22-04-2014, 03:12 PM
Flexural Strength Studies on Concrete Utilizing Redmud as a Partial Replacement of Cement
Abstract
The utilization of industrial and agricultural waste produced by industrial processes has been the focus of waste
reduction research for economical, environmental, and technical reasons. Red mud is a kind of powder industrial waste generated
in sintering process for alumina refining. About 60 million tons of red mud is reported annually discarded in the whole world. As a
result, large amount of red mud is placed and exposed to atmosphere, which not only occupied fields but also caused air and water
pollution; furthermore it has become a big obstacle to the continued development of alumina refining industry. Many ways were
attempted in order to utilize red mud, such as raw material for bricks and ceramsite, filler for plastics. In this paper, red mud has
been characterized, and partially replaced in the ratio of 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% by weight of cement in concrete. Fresh
concrete tests like compaction factor test and slump cone test were undertaken was well as hardened concrete tests like
compressive strength; split tensile strength, flexural strength at the age of 7 and 28 days was obtained. The result shows that the
strength of concrete increased as percentage of red mud replacement increased.
Keywords: Cement, concrete, redmud, strength, waste.