POTENTIAL REUSE OF WASTE RICE HUSK AS FIBRE COMPOSITES IN CONCRETE

Performance enhancement of non-engineered infra-structural systems in rural areas with locally available materials has become necessary in current day technology, mainly to counter unanticipated loads like Earthquake. In many smaller towns and villages in southern parts of India, materials result in the form of fibers and granular materials as waste. This paper is aimed to characterize the structure related properties of concrete composite with locally available rice husk fibers, for achieving reasonable energy absorbing capacity. Experimental investigations were performed to find the mechanical, shear, impact and flexural properties of concrete with and without rice husk composites. Microstructure of as received and reacted rice husk fibers with concrete for two years are also studied for durability considerations.