C. VANI AND G.S. THIRUGNANAM
Abstract
The proper disposal of silica fume, an industrial by product waste, is one of the major issues for environmentalists worldwide since dumping of silica fume as a waste material may cause severe environmental problems and hazards. An experimental investigation was carried out to study the utilization of silica fume in concrete instead of dumping it as a waste material. Cement was partially replaced with 10% of silica fume by weight. Two types of steel fibres namely kooked end and crimpled fibres were used in the experiments and volume fractions of steel fibre were 1.5%. Compressive strength, split tensile strength and flexural strength tests were made on hardened concrete specimens. The use of silica fume increased both the mechanical strength and the modulus of elasticity of concrete. The addition of steel fibre in to the concrete improves the strength of concrete significantly.