The utilization of quarry dust as fine aggregates in concrete

Abstract

In the view of the expeditious growth of infrastructure around the globe, there is an acute shortage of building materials and also a very stern problem of the disposal of the remaining and continuously generating waste. The demand of natural sand in the construction industry also has magnificently increased resulting in the rapid depletion of the river beds which are the natural sources of sand. Acute shortage of good quality of sand has resulted in to considerable increase in its price ultimately affecting the construction cost. Thus there is a severe need to identify a suitable substitute of sand which is eco-friendly and can be used effectively in construction practices mainly in concrete which requires sand as fine aggregates. An attempt is required to investigate use of some alternative materials to save precious natural resources. The current study focuses on determining suitability of using quarry dust, which is a waste product from quarry, as fine aggregates in traditional concrete. During the tenure of the study, some physical and engineering properties of quarry dust and sand were determined and compared. The compressive strength of concrete was determined after replacing sand with quarry dust in various ratios. The results of the study showed encouraging results for replacement of 50% of sand with quarry dust.