Characteristic Compressive Strength of Concrete with the Use Granite Powder Additive

Abstract

Granite Powder (GP) is industrial byproducts generated from the granite polishing and milling industry in powder form. The byproduct is left largely unused and is hazardous materials to human health because they are airborne and can be easily inhaled. GP was used as an additive to the concrete to explore the possibility of increasing the mechanical properties (compressive strength) of the concrete. The slump, compressive strength and water absorption test were performed on fresh and hardened concrete. The addition of GP to concrete to serve as an additive shows an improvement in the compressive strength of the concrete. The highest 3-day compressive strength (23.03 N/mm²) was recorded at 10% GP addition level while the lowest 3-day compressive strength (20.47 N/mm²) was recorded at 2.5% GP addition level.  The highest 28-day compressive strength (28.29 N/mm²) was recorded at 10% GP addition level while the lowest 28 days compressive strength (27.40 N/mm²) was recorded at 2.5% GP addition level. Peak compressive strength of 33.40 N/mm² was obtained at 56 days when 10% GP was added in the concrete production. The workability of the concrete decreased with increase in GP replacements. Therefore a higher water to cement ratio will be required to maintain a certain level of workability. In conclusion, employing GP as an additive in concrete helped in boosting the mechanical properties of concrete. The GP at 10% addition is the best choice among other concrete mixtures as it is equivalent to grade 30 concrete suitable for producing post tensioned concrete.