The effect of manufactured sand on some properties of concrete
Abstract
This study investigates the effects of different types of manufactured sand (limestone manufactured sand, granite manufactured sand, and basalt manufactured sand) as a replacement for river sand on several properties of concrete, including mixing water demand, slump retention, density, compressive strength at 7 and 28 days, and flexural strength at 28 days. The results indicate that concrete incorporating manufactured sand generally exhibits higher compressive and flexural strengths compared to that made with river sand, with the improvement being most pronounced for granite and limestone manufactured sands. In contrast, concrete with basalt manufactured sand shows lower early-age strength but improved performance at 28 days. However, replacing river sand with manufactured sand reduces workability and slump retention, while increasing the water demand due to the angular particle shape and higher fine content. Among the manufactured sands, granite sand produces the highest compressive strength (R28 = 67.85 MPa for M400 mix), limestone sand also provides a significant strength enhancement, whereas basalt sand tends to reduce workability and increase water demand, though it still satisfies the required strength of structural concrete.
