PHYSICAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF COMPOSITE BRICK FROM CEMENT MORTAR, FLY ASH AND RUBBER CRUMBS

Abstract

Responding to the need of minimizing the extraction of natural resources like sand and lime, this study attempted to use industrial wastes such as fly ash and rubber crumbs as substitute materials in making composite brick. A composite brick was produced by varying the rubber crumbs composition, as sand substitute in the mixture, from 10?30 wt.% relative to total aggregate weight. Fly ash, 20 wt.% relative to cement and fly ash weight, was used as binder substitute. After 28 days of curing, composite brick was tested in terms of compressive strength, density and water absorption capacity. Compressive test showed that the brick can only be used in less impacted area considering that it does not meet the minimum standard to be considered as substitute to the commercially available brick. A decreasing trend of its compressive strength is observed as the amount of rubber crumbs increases from 10 to 30% of the total aggregate weight. The addition of light rubber crumbs and fly ash desirably decrease the density of the composite brick when compared to those commercially sold in the market. Water absorption test revealed that the produced composite brick is more efficient in minimizing water absorption. This study demonstrated that composite brick can be made using industrial wastes as substitute for aggregate and binder, with huge implication in brick concrete making. Keywords: