Study the Possibilities of using Waste Foundry Sand in Concrete as a Fine Aggregate

Abstract

Now a day the worldwide consumption of sand as a fine aggregate in concrete production is very high. Developing countries have encountered some strain in the supply of natural sand in order to meet the increasing need of the infrastructural development in recent year, to overcome the stress and demand of river sand, researchers and practitioners in the construction industry have identified some alternative. One of them is foundry sand, it is a high quality silica and with uniform physical characteristics and by-product of ferrous and non-ferrous metal casting industry. It is provided that foundry sand used as fine aggregate will enhance the strength of concrete to a greater extend. The foundry industry in Nagpur produces waste foundry sand that ends up in landfill sites. The utilization of waste foundry sand will benefit the industry, as raw material and energy are conserved, while costs of disposal are lowered. In this study, the physical, chemical and mechanical properties of three waste foundry sand from Nagpur were analyzed. The samples were investigated with a view to determine their conformity with applicable engineering criteria when used as a replacement, to various extents, of the fine aggregate. The main properties investigated included physical properties ( sp. Gravity, fineness modulus, unit weight, absorption, moisture content, clay lumps and friable particle, material finer than 75mm.) and the chemical properties X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X- ray diffraction (XRD). However, the chemical test result showed the composition of these sands to be comparable with results from other investigations, from IS 383 : 2016 and suitable for use as a fine aggregate replacement in concrete.