Chloride and chemical resistance of self compacting concrete containing rice husk ash and metakaolin

• Rice husk ash (RHA), metakaolin (MK) and their combination are used as cement replacement materials.
• The ternary systems of OPC, RHA and MK, enhance the mechanical properties of self compacting concrete.
• The RHA and RHA in combination with MK showed a considerable resistance against acid attack.
• Up to 30% the combination of RHA and MK as may be used as supplementary cement replacement materials.
• Strong interrelationship occurred between weight loss due to acid attack and Silica ratio of blended SCC.

In this paper, the durability properties of self-compacting concrete (SCC) containing rice husk ash (RHA), metakaolin (MK) and a combination of MK and RHA (1:1 ratio) were evaluated and their relationships discussed. The durability properties of the various mixtures were studied. The results showed that SCC blended with RHA and a combination of RHA and MK showed a considerable improvement in durability than unblended SCC (100% OPC). However, the performance of SCC blended with MK was unsatisfactory in an acid environment. In addition, it was found that resistance to acid attack was directly related to the silica ratio (SR).