ANALYSIS OF MARSHALL CHARACTERISTICS WITH ARECA NUT ASH FILLER SUBSTITUTE MATERIAL IN AC-WC CONCRETE ASPHALT MIXTURE

Abstract

Asphalt is a primary material used in road construction, and improving pavement quality requires environmentally friendly alternative materials. Areca husk ash, which contains high levels of cellulose and silica, has the potential to enhance asphalt mixture performance. This study was conducted to determine the effect of using areca husk ash as a filler substitute in AC-WC mixtures. The Marshall test method was applied with filler substitution variations of areca husk ash to stone dust at 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%, as well as asphalt content ranging from 4.5% to 6.5%. The test results showed that all mixture variations were still within the limits of the 2024 Bina Marga specifications. The optimum asphalt content (OAC) tended to decrease as the proportion of areca husk ash increased, with the highest value obtained at 20% substitution (6%). Thus, areca husk ash can serve as a partial filler substitute without reducing AC-WC quality, although its use should be limited to maintain the stability and performance of the mixture in accordance with technical standards.

Keywords: AC-WC, areca palm fiber, asphalt, Marshall characteristics