Waste foundation
sand (WFS) is one of the most abundant residues
in the foundation industry. Currently, its annual production is estimated
to be three million tons. This material has properties that make it
an attractive candidate for implantation as an alternative constituent
to a natural fine aggregate in concrete applications. This application
can promote greater sustainability, as it would establish a noble
destination for the waste generated in large quantities by the metallurgical
industry in addition to reducing the exploitation of a natural resource
widely used by the civil construction industry. Given this, the present
study observed the test of three different proportions of replacement,
25, 50, and 100% by mass, of natural sand by WFS in concrete. To assess
the feasibility of these replacements, several tests were carried
out covering mechanical properties and aspects related to the durability
of concrete. The results indicated a significant improvement in the
mechanical performance, with a resistance gain of 25% in relation
to the reference concrete. As for the modulus of elasticity, there
was no significant variation. As for aspects related to durability,
both the absorption test and the alkali aggregate reaction test did
not show statistically significant disparity, which attests to the
technical feasibility of using nonconcrete WFS.