Quarry Dust as Partial Replacement for Fine Aggregate in Steel Fiber-reinforced Concrete

Abstract

The demand for fine aggregate (Natural River sand, NRS) as one of the major constituents in making concrete and masonry blocks increases due to the rapid increase in building construction. This has triggered its scarcity making it an expensive building material. However, quarry dust (QD) has been proven to be abundant in the quarry industry after rock crushing. This experimental study aims at investigating the effect of QD as partial replacement of NRS in steel fiber reinforced concrete. 40%, 50%, and 60% NRS replacement with QD were considered in this study. The fiber content in the mix was 1.5% by the weight of concrete, with a maximum coarse aggregate size of 20mm. The produced concrete cubes targeted 30N/mm2 final strength were examined at curing ages of 7, 14, and 28 days at room temperature. Concrete density and compressive strength were determined for the produced concrete in accordance with British Standards. The laboratory test results of the concrete density and compressive strength ranged from 2533Kg/m3 to 2555Kg/m3, and 38.46N/mm2 to 46.43N/mm2 respectively. The obtained results showed that, maximum compressive strength of 46.43N/mm2 was achieved at 40% replacement. The research outcome indicates the viability of quarry dust as an alternative to natural river sand.