. J. Adv.
Eng. Technol. 7 (2) (2016) 444–448.
[2] K.S. Elango, V. Revathi, Fal-G Binder Pervious Concrete, Constr. Build. Mater. 140
(2017) 91–99.
[3] K.S. Elango, V. Revathi, Infiltration and clogging characteristics of pervious
concrete, Asian J. Civil Eng. 20 (8) (2019) 1119–1127.
[4] Viswanathan Rajeshkumar, V. Sreevidya, Performance evaluation on selection
of formwork systems in high rise buildings using regression analysis and their
impacts on project success, Archives Civ. Eng. 65 (2) (2019) 209–222.
[5] W.J. McCarter, H. Ezirim, M. Emerson, Absorption of water and chloride into
concrete, Mag. Concr. Res. 44 (158) (1992) 31–37.
[6] S. Mukherjee, S. Mandal, U.B. Adhikari, Study on the physical and mechanical
property of ordinary portland cement and fly ash paste, Int. J. Civil Struct. Eng. 2
(3) (2012) 731–736.
[7] B.B. Sabir, S.M. Wild, A water sorptivity test for mortar and concrete, Mater.
Struct. 31 (8) (1998) 568–574.
[8] N.B. Singh, S.S. Das, N.P. Singh, V.N. Dwivedi, Hydration of bamboo leaf ash
blended Portland cement, Indian J. Eng. Mater. Sci. 14 (1) (2007) 69–76.
[9] IS 1489 Part 1 -1991 (Reaffirmed 2014), ‘Specification for portland pozzolana
cement’, Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi, India.
[10] IS 1727-1967 (Reaffirmed 2013), ‘Methods of test for pozzolanic materials’,
Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi, India.
[11] IS 3812 Part 1-2013, ‘Specification for fly ash for use as pozzolana and
admixture’, Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi, India.