Effects of Sand Quality on Compressive Strength of Concrete: A Case of Nairobi County and Its Environs, Kenya

Abstract

This study shows the comparative analysis engineering, the physical and mechanical properties of river sand concrete with quarry dust concrete. The selected materials were batched by weight and volume. The water-cement ratio was opted as 0.50 1:2:4 for mix ratio was selected for the experimental investigation respectively. The specimens were cured for 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. For the purpose Slump, density and compressive strength tests were carried out. The river sand concrete showed better results and greater density and compressive strength than quarry dust concrete for all curing ages. The 28 days of curing, river sand concrete rise the required compressive strength by 36%, whereas quarry dust concrete was less than the limit compressive strength by 12%. Both river sand concrete and quarry dust concrete for the selected water/cement ratio and mix ratio has been found suitable for non-structural applications and lightly-loaded members where high strength is not a prerequisite