Mechanical and Physical Characteristics of Aerated Concrete with Fly Ash Variations

Abstract

Aerated concrete is a lightweight concrete consisting of sand, cement, water, and air-entraining agent such as aluminum powder. This research uses fly ash as a substitute for cement with a percentage of 0%, 10%, and 15%, and quartz sand as fine aggregates. This study aimed to determine the effect of fly ash percentage on the mechanical and physical properties of aerated concrete. The tests carried out in this research were testing for fresh concrete, namely slump flow and setting time, and testing the characteristics of foam concrete, namely specific gravity, compressive strength, flexural strength, and microstructure. The highest slump flow is found in a mixture of 15% fly ash with a value of 14.5 cm. The higher the percentage of fly ash used, the longer the setting time required. The optimum mixture is found in a mixture with a percentage of 15% fly ash substitution, which had a specific gravity of 1728.46 kg/m³, a compressive strength of 20.24 MPa at the age of 28 days, a flexural strength of 3.819 MPa, and an amorphous percentage of 78.30%.