The long-Term effects of nano-silica on concrete

Abstract

The emergence on nanotechnology has driven the advancement of a lot of materials, one of which is nano-silica. Therefore, the research on the application of nano-silica in concrete has been conducted by researchers. The results showed that the strength and durability of concrete can be significantly increased by the application of nano-silica. However, the conducted research was limited to 28 days (short term). Furthermore, nano silica as a new material needs to be tested over a long period of time (more than 28 days) to determine its impact on concrete. Research on the long-Term implications of using nano silica was carried out on f'c 45 MPa concrete. The percentage of nano silica used is fixed, at 5% of the weight of the binder. Furthermore, mechanical properties were tested including; compressive strength, tensile strength and slump test of normal concrete at 28, 56 and 91 days of the concrete'age. The results showed that the use of nano silica can increase compressive strength and tensile strength. The results showed that when compared to normal concrete, the use of nano silica can increase compressive and tensile strength and also produce better mechanical properties.