An example of harnessing crushed ceramic pots for the production of watertight concrete

Abstract

AbstractThis article presents the results of the research program aimed to analyze the opportunities for using waste ceramic pots for the production of watertight concrete. The mechanically processed crushed ceramic pots were added to the concrete mix in two ways: as a microfiller and as a recycled fine ceramic aggregate. The ceramic meal with a fraction below 0.25 mm was obtained by processing crushed pots using a mill and disintegrator. The pulverized ceramic material was added in 10%, 20%, and 30% of the cement mass. Recycled fine ceramic aggregate with a particle diameter up to 4 mm was created using only industrial mill. The aggregate obtained from pots was used to replace 20%, 30%, and 40% of the sand mass. Altogether, seven different mixes were created. The testing covered following properties: compressive strength, water absorption, and depth of water penetration. Concretes modified with the ceramic meal obtained higher compressive strength, lower water absorption and lower values of depth of water penetration in comparison to reference concrete. Mixes with recycled fine ceramic aggregate were characterized by slightly higher compressive strength in comparison to the reference concrete and similar values of water absorption and depth of water penetration.