Title: Process parameter mix design approach and analysis of variance of fly ash-lime-gypsum masonry bricks by Taguchi's method

Authors: Mohammed Rihan Maaze; Sandeep Shrivastava

Addresses: School of Engineering, NICMAR University, Pune, India ' Department of Civil Engineering, Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur, India

Abstract: Environmental and economic considerations of manufacturing bricks play an essential role in the growth of sustainable construction. The present study investigates the optimisation of the mix design of fly ash-lime-gypsum (FaL-G) bricks by Taguchi's process parameter approach. Experiments have been designed using L9 orthogonal arrays with three factors and three levels. Mechanical and physical properties of brick mix were investigated. Compressive strength was maximised by considering the larger-the-better condition. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed on a mix, and its significance levels are presented in this paper. According to the orthogonal array design of the experiment, fly ash (50%), lime (25%), and water to binder (W/B) ratio (0.38) were the optimal levels to have maximum compressive strength. Additionally, microstructural studies like SEM, XRD and TG analysis were performed to study the optimum mix's morphology, phase structure and thermal resistance.

Keywords: fly ash; FaL-G bricks; process design approach; maximisation; compressive strength.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMRI.2024.141651

International Journal of Masonry Research and Innovation, 2024 Vol.9 No.5/6, pp.645 - 664

Received: 21 Nov 2022
Accepted: 06 Jun 2023
Published online: 30 Sep 2024 *

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