Development of sustainable concrete using silica fume and stone dust

Abstract

The waste material stone dust is obtained from the screening of coarse aggregates obtained after blasting of rocks, causing a severe problem for its disposal. The fast depletion of natural aggregates has forced the researchers to identify alternative materials for aggregates. This study aims to efficiently utilize stone dust for the production of sustainable concrete which possesses better durability characteristics as compared to control concrete. The concrete has been developed by making use of binary and ternary concrete mixes by the use of silica fume and stone dust. The binary and ternary mixes have been prepared by the inclusion of varying percentages of stone dust and silica fume by partially replacing fine aggregates with stone dust by 10%, 20%, 30% & 40% and after that cement with silica fume in varying percentages of 5%, 10%, and 15%. A total of 8 mixes have been investigated. The mechanical and durability properties of binary and ternary blends have been investigated. The durability of concrete in terms of acid attack and sulphate attack has been investigated. The results of the study have revealed that the 30% replacement of stone dust with fine aggregate and 10% replacement of silica fume with cement simultaneously can be effectively used to produce sustainable concrete. Hence the optimum use of silica fume and stone dust not only provide durable concrete but can also address the problem of stone dust disposal.