Abstract:
Disposal of wastes resulting from myriads of human activities continues to be a problem especially in developing nations like Ethiopia, where effective and efficient waste disposal system is lacking. In this research, animal bone powder (AB) is studied to use as a construction material. Animal bone ash (BA), being rich in calcium content, enhances binding property of cementitious substances and has potential to partially replace cement in concrete production. Many studies have been conducted to determine the properties of both fresh and hardened concrete partially replaced cement with animal-bone ash at normal temperature whereas this study aims at investigating behavior of concrete produced with cement being partially replaced with bone ash (BA) at elevated temperatures. The effect of intensity of elevated temperatures (300, 600 and 9000C), durations of temperature exposure (1hr.and 3hrs.), cooling methods and various bone ash (BA) cement blending percentages (0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%) are investigated. To this end, a total of 237 concrete cylindrical test specimens were casted and tested to explore behavior of concrete with cement replaced with bone ash (BA) at elevated temperatures. Test results indicated that weight, compressive and tensile strengths of concrete with cement partially replaced by BA powder reduce with an increase in temperature and their respective test values depends on choice of cooling methods. Fast cooling results in an additional strength loss of 35% as compared to natural air cooling. Also, residual compressive and tensile strengths of concrete decrease sharply beyond 10% replacement of cement with BA. Again, specimens with 5% and 10% replacements of cement with BA had no significant difference in compressive and tensile strengths with the control specimens. This implies optimum threshold value of BA replacement of cement in concrete at elevated temperature is 10%.