Mechanical Properties of Concrete Incorporating Pre-Treated Wastes Sawdust

Abstract

This paper investigates the effect of using wastes sawdust as a replacement of fine aggregate (sand) on mechanical properties naming compressive, tensile and flexural strengths of ordinary Portland concrete. The wastes sawdust was treated before incorporating it in concrete mixtures. Three different methods were used to pre-treat the sawdust including a) soaking the sawdust in distilled water at 50 oC, b) soaking the sawdust in Ca (OH)2 solution, and c) soaking the sawdust in Ca (OH)2 solution and using a set accelerator in the concrete mixture. In addition to the control mixture (having no sawdust), three more concrete mixtures were prepared to explore the effect of the three different methods of pre-treatment on the mechanical properties of concrete. Results showed that the compressive strength of the concrete incorporating wastes sawdust pre-treated with the calcium hydroxide solution (slaked lime) and having the accelerator was higher than that of the control mixture. The tensile and flexural strengths of the concrete mixture having waste sawdust pre-treated by Ca (OH)2 solution and having the accelerator were found to be very comparable to those of the control mixture. On the other hand, the compressive, tensile, and flexural strengths of the concrete mixture with sawdust pre-treated by Ca (OH)2 solution only were somehow comparable to those of concrete mixture having sawdust pre-treated by distilled water. While the compressive strength of the concrete mixtures incorporating sawdust pre-treated with either Ca (OH)2 solution or distilled water was less than that of the control mixture, both tensile and flexural strengths of the two treated concrete mixtures were approximately comparable to those of the control mixture.