Evaluating compressive strength of bagasse ash bricks in combination with coconut fibers

This paper deals with the effective use of bagasse ash in bricks. Bagasse ash contains more amount of silica and has pozzolanic properties. Addition of baggass ash with binding materials like lime or cement in combination with water causes secondary reaction and it gains cementitious properties. Baggasse is by product of sugar industry. Formation of bagasse ash increasing day by day and it has disposal issues. Therefore utilization of bagasse ash in manufacturing bricks could be the better option of disposal and recycling. Many researchers stated that bricks manufactured using 10-50% of bagasse ash in combination with lime, quarry dust and fly ash provides better compressive strength. The use of bagasse ash more than 50% would results in cracking and strength of such a bricks found to be declined. So in this study bricks were manufactured using dose of baggasse ash more than 50% in combination with coconut fibers. From the results it is found that at 60% addition of bagasses ash along with 2% coconut fibers considerably reduces surface cracking. The compressive strength obtained at 28days is 8.52MPa.