EFFECT OF PORCELAIN WASTE AS A FINE AGGREGATE ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE

Abstract

The demand for concrete keeps significantly increasing worldwide throughout the past few years period. The exponential development rate and construction processes on developing infrastructure facilities all over the globe has resulted this situation. As an outcome of that, the excessive production of concrete has led to several environmental impacts all around the world. This study investigated the suitability of crushed porcelain waste as a replacement for fine aggregates by analysing the strength gains and other mechanical properties depending on the replaced proportions. Porcelain Waste Fine Aggregate (PWFA) which is a low water absorbing material was used in replacing conventional fine aggregates in the proportions of 25%, 50%, 75%, 85% and 100% for the concrete of Grade 30. It was found that the most suitable and economical replacement proportion of PWFA is the 75% mix as it comprised a 28-day compressive strength of 54.31 MPa which is 50% greater than the compressive strength of control mixture. Due to the higher strength, the 75% PWFA Grade 30 mix can be implemented as Grade 45 concrete which can save up to 10% of the cost. The partial replacement of sand using PWFA significantly improved the performance of concrete while addressing several environmental and economic issues related to concrete industry.