Evaluation of Porosity and Permeability for High Strength Concrete using Rice Husk Ash and Metakaolin as Partial Replacement to Cement

The most well-known pozzolanas are rice husk ash (RHA) and metakaolin (MK), which are commonly used in concrete construction. The addition of pozzolana to concrete improves its long-term durability. Following multiple research findings from various countries, concrete’s growth is focused on improving its performance, resulting in the improvement of high-strength concrete. This high-strength concrete has a variety of improved properties, including increased durability by providing resistance to chemically varying environments, improved economic status, CO₂ reduction by reducing amount of cement (cement has been partially replaced by mineral admixtures- MK and RHA), increased ecology balance by balancing natural resource consumption and more. The objective of this research is to investigate the impact of mineral admixtures on the durability of high-strength concrete. The key to achieving effective results, such as low porosity and low permeability, has always been proper material proportioning. The concrete utilized in this project is of M60 grade. Curing for 3, 7, 14, 28, 56 and 90 days is preferred, with three sample blocks (different combinations) each. After several experiments, where durability is carefully assessed, these different concrete compositions are preferred. Research has shown that carefully proportioning mineral admixtures to concrete can improve durability performance even further. For example investigations on saturated absorption of water, porosity and acid resistance, salt water resistance, alkalinity, permeability, resistance to abrasion, impact strength and rapid chloride penetration. Blending cement with supplementary cementing materials (SCM) has consistently resulted in numerous advantages, including cost savings in concrete, increased early strength, waste item reuse, reduced water retention and reduced water penetration.