Logesh Kanna M., Sivaneshwaran N., Vijaya Kumar C.
The increasing demand for natural aggregate in concrete production, along with the increasing production of waste due to industries and constructions, has created concerns regarding resource depletion and environmental degradation. Utilization of wastes in concrete mixes is a very effective method to save the natural resources as well as construct environmentally friendly buildings. In this paper, the performance of M40 grade concrete is examined through the use of silica fume, quarry dust, and ceramic wastes as partial replacements of conventional materials. Quarry dust is used in place of fine aggregate, and ceramic waste is used in place of coarse aggregate. Silica fume content varies from 6% to 9%, replacement level for quarry dust ranges from 10% to 40%, and replacement level for ceramic waste changes from 10% to 40%. Properties of raw materials were determined by specific gravity and sieve analysis tests before mix design. Characteristics of fresh concrete were measured using slump tests, and those of hardened concrete were measured by compressive strength, split tensile strength, and flexural strength tests. The effect of quarry dust, ceramic waste, and silica fume additions was reflected on the behavior of the concrete mixtures in terms of both workability and compressive strength. In the range of the tested combinations, the best compressive strength, which was equal to 53.33 MPa, was attained for the combination of 6% silica fume, 10% quarry dust, and 10% ceramic waste. This level of compressive strength was higher than the required compressive strength for M40 concrete. It is clear that the increase in the strength properties could be contributed by better packing and densification of the concrete due to the effects of silica fume and finely graded quarry dust. Nevertheless, higher proportions of these additives had negative impacts on the strength of concrete because of the increase in void age and poor interfacial bond between aggregates and paste.