Experimental study on mechanical properties and micro-structure of perlite powder concrete subjected to elevated temperatures

Abstract

Now-a-days fire accidents are occurring more in number. To tackle that a suitable concrete should be made which contains property of fire resistivity. In this research, a material namely Perlite Powder is used, the purpose of PP is to replace with cement for different percentages of PP subjecting to elevated temperatures in concrete. For this purpose, PP with cement replacement of 1, 3, 5, 7% by weight has been made, those specimens kept in a furnace for 1 hr after reaching the target temperature. Experiments conducted in this study include compressive strength, flexural strength, tensile strength at 28 days. Micro-structural analysis such as X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) were conducted. The researches have focused that the PP with cement replacement of 5% by weight achieved better results at elevated temperatures when compared to normal concrete.