Effect of Elevated Temperature on Compressive Strength and Physical Properties of Neem Seed Husk Ash Concrete

High temperature rise mostly caused by a fire outbreak is currently becoming a threat that endangers concrete's structural performance for buildings and the safety of occupants. The behavior of concrete after fire subjection has been of much interest for the structural materials design purposes. This study investigated the physical properties and the compressive strength of M25 concrete incorporating Neem Seed Husk Ash (NSHA), exposed to and through targeted different levels of temperature (200 °C to 800 °C) for a period of three hours in an electric furnace. The NSHA was produced by calcining neem seed husks at 800 °C for six hours and then sieved through the 125 μm sieve. Different amounts of NSHA were investigated while considering the plain concrete as the control sample. 150 concrete cubes of 150 mm sizes were cast and properly cured for 7 and 28 days. The experimental results show that the compressive strength of the 5% NSHA concrete exposed to temperatures up to 400 °C is 21.3% and 23.8% better than the normal concrete at 7 and 28 curing days, respectively. Surface cracks and spalling are noticeable at 600 °C and 800 °C for all samples considered in this study.