THERMAL EFFECT ON MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF BLENDED CONCRETE USING METAKAOLIN AND MICRO SILICA

The wider research in concrete brought in phenomenal changes in its structure to enhance its utility in special structures. Some of these structures are being subjected to elevated temperatures either by virtue of their utility or to unexpected fire accidents. The present work aims at studying the thermal effect on mechanical properties of ternary blended concrete using metakaolin (MK) and micro silica (MS) as replacement of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and treated thermally from ambient up to 800oC. The issue of the elevated temperatures was studied on the mechanical properties of ternary blended concrete such as compressive strength, split tensile strength, flexural strength, and Young's modulus. In addition, the study has revealed optimum proportions of the constituents of ternary blended concrete (TBC) for designing the structure to resist elevated temperatures. The outcomes of the investigations proved the potential of TBC (with 70% of the OPC, 20% of MK and 10% of MS) for employment as fire resistant structural material. The studies also threw adequate light on the possibility of optimization of natural resources in the construction industry in the form of savings in the cement usage and reduction in the emission of CO2 (carbon credits).