Investigating the usability of ceramic tile wastes as a partial replacement for fine aggregates in concrete blocks.

Abstract

This study sought to investigate the suitability of using ceramic tile wastes as a partial replacement for fine aggregates in concrete block production and investigating the influence of the ceramic tile aggregates on the engineering properties of concrete blocks i.e., Compressive strength, density and Water Absorption. The methods used in this research involved practical carrying out of tests on materials and the blocks made with guidance from the different standards. Blocks of size 400 × 150× 200 mm were prepared with ceramic tile aggregates content in percentages of 0%, 10% ,20% and 30% by weight of the sand. The blocks were made using the concrete block machine and cured. The cured blocks were then tested at 7days, 14days and 28days for compressive strength, water absorption and their densities determined. It was found that as the percentage for the ceramic tile aggregates increased, there was an increase in the water absorption with an increase in the ceramic tile aggregate content in the blocks, with 30% replacement content recording the highest water absorption of 7.31% after 28 days while the control sample (0% replacement) recorded the lowest rate of 4.3% after 28 days. The increase in water absorption of the ceramic tile aggregate blocks was attributed to the fact that ceramic aggregates are generally more porous than sand. On the other hand, the average compressive strength test results after 28days were 13.1Mpa, 15.8Mpa, 14.6Mpa and 13.3Mpa for 0%, 10%, 20% and 30% replacements respectively with the highest strength attained for 10% replacement. The increase in strength was due the enhanced bond between the ceramic tile wastes aggregate having more angular shapes and rough surfaces and cement pastes. The increase in strength was also be due to pozzolanic effect of ceramic fines. It was also noticed there was slight decrease in the densities of the blocks with increase in the percentage replacement with the 30% replacement being the lightest. This was attributed to the physical properties of the aggregates.