EVALUATION OF MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF AGGREGATE CONCRETE REINFORCED WITH GROUND BOTTOM-UP FLY ASH FROM BLAST FURNACE SLAG AND NUTMEG SHORT FIBER: AN ANOVA VALIDATION

This study investigates the mechanical properties of aggregate concrete reinforced with ground bottom-up fly ash derived from blast furnace slag and natural nutmeg short fibers. The aim is to develop a sustainable and high-performance concrete by integrating industrial by-products and biodegradable fiber reinforcements. The concrete mixes were designed with varying proportions of fly ash and nutmeg fiber, and their effects on compressive strength and split tensile strength were assessed. Moreover, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed to ascertain whether the mix proportions are interactive with the input variables. According to the results, the percentages of GBFS, recycled aggregate (RA), and nutmeg short fibers ranged from 0–50%, 0–100%, and 0–1%, respectively. However, at 7, 28, and 56 days of curing, the concrete’s compressive strength (CS) and split tensile strength (STS) were the parameters examined and found that the curing is directly proportional to the strength. Finally, the ANOVA results indicate that the process is stable, and the results are highly significant. The process is significant, and the addition of reinforcement is highly correlated with the outcomes, as indicated by ANOVA. The process is most stable as a result of the unsuccessful hypothesis testing.