Investigation in Suitability of Waste Marble and Ceramic Tiles as a Coarse Aggregate for Production of C-25 Concrete

Abstract

Crushed basaltic stone coarse aggregate serves as one of a conventional concrete aggregate in many world countries including Ethiopia. It has many positive properties that can be said enough for concrete in many constructions. Today our country faced with an important consumption and a growing need for aggregates because of the growth in industrial production and booming constructions, though high amount of construction wastes are available. A high volume of waste material such as waste ceramics and marble tiles from demolished buildings, wastes from completed buildings, supply companies and industries are there, and these waste materials are possibly replace coarse aggregate for concrete mix with their anticipated properties. The objective of this study was examined the suitability of waste marble and ceramic tiles as a coarse aggregate with and without basalt for C-25 concrete.In order to achieve the objective, ACI mix design method for C-25 concrete at laboratory provision with a water cement ratio of 0.61 was implemented. The sample materials for the laboratory work were collected from JIT, staff condominium renovation and maintenance work, and in the compound of JIT, Jimma University. Six types of concrete mixes, independently three specimens per one curing day, totally 54 samples for each compressive cube and flexural beam besides the material physical properties test. Based on the results, it showed that the concrete produced with 25% marble tile substitution of basaltic stone coarse aggregate, gave the highest average compressive and flexural strength and followed by 25% ceramic tile substitution of basaltic stone with compressive strength and flexural strength of 35.68Mpa and 5.92 Mpa and 33.11Mpa and 5.52Mpa respectively. While the least compressive and flexural strength was achieved by a concrete mix produced with ceramic tile of 75% and a marble tile of 25 % with average compressive strength of 25.76Mpa and average flexural strength of 4.17Mpa at 28 days of curing period. Therefore, it conclude that partially 25% waste white marble tile and secondly 25% white paste ceramic tile as a coarse aggregate have significant benefit for the structures in order to enhance the strength with reduced unit weight, good workability and in reductions of wastes from the environment even if they are not much harmful.