Crushed concrete waste influence on dune sand mortar performance. Contribution to the valorization

Abstract

In the region of South Algeria, there is a significant presence of quality aggregates. However, excessive use of these materials can result in significant environmental impacts. For these reasons, it would be advisable to use other substitute materials such as dune sand and construction waste to preserve these resources and avoid excessive pollution of the environment. The aim of this work is to valorize the concrete waste to make it a useful material to correct the dune sand granulometry, in order to manufacture mortars with satisfactory performances in terms of consistency and mechanical strength. To obtain this objective, a methodology for the formulation of mixtures based on the progressive substitution of dune sand by the studied waste was adopted. Several tests were then carried out to examine the effect of the incorporation of waste on the main properties of the mortar fresh and in the cured state. These characteristics were compared to those of the control mortar (consisting only of alluvial sand, cement and water). The results obtained show that the inclusion of the waste used can improve the workability and compactness of the mortars studied and increase their compressive strengths in the short and long term. Moreover, it has been observed that its incorporation induces a decrease in tensile strength.