Durability performance of self‐compacting concrete made with waste foundry sand

Abstract

AbstractThe utilization of waste foundry sand (WFS) has been widely explored in conventional concrete to evaluate strength and durability properties. In this study, durability properties of self‐compacting concrete (SCC) made with various percentages (0%–30%) of WFS as a partial replacement of river sand up to the age of 365 days are investigated. Annually, more than 60 million metric tons of WFS is produced worldwide from the casting industry, creating environmental problems. The scarcity of river sand is another major area of concern that can be addressed with the utilization of WFS in concrete. Tests were conducted for fresh properties, compressive strength, water absorption, sorptivity, rapid chloride permeability, and sulfate resistance. All the SCC mixes exhibited fresh‐state properties as per EFNARC. With the incorporation of WFS up to 30% increased volume of permeable pore space (13.43%–16.67%), water absorption (2.11–3.07 mm), chloride permeability (2119–3553 C), and decreased compressive strength of sulfate‐cured samples by nearly 5% compared to water‐cured samples at 28 days of curing were observed. The concrete samples showed better performance of pore structure, permeation, sulfate attack, and chloride permeability at 90 and 365 days of curing age. It was found that cost‐effective SCC with performance comparable to the control mix could be achieved by using WFS up to 10%.