EFFECTS OF BASALT AGGREGATES ON CONCRETE PROPERTIES

Abstract

Concrete is one of the most important building materials of engineering structures and especially construction applications. Since compressive strength is the most effective parameter for determining the strength of concrete, it is one of the most important mechanical properties to be determined in concrete. Aggregate grain strength, aggregate granulometry, cement strength, water/cement ratio, and concrete fill rate are the most important factors affecting the compressive strength of concrete. The quality of concrete is directly related to the aggregate that is volumetrically found most in the concrete. It is suggested that high strength, hard, easy to obtain and easy to access basalt aggregates are preferred to obtain high-performance concrete. The present study aims to investigate the fresh and hardened concrete properties of the concrete produced by the basalt aggregates extracted in the Elazig region. For this purpose, concrete mixtures containing cement dosages of 300, 350 and 400 kg/m 3 and containing different sizes of basalt aggregates were prepared. The concrete compressive strengths were tested for cubic samples of 150x150x150mm and 100x100x100mm, while the tensile splitting strengths were tested for cubic samples of 150x150x150mm. As a result of the tests performed, as the cement dosage increased, the slump values of the concrete mixtures and the strength of the concrete increased. The micro-structural structure of existing aggregates was investigated, and strong molecular bonds were observed with SEM analysis conducted within the scope of this study. In addition, a comparison was made with reference to the concrete samples prepared with different types of aggregates used in previous studies. It was seen that the compressive strength of the concrete containing the basalt aggregate was generally higher. In this experimental study, it was concluded that the concretes produced with basalt aggregates might have better mechanical properties and be environmentally friendly and economical.