STONE POWDER: AN ALTERNATIVE OR AN ADDITION FOR THE USE OF SAND IN CONCRETE MIXTURES?

Abstract

Due to the high consumption of concrete in the world, the use of several industrial residues as part of the raw materials used for its preparation has been giving distinction to the concrete as an ecologically compatible material with the sustainable development. Most mixtures using natural aggregates such as sand, gravel or crushed stone. Sand mining within river channels may modify its natural flume and increase its flow and the erosion of its banks. Besides, the stone powder is a rock crushing residue and it does not have a defined destination. It is stocked at the mines’ stock yard, forming enormous hills that result in the alteration of natural habitats and causing environmental impacts, as, for example, generate dust, block drainage channels and when loaded by rain, causing the siltation of rivers due to aggradations. In addition, it can also be noted the exhaustion of the natural reserves near the big cities. In this paper some results are shown related to mixtures of concretes that have, as fine aggregates, natural sand and stone powder. With the objective to verify the influence of the stone powder use as it is found in the mines’ stock yard, the particles passing through a 0,075mm were not disregarded. It was noted that mixtures with stone powder had higher mechanical compressive strengths than mixtures with natural sand, but lesser slumps. However, in order to obtain concretes with better consistency it also can be used plasticizer additives.