The Application of Response Surface Methodology in Understanding the Compressive Strength and Water Absorption Capacity

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ORIGINAL PAPER

The Application of Response Surface Methodology in Understanding the Compressive Strength and Water Absorption Capacity of Sandcrete Blocks Temitope Funmilayo Awolusi 1 & Lanre Oluwaseyi Oke 2 & Olufunke Olanike Akinkurolere 2 & Dawodu Prince Ubani 3 & Raphael Temitayo Bamisaye 2 & Oluwatobi Gbenga Aluko 2,4 Received: 22 July 2020 / Accepted: 8 September 2020 # Springer Nature B.V. 2020

Abstract It becomes pertinent to improve the performance of sandcrete blocks with the use of eco-friendly material because it is the conventional walling unit system in Nigeria. This study evaluates the presence of calcined clay as a locally sourced material in producing hollow sandcrete blocks, using the Box and Behnken Design of Response Surface Methodology as experimental design. The design considers three independent variables, which are; percentage calcined clay, binder to aggregate ratio, and curing days. Calcined clay was used as a partial replacement for cement, and varied between 0% and 40%. The binder-aggregate ratio was varied between 0.125 and 0.25, while the curing days was varied between 28 and 90. The result of the X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis before and after calcination shows that visual observation of color change and the samples have similar pozzolanic content. The density of the sandcrete blocks produced ranged from 2146.46 kg/m3to 2209.60 kg/m3. Previous studies have shown that an increase in the percentage of cement replacement with pozzolana causes a reduction in density. However, experimental results obtained show that the density was not impaired by the replacement of cement with calcined clay. Besides, the water absorption results were far less than the maximum value of 12% specified by the Nigerian Industrial Standard (NIS). The compressive strength also exceeds the minimum amount set by the NIS. From the RSM analysis, a prediction model and an optimal condition of 16% calcined clay, binder to aggregate ratio of 0.20, and curing days of 61 were achieved for compressive strength. Keywords sandcrete blocks; calcined clay; binder to aggregate ratio; curing days; compressive strength. Keywords Sandcrete blocks . Calcined clay . Binder to aggregate ratio . Curing days . Compressive strength

1 Introduction Most developing countries are faced with the challenge of inadequate infrastructure to cater for both the residential and * Oluwatobi Gbenga Aluko [email protected] Temitope Funmilayo Awolusi [email protected] 1

Civil Engineering Department, Landmark University, Omu Aran, Nigeria

2

Department of Civil Engineering, Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria

3

Department of Civil Engineering, Federal University of Technology Oye-Ekiti, Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria

4

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Skudai, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

industrial needs of its teeming populace. Sandcrete block plays a significant role in modern buildings. Sandcrete belongs to the family of concretes, which eliminates the use of coarse aggregate. It is a composite material made of fine a