ENHANCEMENT OF STRENGTH OF CONCRETE BY PARTIAL REPLACEMENT OF FINE AGGREGATE WITH RED SOIL

Abstract

Concrete is the major construction material in the construction industry. Concrete uses fine aggregate to
fill the voids between the coarse aggregates. The most commonly used fine aggregate is natural river sand. Due to the
growth of population and urbanization, there is a rapid growth in construction activity thereby consuming a lot of
sand for concrete. At the present situation, there is a huge demand for sand and natural resources which are running
low. Hence there is a need for some substitute material which must satisfy their requirement of fine aggregate. Red
soil is one such material which is available is greater quantities. Studies have been conducted on red soil which was
collected from Dhammanapet in Warangal District. This study has been performed on M25 grade concrete using OPC
53-grade cement. Tests have been performed by replacing the fine aggregate with red soil by an equal increment of
10%. This experimental study concluded that there is a decrease in compressive strength and a slight increase in the
tensile strength of concrete with a decrease in workability by the replacement of Red soil in fine aggregates. Also
beyond 40% replacement of sand with red soil, there is difficulty in the casting of concrete cubes and cylinders and
the surfaces smoothness is reduced. However, at the 20% replacement, the required strength for the mix has been
obtained. Admixtures which increase the workability of concrete are suggested to be used with the red soil for the
future study.