Compressive strength, porosity and water absorption of mortar containing ceramic electrical insulator powder

Abstract

       Ceramic electrical insulator waste from cracking in manufacture and transport or expiration in undertaking of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) is a problem to dispose and to find the storage area. This waste is piling up every year therefore to study the feasibility of utilization of finely ground ceramic electrical insulator as a pozzolan in concrete mixture. In this study, chemical composition and fineness of ceramic electrical insulator powder, water requirement, compressive strength, strength activity index, porosity and coefficient of absorption were investigated. The mortar containing 10, 20, 30 and 40% ceramic electrical insulator powder by partial cement replacement was used to compare with plain mortar controlling similar flow of 110 ? 5 %. The results indicated that the ceramic electrical insulator powder could be used as a pozzolan by replacing cement up to 30% by weight of binder. The incorporation of ceramic electrical insulator powder had increased the porosity of mortar whereas the coefficient of water absorption decreased with the increased ceramic electrical insulator powder replacement.