1874-8368/09 2009 Bentham Open Open Access Properties of Cast-In-Place Concrete and Precast Concrete Blocks Incor- porating Waste Glass Powder

Abstract: This paper deals with studies on the use of waste glass powder as an effective ingredient in concrete. Studies on cement pastes including mechanical property tests and thermal analysis were used to understand the influence of the glass powder on the cement hydration process and to arrive at an optimal dosage range. Cast-in-place concrete and block mix-tures were proportioned with varying dosages of glass powder, and tests for mechanical properties, alkali-silica reaction, and water absorption were carried out. The use of fly ash as a cement replacement material was also adopted in one of the concrete mixtures to compare the performance of glass powder and fly ash in concrete. Though the complete effect of ce-ment dilution was not overcome by the chosen dosage of glass powder, the strength results were comparable to that of control concrete. Moisture intake results of glass powder modified concrete mixtures showed lower total water absorption as well as sorptivity than the control concrete when cured for a longer duration. The expansion due to alkali-silica reaction was also lower for the glass powder modified mixtures. For the concrete block mixtures, it was found that moist curing the blocks after initial steam curing was beneficial in strength improvement. Replacement of 10 % cement with glass pow-der was found to result in equal or higher compressive strengths of the blocks. In regions where glass powder is locally available, its use as a cement replacement material presents an efficient waste management option, without compromising concrete performance. 1