Aims:The aim of this research is to verify the suitability of local gravel aggregates obtained from the Southern part of Akwa Ibom State for designed concrete production in place of crushed granite aggregate sourced from distance places at exorbitant cost. This paper assesses the strength characteristics of concrete made from two locally sourced gravel aggregates of 10 mm and 20 mm maximum sizes. Study Design: Three samples of gravels divided into washed and unwashed gravels were used for the research. Concrete mix design of 25 N/mm 2 at 28 days of curing was the target mean strength of the research. Conclusion:The results prove that the size, grading, internal bonding and deleterious material contribute immensely to the strength of concrete made from gravel aggregate.

limate change is predicted to result in warmer and drier summer as well as wetter winter which we are already experiencing. This could result in instability of earth structures hence this study. Durham boulder clay was used to investigate the crack patterns, crack geometric parameters, shear strength and infiltration time of 400 mm x 400 mm x 75 mm samples sieved through 20 mm sieve and compacted to 1.35 g/cm 3 , 1.65 g/cm 3 and 1.70 g/cm 3 densities. Six cycles each were carried out and the samples were air-dried. The photographic images of the sample surface were used for crack analysis. Stability of crack pattern for each cycle was attained after 24 hours of drying. The final shear strengths of all the samples were higher than the control implying increased strength. The final crack depth of the VLC sample was 3.48 times that of the WC sample. The final crack width for the VLC sample was 2.12 times that of the WC sample. The CIF of all the samples reached stability by the 5 th cycle. There was also stabilization in the infiltration of the samples by the third cycle and as such valid predictions could be made from this cycle. In practical scenarios, earth structures undergo more than 6 cyclic wetting and drying hence it can be inferred that they will attain stability by the fifth cycle. From this study, it can be noted that loosely compacted structures are more susceptible to failure than well-compacted structures.