Comparative Study of Cube and Cylinder Crushing Strengths of Laterized Concrete

Abstract

The non availability or shortage of river sand in some areas affects the concrete construction industry negatively. Hence there is need to find alternatives to river sand and one of the major materials locally available is lateritic soil commonly called laterite. It has been successfully used partially or wholly to replace sharp sand in concrete. This study investigated the relationship between the cube compressive strength and cylinder compressive strengths of laterized concretes made with various combinations of laterite and river sand. Laterized concretes of 1:1½:3 mix proportions were prepared with sand partially replaced with laterite at 0%, 20%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 80% and 100% at a water/cement ratio of 0.55. Granite of 20mm maximum size was the coarse aggregate used; batching was done by weight. A total of 84 cubes and 84 cylindrical specimens were prepared for testing after 3, 7, 21 and 28 days respectively. At each replacement level, the cube crushing strength as well as the cylinder crushing strength of the specimens was determined for proper comparison. At 7 days, the cylinder crushing strength was found to be 72% of the cube strength while for 14, 21 and 28 days they were 77%, 80% and 80% respectively.