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Building and Environment 41 (2006) 1478–1481 www.elsevier.com/locate/buildenv
Performance of mortar and concrete made with a fine aggregate of desert sand Guoxue Zhanga,b,, Jianxia Songb, Jiansen Yangb, Xiyuan Liua a
Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Foshan University, Foshan 528000, China b Department of Civil Engineering, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
Abstract At this moment there is no national specification concerning the application of desert sand with very fine grain. To be able to apply desert sand to mortar and concrete in civil engineering, mortar and concrete made of Tenggeli desert sand and Maowusu sandy land sand have been tested in order to clarify their engineering characteristics. Based on the determined chemical composition and the physical characteristics of desert sand, the mechanical properties of mortar and concrete made of two types of desert sand as fine aggregate were investigated. The results of the tests indicate that desert sand can be used as a fine aggregate in mortar and concrete for general civil engineering. r 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Tenggeli desert sand; Maowusu sandy land sand; Fine aggregate; Engineering properties; Mortar; Concrete
1. Introduction
2. Characterization of desert sand
Tenggeli desert, with an area of about 42,700 km2 , is located at the southeast of the Inner Mongolia of China between Helan Mountain and Minqin Oasis. The Maowusu sandy land with an area of about 32,100 km2 is at the southeastern Erdos plateau of the Inner Mongolia of China. Because the desert sand belongs to superfine sand, currently there is no corresponding National Specifications or Codes for using it in mortar and concrete as the fine aggregate. To meet the requirement of civil engineering construction for fine aggregate in the regions, decreasing the transportation of the ordinary fine aggregate, reasonably using local desert sand resources, reducing the construction cost, the engineering properties of the desert sand in the regions was investigated.
2.1. Specimens The specimens of Tenggeli desert sand were taken from surface floating sand on the leeward side in Zhongwei County, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China. The specimens of Maowusu sandy land sand were taken from the surface floating sand on the leeward side in Yanchi County, Ningxia, China. 2.2. Chemical composition of desert sand The chemical composition of ordinary sand and desert sand are listed in Table 1. As can be seen, desert sand has a similar SiO2 content as ordinary sand and does not include mud. The alkaline oxide of Maowusu sandy land sand is higher than that of Tenggeli desert sand. 2.3. Physical properties of desert sand
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The sieve analysis of desert sand is given in Table 2. The average grain size for the Tenggeli desert sand and
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Table 1 Chemical composition of desert sand and ordinary sand Specimens
Ordinary sand Tenggeli desert sand Maowusu sandy land sand
Chemical composition (%) SiO2
FeO
Al2 O3
CaO
MgO
K2 O
Na2 O
Loss on ignition
86.55 86.92 82.66
0.98 2.05 1.85
9.74 8.02 8.72
0.96 0.22 2.00
1.09 1.39 1.51
— 0.06 0.12
— 0.03 0.07
— 1.28 2.90
the Maowusu sandy land sand was 0.163 mm and 0.128 mm, respectively. The fineness modulus, moisture content of dry sand and bulk density for Tenggeli sand were 0.334, 0.14% and 1520 kg/m3 , respectively, while for the Maowusu sand they were 0.194, 0.29% and 1470 kg/m3 , respectively. It was noted that both desert sand samples belonged to superfine sand. There was no corresponding National Specifications or Codes for using it. As far as the average grain size and the fineness modulus are concerned, Tenggeli desert sand is superior to Maowusu sandy land sand.
Table 2 Sieve analysis of desert sand Maximum size (mm)
0.600 0.300 0.150 0.097 0.075 0.050 o0.050
Percentage of mass passing through sieve (%) Tenggeli desert sand
Maowusu sandy land sand
0.0 0.4 33.0 88.8 98.6 99.7 99.8
0.2 2.7 16.5 63.7 92.0 99.3 99.5
3. Experimental program 3.1. Aggregates
Table 3 Sieve analysis of coarse aggregates
A single source of commercially graded unwashed crushed gravel was used as coarse aggregates with a maximum size of 31.5 mm in all concrete mixtures. The grading of the coarse aggregate as shown in Table 3 complies with the China Standards JGJ55-2000 and J642000 [1]. The surface floating sand on the leeward side in both Tenggeli desert and Maowusu sandy land was used as fine aggregates in all mortar and concrete mixtures.
Maximum size (mm)
Percentage of mass passing through sieve (%)
31.5 25.0 20.0 16.0 10.0 5.0 2.5
100 95 81 59 41 3 1
3.2. Cement The cement used in this study was a locally produced ordinary Portland cement (brand Saima). 3.3. Admixtures The CBC and CMS admixtures, produced by the China Oil Engineering Technology Institute, were added [2]. They were mainly composed of surface activator, plasticizer and coagulant. 3.4. Moulds and casting First of all, the total cement and aggregates were dryly mixed for 10 s. Then the total amount of water was added and mixed for 1 min. Afterwards, an additive CBC or CMS was added and the mixing process
was kept on for 3 min. The sinking degree and delamination of the mortar were measured. The moulds for mortar and concrete specimens had a size of 70:7 70:7 70:7 mm3 and 150 150 150 mm3 [3], respectively. All the moulds were made of steel. The moulds were firstly oiled, and then they were placed horizontally on the floor. The sinking degree and delamination of the mortar and the slumps of all concrete mixes were measured. The amount of water and cement added to the mix increased due to the higher specific surface area and water absorption capacity of the desert sand [4]. The mortar and concrete were difficult to mix and separating and bleeding were easily observed. Therefore, the sand/ gravel ratio was controlled in the range 28–32% during mixing. By adjusting the ratio of water/cement, amount
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of aggregates, ratio of cement/sand and mix proportions of additive, an increasing strength and good performance mortar and concrete could be obtained.
4. Experimental results 4.1. Mortar The test results of mortar by using Tenggerli desert sand are listed in Table 4. The additives have little effect
on the workability of the mortar, but a remarkable effect on compressive strength. As the cement/sand ratio was lower than 1:2, the mortar has poor water retention and poor fluidity. The water will be quickly separated and absorbed by the bricks and a separating sand layer appeared such as in the case for masonry mortar. Therefore, the tested mortar cannot be used as masonry mortar in practice. As the mortar with a cement/sand ratio was higher than 1:2, its performance can meet the requirement of coated mortar. So, it is economical to use desert sand for coated mortar in civil engineering.
Table 4 Test results of mortar by using Tenggerli desert sand Specimen
ZM1 ZM2 ZM3 ZM4 ZM5 ZM6
Cement/sand (%)
18 18 28 68 40 50
Admixture (%)
— CBC,2 CBC,2 — — —
Workability
Compressive strength (MPa)
Sinking degree (mm)
Delamination (mm)
60 45 49 85 82 65
26 10 19 9 39 25
4.3 14.4 13.1 40.0 22.9 28.3
Table 5 Tests results of concrete by using desert sand Specimen name Cement (kg) Water/cement Admixture (%) Cement class Sand/gravel (%) Slump (mm) Compressive strength (MPa)
Z01 Z02 Z03 Z06 Z07 Z08 Z09 Z10 Z11 Z12 Z13 Z14 Z15 Z16 Y01 Y02 Y03 Y06 Y07 Y08 Y09 Y10 Y11 Y12 Y13 Y14 Y15 Y16
235 235 235 365 434 395 436 370 433 474 497 479 485 517 244 240 240 365 463 422 433 367 454 471 477 491 477 474
0.85 0.78 0.77 0.55 0.47 0.43 0.37 0.49 0.42 0.45 0.38 0.38 0.36 0.34 0.85 0.82 0.81 0.55 0.49 0.47 0.42 0.54 0.40 0.49 0.41 0.43 0.41 0.43
— CBC, 2.0 CMS, 2.0 — — CBC, 1.7 CBC, 1.6 CMS, 2.0 CMS, 2.0 — CBC, 1.7 CBC, 2.3 CMS, 1.7 CMS, 2.3 — CBC, 2.0 CMS, 2.0 — — CBC, 1.6 CBC, 2.0 CMS, 2.1 CMS, 1.9 — CBC, 1.8 CBC, 2.2 CMS, 1.8 CMS, 2.3
32.5R 32.5R 32.5R 32.5R 32.5R 32.5R 32.5R 32.5R 32.5R 42.5R 42.5R 42.5R 42.5R 42.5R 32.5R 32.5R 32.5R 32.5R 32.5R 32.5R 32.5R 32.5R 32.5R 42.5R 42.5R 42.5R 42.5R 42.5R
32 32 32 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 32 30 30 29 30 30 30 30 29 30 28 28 28 28
Z01–Z16: specimen of Tenggeli desert sand; Y01–Y16: specimen of Maowusu sandy land sand.
38 25 35 55 45 75 45 80 60 70 70 100 85 95 25 40 30 45 25 50 30 30 110 30 60 40 25 35
3d
28d
180d
9.1 13.3 — — 29.0 36.3 — — — — — — — — 10.1 11.7 — — 26.3 23.1 — — — — — — — —
17.2 22.7 15.6 31.1 41.4 48.6 51.4 44.5 51.0 40.2 54.9 48.5 48.5 48.3 17.2 18.7 17.6 28.8 37.2 34.5 37.9 31.8 39.1 40.5 44.0 39.1 43.3 46.1
— — — — 45.6 55.1 — — — — — — — — — — — — 43.6 40.8 — — — — — — — —
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The mortar test for Maowusu sandy land sand was not carried out due to its poor workability. 4.2. Concrete The slump of fresh concrete was measured using the standard slump test apparatus. The compressive strength of the hardened concrete was determined at the age of 3, 28 and 180 days [5]. The tests results of concrete using the desert sand are listed in Table 5. It indicates that concrete with the Tenggeli desert sand has better engineering properties than that with Maowusu sandy land sand. The latter shows good cohesiveness, but poor fluidity. The slump of concrete and the sand/ gravel ratio were controlled in the range of 25–110 mm and 28–32%, respectively. The concrete with no additives showed poor workability and small slump. When additives such as CBC and CMS were added, the performance of the concrete improved and its compressive strength increased. Further study will focus on the durability of mortar and concrete made with a fine aggregate of desert sand.
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than 1:2, the mortar can be used as coated mortar. The effect of the admixture on the workability of mortar was very small, whereas the effect on improvement of the strength was quite obvious. 3. The concrete with Tenggeli desert sand showed better workability than the concrete with Maowusu sandy land sand. The latter had better cohesiveness, but less fluidity. After adding CBC or CMS admixture, the workability of the concrete improved, and the compressive strength increased. It can be concluded that the application of concrete with desert sand as a fine aggregate in civil engineering is feasible.
Acknowledgements The authors wish to acknowledge the financial supports of Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China through the funding of the key project of science and technology research (Grant no. 00258), and the research project of Ningxia Education Department of China (2000).
5. Conclusions References 1. Tenggeli desert sand and Maowusu sandy land sand belong to superfine sand. Their SiO2 contents are similar to that of ordinary sand. The alkaline oxide of Maowusu sandy land sand is higher than that of Tenggeli desert sand. According to the average grain size and the fineness modulus, the sand in Tenggeli desert should be superior to the sand in Maowusu sandy land. 2. The workability of mortar was extremely poor when the cement/sand ratio is smaller than 1:2. It is suggested that desert sand should not be used as masonry mortar. When the cement/sand ratio is greater
[1] Specification for mix proportion design of ordinary concrete (JGJ55-2000, J64-2000), Beijing, 2001 [in Chinese]. [2] Zhang C, Zhou W, Ding X, Liu B. Mixing of mortar and concrete using extra-fine sand from desert. New Building Materials 2001;26(1):28–9 [in Chinese]. [3] Specification for mix proportion design of masonry mortar (JGJ982000, J65-2000), Beijing, 2001 [in Chinese]. [4] Hunan University, Tianjin University, Tongji University, Southeast University. Construction material, 4th ed. Beijing: China Construction Industry Press; 1997. p. 65–73 [in Chinese]. [5] Wang H, Wei Z. Study on concrete mix proportion of super fine sand from Shanbei desert. Architecture Technology 2002;33(1): 30–1 [in Chinese].