Effect on Workability of Concrete due to Partial Replacement of Natural Sand with Gold Mine Tailings

Abstract

Objective: Availability of fine aggregates in its natural form is becoming very scarce. It is becoming a challenging task to meet the demand for fine aggregates in its natural form without exploiting the natural resources. To sustain the construction activity, it becomes very essential to explore the possibility of utilizing alternative materials for fine aggregates. Large quantity of inorganic industrial waste is generated annually. Coal mine wastes, blast furnaces lag, iron ore tailings, red mud, zinc tailings, goldmine tailings etc., are some of the inorganic waste products that are generated. Methods/Statistical Analysis: In this investigation, an attempt is made to replace partially naturals and with gold mine tailings and study the behavior of concrete in the green state. Mix proportion for M25 concrete was obtained as per IS: 10262 guidelines, for normal concrete and concrete containing gold mine tailings as fine aggregates. Findings: Natural fine aggregates were replaced with 10%, 20% and 30% goldmine tailings on weight basis. In all five mixes were obtained and workability studies in the form of slump and compaction factor test were carried out. The slump for normal concrete was 84.33 mm and that for concrete containing gold mine tailings was 16.33 mm. The low slump for concrete containing gold mine tailings alone may be attributed to the presence of fine particles. The slump values for 10%, 20% and 30% replacement levels are 63.6 mm, 44.33 mm and 22.6mm respectively. Similar behavior is observed in the case of compaction factor test also. The decrease in the workability of concrete may be attributed to the increase in the fineness of resulting fine aggregates. Applications/ Improvements: The application of the gold mine tailing in the high scale structures and reduce cement by GMT.