INVESTIGATION ON THE EFFECTS OF WOOD ASH AS

AN ADMIXTURE IN STEEL FIBRE-REINFORCED

CONCRETE

STUDENTS:
OTIENO VINCENT ODHIAMBO MAKOKHA EUGENE EDMUND
E024-01-0854/2017 E024-01-0906/2017

SUPERVISOR: MS. MAGDALENE NAFULA

 BACKGROUND INFORMATION
OF THE STUDY
There are various types of fibres which have been used as dispersed reinforcement in

concrete for example glass, steel, synthetic and natural fibres (Gradinaru et al., 2018).

Steel fibres are incorporated into concrete where each fibre has a cumulative effect to

control the propagation of cracks, prevent shrinkage cracks and reducing its brittleness
(Yin et al., 2015).

Lathe wastes (steel fibres) are produced as a waste during metal processing from the

metal turning industry. The lathe wastes can be recycled and used as steel fibres to
reinforce concrete (Haldkar & Salunke, 2016).

 Lathe wastes as fibre reinforcement reduces the workability of concrete.

 CONT’D
Wood ash is a by-product of combustion in wood-fired power plants, paper mills, and

other wood-burning facilities.

With recent concrete technologies, wood ash is discovered to possess pozzolanic

properties and has found application in concrete production. For instance, wood ash
can be recycled and used as a partial replacement of cement to reduce construction
costs and as an admixture in concrete to improve the properties of concrete
(Engineering et al., 2010).

The goal of this study is to examine the efficiency of wood ash to improve the

workability and enhance the properties of lathe waste fibre reinforced concrete.
 PROBLEM STATEMENT

With an increase in the steel fibre content in concrete, the workability of the

steel fibre-reinforced concrete(SFRC) is reduced (Sengul, 2016).

In an investigation to increase the workability of steel fibre (lathe waste)

reinforced concrete using vinasse, it was discovered that there was air
entrainment which reduced the strength of the concrete (Submitted, 2019).

This study aims to investigate the effects of incorporating wood ash to

improve the workability of steel fibre-reinforced concrete with an optimum

content of lathe waste fibre at 1.5%.
 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
GENERAL OBJECTIVES
 To investigate the effectiveness of wood ash as an admixture to improving the
workability of lathe waste (steel fibre) reinforced concrete while maintaining the
performance of lathe waste reinforcement in concrete.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

1. To identify the optimum amount of wood ash admixture to be added to the lathe waste
reinforced concrete.

2. To determine the contribution of the optimum dosage of wood ash on the workability
of lathe waste reinforced concrete.

3. To determine how improving workability influences compressive and tensile strength

properties of lathe waste reinforced concrete.
 SIGNIFICANCE AND JUSTIFICATION

The implementation of lathe waste fibre-reinforced concrete (LWFRC) which,

evidently, has reduced workability requires the incorporation of admixtures e.g.

super-plasticizers and air-entrainers to increase its workability.

These admixtures are costly to purchase and more costs may be incurred if they are

used inappropriately. Wood ash is a residue from burning wood in furnaces and
cooking places and is treated as a waste which is dumped as a landfill.

By recycling wood ash as an admixture and putting into use lathe wastes in concrete,

construction costs and accumulation of wastes in the environment are significantly

reduced.
 LITERATURE REVIEW
Lathe Waste Fibre-Reinforced Concrete (LWFRC)

 Lathe waste contains ferrous material and its disposal into the environment can cause pollution.

 It can therefore be recycled and used as steel fibre reinforcement in concrete to control crack growth (Sadiqul Islam &

Gupta, 2016), prevent plastic and dry shrinkage cracks, reduce the brittleness of concrete and improve its ductility (Yin

et al., 2015).

 LWFRC is a type of fibre-reinforced concrete where lathe waste is added to improve the characteristics of concrete.

The compressive, split tensile and flexure strengths of LWFRC are improved with the addition of the lathe waste into
concrete. Nonetheless, they decrease when the fibre content is above the optimum volume (Haldkar & Salunke, 2016).

 In addition, an increase in the fibre content reduced the workability of the fresh LWFRC affecting its placement (Ali,

2020).
 CONT’
Workability of LWFRC

The workability is inversely proportional to the amount of fibre content i.e. increase in the fibre content decreases the

workability (Haldkar & Salunke, 2016).

Steel fibres are incorporated into concrete to control the propagation of cracks and besides, to increase other characteristics

like ductility and tensile strength. With an increase in the steel fibre content in concrete, the workability of the steel fibre-

reinforced concrete(SFRC) is reduced (Sengul, 2016).

Also, a study shown that inadequate workability leads to reduced concrete compaction and non-uniform fibre dispersion

leading to lower mechanical properties of the fresh LWFRC in the field (Stolle, 1979); Ige, 2017).
 CONT’
Wood ash

Wood ash is a residue generated as a by-product of combustion in wood-fired power

plants, paper mills, and other wood-burning facilities.

A study on wood ash at various combustion temperatures was conducted that

identified the primary components of wood ash are carbonates and oxides of metals

such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, silica, and phosphorus (Naik n.d.; Naik et al.

n.d.; Naik and Kraus n.d.; Siddique 2014).

 CONT’
The table below shows typical chemical properties of wood ash
 CONT’
Wood Ash as an Admixture

Wood ash is used as an admixture to increase bonding between particles because of its

pozzolanic properties.

Wood ash has a pozzolanic property in that a pozzolana is a substance with a high concentration

of silica and alumina with itself having low or no cementitious properties but when in fine
texture and with the availability of moisture will chemically react with calcium hydroxide to
form compounds with cementitious properties (Abdullahi, 2006).

In its chemical composition, wood ash contains calcium carbonate which provides its good

binding properties. In addition, it is rich in potassium components which assists with its good
bonding properties (Sawdust Admixture Ifb.Pdf, n.d.).
 RESEARCH GAP
 In a research on the physicomechanical properties of concrete containing lathe waste fibres, it was observed that the

workability of the concrete decreased with an increase in the percentage of lathe waste as reinforcement i.e., the higher
the lathe waste, the lesser the workability (Ali, 2020).

 In an analysis of the effect of the addition of lathe scrap on the mechanical properties of concrete, the results indicated a

loss in slump with increased volume of lathe scrap added (Haldkar & Salunke, 2016).

 In an experimental study on lathe waste fibre reinforced concrete it was discovered that an addition of lathe waste fibres

above 1.5% volume fraction portrayed reduced workability of the lathe waste fibre-reinforced concrete (LWFRC) (A &
Jayashree,2018).

 This investigation focuses on increasing the workability of lathe waste fibre-reinforced concrete by utilizing wood ash to

improve the bonding characteristics of the fibres with concrete without deteriorating the strength properties.
 METHODOLOGY
 This study will be Materials
conducted to achieve  River Sand
the set objectives. It  Coarse aggregates
will require laboratory  Water
research and data  Cement (OPC grade 32.5)
analysis  Wood ash (generated
from burnt sawdust)
 The testing in LWFRC
 Lathe waste fibres
will be carried out at
sourced from DeKUT
various dosage of the ADMATC
wood ash to determine
the optimum proportion.
 CONT’
EXPERIMENTS EQUIPMENT

Test sieves, Spade, batching box, Slump cone, tamping rod,

 Slump test (test for workability on
Pycnometer, Trowel, Oven, Weighing Balance, Molding cubes
fresh concrete)
(150mm*150mm*150mm), Molding Cylinder (150mm diameter

 Compressive test *300mm deep), Tamping bar, Compression testing machine as

 Tensile test per BS EN 12390-4, Curing tank.

 EXPECTED OUTCOMES
We expect that the workability of the LWFRC will increase with

incorporation of the optimum volume of wood ash.

Wood ash application will not impact negatively other major properties

of the concrete eg tensile and compressive strengths.

PROJECT BUDGET
PROJECT TIMEPLAN