Evaluation of Fresh and Hardened Concrete Properties Incorporating Glass Waste as Partial Replacement of Fine Aggregate

Abstract

To date, the utilization of glass waste as an alternative aggregate in concrete has gained significantly increasing attention, owing to its remarkable properties. However, its high replacement content and glass particle size, of greater than 5 mm, causes an increase in the alkali-silica reaction expansion and a reduction in the concrete strength in most of the present literature. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of a lower sand replacement content (5–25%) in glass waste (smaller than 5 mm) on both the mechanical and durability properties of concrete. In particular, the effect of varying the replacement of fine aggregate by glass waste (5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 25%) on compressive strength and water permeability of concrete (30 MPa grade) was evaluated at 7 and 28 days. Moreover, scanning electron microscope (SEM) tests were taken into account to assess the morphology characteristics of the concrete. Based on the results, the highest concrete strength (37.5 MPa) was recorded when the replacement percentage was 15%, while the control strength was 33.5 Mpa. The outcomes also exposed that the water permeability coefficient of the samples was decreased (0.883 × 10−9 m/s), at 5% compared to that of the control mix (1.097 × 10−9 m/s). In conclusion, a lower replacement percentage of glass waste leads to enhanced concrete properties and would act as a sustainable and alternative material in the near future.