ABSTRACT

The search of advanced and innovative techniques to produce high performance and
economical constructions material has been one of the active areas of the research of
today. One of the techniques is to use by products generated from industries while
producing various products. Silica fume is also one of the industrial by-products being
produced from Ferro silica industries. IT is used in the concrete as supplementary
cementitious material rather it is being considered as essential component to produce high
performance concrete. This experimental study reports the effect of silica fume as the
partial replacement of cement used in mortar. During this study the mortar of thee
proportions; l: l, and 1:3 were produced With partial replacement of cement by Silica
fume (S.F) being 5% and 10% by weight of total binder. Effect of silica fume is studied
in terms of the strength development of mortar. For this purpose the specimens were
tested at the ages of Iday, 7day, 28days, 60days and 91days. Super plasticizer (S.P) was
added as 1% of the cement/ (binder) by weight to adjust the required workability. Entire
the specimens were cured in water up to the age of testing. In addition normal mortar of
same proportions without S.F were also cast and tested to compare the results. Results
revealed that the mortars With S.F exhibited not only remarkably higher compressive
strength at 28 days and later but also unlike the other cementitious materials, high early
age strength too.