Investigating the Compressive Strength of Concrete by Partial Replacement of Cement with High Volume Fly Ash

The application of concrete in construction is as old as the days of Greek and Roman civilization. But for numerous reasons, the concrete construction industry is not sustainable. Firstly, it uses up huge quantities of virgin materials. Secondly, the principal binder in concrete is Portland cement (major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions). Thirdly, many concrete structures suffer from lack of durability. In this report, a brief review is presented with mixtures containing 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% Fly Ash by the bulk of the cementitious material (OPC) for M 30 and M 40 grade of concrete. The test result indicates that the compressive strength of mix with 10%, 20% and 30% replaced with fly ash were more as compared with conventional concrete thus enhancing the durability of structures. Yet, in reality approximately 50% of the Fly Ash produced throughout the world is stockpiled/land filled as a wasteland. The adoption of high-volume fly ash concrete system will enable the construction industry to get more sustainable by addressing the above three topics.