Physical and Mechanical Properties of Concrete Made with Glass Sand

Abstract

It is important promoting less generation of urban waste not only for the economy of raw materials, but also for the lesser deposition of waste in landfills. Glass is among the most frequently used materials in packaging and is the easiest to be recycled. Being aware that the construction industry is one of the largest consumers of natural resources in the world, the present study deals with the possibility of replacing part of the fine aggregate of concrete by glass sand. Concrete was produced with the conventional aggregates and then the fine aggregate was partially replaced by glass sand for the percentages of 10, 15 and 20%. The experimental study sought to evaluate the physical and mechanical properties. The slump, compressive strength, tensile strength and water absorption by capillarity and void index testing were measured. Results showed that when replacing the fine aggregate by 10, 15 and 20% of glass sand the results are satisfactory, especially for the substitution of 20% of glass sand which presented an increase of 18% in the compressive strength.