MECHANICALS PROPERTIES OF MORTARS BASED ON GLASS WASTE AS A PARTIAL REPLACEMENT FOR CEMENT

Abstract

The various activities of man continuously generate countless quantities of waste (plastics, glass, wood, domestic waste, etc.), a significant proportion of which inevitably ends up in inappropriate landfill sites. Since the beginning of the 21st century, many materials have been recycled. The present study is part of this recycling effort, with the aim of using construction waste to reduce the environmental footprint of cement. An experimental campaign was carried out to assess the effect on the physico-mechanical properties of mortars to which recovered and finely ground glass powder was added. Cement CEM II 32.5 R was substituted by glass powder in proportions of 5, 10, 15 and 20 %. The water/cement ratio was set at 0.26 to ensure consistency and set time, while a W/C ratio of 0.5 was used for the manufacture of mortars subjected to compression and bending tests. The results were compared with those obtained with the reference mortar. Maximum optimum strength was obtained at a dosage of 20 %. These comparisons show that the addition of glass powder has a beneficial effect on the mechanical and physical characteristics of the various mortars studied. This is a promising application for this waste, which still needs to be confirmed by further testing.