CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This section focuses on the studies that support and relate the ideas prior to this study.

2.1 Mahogany Tree

The popular Mahogany in the Philippines is cultivated for its quick growth and hard wood.
Swietenia macrophylla is the scientific name of mahogany. The usual Mahogany tree was brought
to the Philippine Islands under American occupation and this plant is indigenous to Mexico and
South America. Considered to be a tough timber, the plant comes from the Meliaceae family, who
produce genuine mahogany timber.
Mahogany is also used as a name for the Philippine indigenous or local tree. Also known
as Lauan, the Philippine mahogany is considered the very best in Asia. The types growing in Luzon
are generally harder and darker, while Mindanao origin is a lighter and milder type.

2.2 Cement Paste

Concrete is a mixture of cement, aggregates and water. Cement is referred to as a basic

concrete component. It is a mineral powder finely milled, usually colored gray. Cement mixed
with water serves as an adhesive for binding concrete sand, gravel, and hard rock. It hardens both
in the air and under water, and once reached, it remains in its hardened state. Calcareous, clay, and
marl are the main raw materials for cement production.

2.3 Pozzolans and Admixtures

A pozzolan is a siliceous or siliceous and aluminum material that has little or no

cementitious value in itself but will chemically react with calcium hydroxide at ordinary
temperatures in a finely divided form and in the presence of moisture in order to form compounds
with cementitious properties. Therefore, it is classified as a cemented material. There are both
natural, artificial, and silica fume pozzolans.

2.4 Ash

2.5 Influence of Supplementary Cementitious Materials on Engineering Properties of

High Strength Concrete

This research has examined the influence on the engineering properties of high strength concrete
(HSC) on supplementary cement materials (SCMs) namely silica fume, metakaolin, fly ash and
ground grain blast - furnace slack. To quantify the effects of the different materials, workability,
compressive strength, elastic module, porosity, and pore size were assessed.
2.6 An Experimental Investigation of Mahogany Carpel Ash as Cement Replacement in
Concrete

This study investigates mahogany carpel ash as cement replacement at five different design
mixtures: 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% mahogany carpel ash composition. Specimens without
mahogany carpel ash were also prepared to serve as the control specimens for this study. The
mortar specimens were tested for compressive strengths at curing age of 3 days, 7 days and 28
days. The characteristics of the ash were also determined to understand the physical and
chemical contents of the ash. Results revealed that the use of 20% mahogany carpel ash cement
replacement was able to meet the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) C270
minimum strength requirement for Type M mortar. The 40% and 60% cement replacement met
the minimum standards for Type N mortar and the 80% cement replacement met the minimum
standards for Type O mortar. These findings provided information that may be useful to further
conduct specific studies to enhance the utilization of mahogany carpel for concrete technology
and the construction industry.