EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF SELF-HEALING CONCRETE MATERIAL BASED ON INORGANIC BINDERS

Abstract

The use of concrete in construction has been widely adopted due to its durability and strength. However, the development of cracks and damage caused by shrinkage, temperature variations, and external loads. remains a major concern. In order to address this issue, the study proposes the development of self-healing concrete material by utilizing sawdust ash and lime as a partial replacement for cement., which has the ability to autogenously repair cracks and improve its overall durability The study involved incorporating sawdust ash and lime into a concrete mix as partial replacement at various concentrations. To achieve this objective a concrete mix with 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15% of Sawdust ash and lime used for cement replacement was prepared. To evaluate the performance of self-healing concrete, the compressive strength was measured on the 7th, 14th, and 28th days of curing. Furthermore, the study assesses the self-healing efficiency of the developed concrete by subjecting it to controlled cracking and monitoring the crack-healing process over time. Various analytical techniques, including microscopic analysis, are employed to analyze the healing mechanism and evaluate the effectiveness of the sawdust ash and lime in promoting crack repair. The result shows that the strength of concrete increase with the increase in percentage replacement up to 5% of combined replacement of SDA and lime and curing age increase. However, the targeted strength was obtained up to 10% sawdust and 5% lime. To examine the healing ability of the concrete microscopic observation was conducted. Microstructural analysis of results indicates that there is amount of calcite (CaCO3), Ettringite and quartz. Due to additional production of these materials, the self-healing ability of concrete was improved. In conclusion, sawdust ash and lime can be effectively used as partial replacements of cement in concrete mixes to enhance the self-healing ability and mechanical properties of concrete, thereby increasing the sustainability of concrete structures.