Study on Concrete with Partial Replacement of Sand By Floral Foam

Abstract

The concrete industry is the largest user of natural resources in the world. Concrete is a globally accepted construction material in all types of civil engineering structures. Sand is a vital ingredient of concrete as a fine aggregate. Natural sand is a prime material used for the preparation of concrete and also plays an important role in mix design. The reduction in the sources of natural sand and the requirement for reduction in the cost of concrete production is one of the environmental issues to the scarcity of river sand. Research is being carried out on the utilization of waste products in concrete as a replacement for natural sand. Floral foam can produce alternative sand for structural concrete as a partial or total replacement. It has contributed a lot to our country's economy in the florist industry. If it is not treated properly, it may become toxic waste in landfills. However, floral foam is high in porosity and low in density. In this paper, an attempt is made to utilize floral foam as a sand replacement for designing the floral foamed concrete with Grade M30. The ingredients of these floral foamed concrete are floral foam, sand, aggregates, cement, and water. In this study, 48 types of cube samples with different percentages of ingredients were prepared. Crushed floral foam was used as a partial replacement for sand at 20%, 40%, and 60% of concrete mixes. The fresh and hardened properties of new concrete are studied and compared with concrete made using conventional materials. Compressive strength tests and water absorption tests were carried out by using a compressive machine and some calculations regarding water absorption. The data and results were tabulated in the table and analyzed by using graphs. As a result, 40% replacement of crushed floral foam has given a better effect on the concrete bond between cement and floral foam particles. However the samples content 60 % of crushed floral foam has better performance in term of water absorption.