Systematic review demonstrates differential impacts of silica fume and rice husk ash on concrete hydration and workability, highlighting mechanisms for optimized sustainable mix design.
Key Points
To synthesize and compare the effects of silica fume and rice husk ash on concrete fresh workability and hydration kinetics, with a focus on dosage-dependent responses and processing parameters.
Conducted a structured review of literature evaluating the influence of particle size, replacement levels, and processing methods of silica fume and rice husk ash on concrete properties.
Silica fume (0.1–0.3 μm, >85% amorphous silica) decreased slump by 20–30% at 10% replacement, advanced early hydration peak heat release by 5°C–10°C, and lowered calcium hydroxide content by 4.4% at 5% replacement.
Rice husk ash (<10 μm) increased water demand but maintained workability at 5%–10% replacement with admixtures, refining pore size and boosting later-age calcium silicate hydrate formation through secondary pozzolanic reactions.