Durability Properties of Concrete with Natural sand
and Manufactured sand
P.M.Shanmugavadivu
Asst.Professor, Department of Civil Engineering
Sona College of technology
Salem, Tamilnadu, India
vadivu72@gmail.com
Abstract—The Concrete is a mixture which generally consists of
cement, fine aggregate, coarse aggregate and water. Natural river
sand is the most commonly used material as fine aggregate in
concrete. It has been already proved that the conventional
concrete containing natural sand is having good strength and
durability properties. Nowadays there is a lot of demand for the
natural sand in the world. So it’s the time for us to discover a
new alternative material for replacing the sand. Many
researchers are going on the replacement of fine aggregate by
various industrial wastes like fly ash, pond ash, recycled
aggregate, crushed glass, quarry waste, etc.,
In this paper one of the industrial wastes such as manufactured
sand is used as fine aggregate in concrete. Manufactured sand
can be defined as residue, tailing or other non-valuable material
after the extraction. Here the various durability tests are
discussed for M30 grade concrete with natural sand and
manufactured sand is used as fine aggregate. The various tests
performed are alkali aggregate reaction test, chemical attack,
rapid chloride ion penetration and water permeability test. From
the test results it is observed that the concrete blended with 30 %
natural sand and 70 % manufactured sand having good
durability properties.
Keywords-Manufactured sand, Alkali aggregate reaction,
Chemical attack, Rapid chloride penetration, Water permeability.
I. INTRODUCTION
For a long time concrete was considered to be a durable
material requiring little or no maintenance. It is true, except
when it is subjected to highly aggressive environment. Now a
days concrete structure are built in highly polluted urban and
industrial areas, aggressive marine environments, harmful sub-
soil water in coastal area and many other hostile conditions.
The environmental pollution is increasing day by day at
particularly in urban areas due to industrial atmosphere. So it is
necessary to concentrate on durability of the concrete
structures.
The durability of the concrete is defined as its ability to
resist weathering action, chemical attack, or any other process
of deterioration. Durable concrete will retain its original from,
quality and serviceability when exposed to its environment.
Proc. of the International Conference on Science and Engineering (ICSE 2011)
Copyright © 2011 RG Education Society
ISBN: 978-981-08-7931-0
368
R.Malathy
Principal, Excel Engineering College
Komarapalayam, Namakkal, Tamilnadu, India
line 3: City, Country
dr.malathyramesh2009@gmail.com
When designing a concrete mix or designing a concrete
structure, the exposure condition at which the concrete is
supposed to withstand is to be assessed in the beginning with
good judgment. In case of foundation, the soil characteristics
are also required to be investigated.
In the past only strength of concrete was considered in the
concrete mix design procedure assuming the strength of
concrete is an important factor for all other desirable properties
of concrete including durability. Although compressive
strength is a measure of durability to a great extent it is not
entirely true that the strong concrete is always a durable
concrete. In order to predict the durability properties of
concrete the following test are carried out and resulted down
here.
II. LITERATURE REVIEW
Sawich.Z. and Heng S.S. (1995) studied the influence of
powdered limestone and W/C ratio on the durability of
concrete in 5% Na2SO4. The results shows that a beneficial
influence of a powdered lime stone on concrete durability was
observed when w/c < 0.6. Above this value the powdered lime
stone has almost no essential effect on sulphate resistance. R.
Ilangovan, N. Mahendran and K. Nagamani (2000) made a
study on concrete by 100% replacement of natural sand by
quarry dust. They concluded that the compressive strength,
flexural strength and durability properties of concrete made of
quarry dust are nearly 10% more than the conventional
concrete. K.Perumal and R.Sundarajan (2003) reported that the
quarry rock dust could be used as alternative replacement of
natural sand in concrete. They observed that using quarry rock
dust reduces the cost without affecting the strength. They
concluded that the weight loss and strength of concrete with
quarry rock dust is considerably less. Nisnevich.M., et al
(2003) studied when Crushed sand is blended with natural
sand, which reduces the volume of voids as 41 – 46% and also
reduces the required water content. They found that the
optimum percentage of crushed sand to natural sand is 1: 1.5
(or) 1.5: 1. Stella L.Marusin (2003) has investigated the
reversible reaction of sodium sulphate solution on concrete.
Salvador Villalobos.,et al (2005) studied the evaluation, testing
and comparison between the crushed manufactured sand and
natural sand. They concluded that the blended manufactured
sand can be utilized in concrete. Karthik Obla, Colin lobo,
 Proc. of the International Conference on Science and Engineering (ICSE 2011)

Lionel lemay (2005) have made a study on durability 8 30% N.S – 70% 2.60 2.50 1.80 NIL I
properties of concrete. They informed that the compressive M.S
strength loss considerably low in concrete with quarry rock 9 20% N.S – 80% 2.59 2.63 2.26 NIL I
M.S
waste compared to conventional concrete. Leslie Struble 10 10% N.S – 90% 2.52 2.52 2.41 NIL I
(2005) has made a study on durability of concrete and he has M.S
suggested many methods for improving concrete durability 11 0% N.S – 100% 2.56 2.51 4.44 NIL I
properties. Md Saffiuddin,S.N.Raman, M.F.M.Zain (2007) M.S
investigated the utilization of quarry waste fine aggregate in
concrete mixtures. They concluded that the use of rock dust Natural Sand – N.S, Manufactured Sand – M.S, Specific Gravity – G, Fineness modulus – F.M, Surface
moisture – S.M, Water absorption – W.A
enhancing the durability of concrete. Ilangovan.R et al., (2008)
studied the ”Strength and Durability Properties of Concrete Results and Discussion
containing Quarry Rock Dust as Fine Aggregate” It was found
that the compressive, flexural strength and durability studies of
concrete made of quarry rock dust are nearly10% more than the Table 1 show that the properties of cement are within the
conventional concrete. allowable limits. From Table 2, it is observed that the
properties of coarse aggregate values satisfy the standards.
III. EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION Table 3 gives the properties of natural river sand and
manufactured sand. From Table 3, it is noticed that the
The materials used are Portland pozzolana cement, Natural Fineness modulus values of fine aggregate is increased with the
River sand, Manufactured sand, 20 mm down size Coarse increase in percentage of manufactured sand. i.e., the fine
aggregate. The properties of materials are shown in Tables 1, 2 aggregate content changes from the Zone III to Zone I. This
& 3. means the fine aggregate content is from fine to coarse while
increasing the quantity of manufactured sand. It is observed
TABLE I. PROPERTIES OF CEMENT that the surface moisture content of fine aggregate is increased
while increasing the proportions of manufactured sand. This
S.No Description Values may be due to the manufactured sand is washed with water.
1 Specific gravity 3.15

2 Fineness(bysieve analyis) 4.6% IV. MIX PROPORTIONS FOR M 30 GRADE

3 Consistency 29% CONCRETE

4 Initial setting time 110

The mix design is prepared for various proportions of M30
minutes grade concrete. It is shown in Table4.

TABLE II. PROPERTIES OF COARSE AGGREGATE TABLE IV. MIX PROPORTIONS FOR M 30 GRADE CONCRETE
S.No Description Values
Proportions Cement: F.A : C.A : W/C
1 Specific gravity 2.73

2 Bulk density 1653.06 A 1: 1.31 : 3.09 / 0.49

kg/m3
3 Surface moisture 0.086%
B 1 : 1.30 : 3.09 / 0.48
4 Water absorption 1.00%

5 Fineness modulus 6.98 C 1 : 1.33 : 3.02 / 0.48

D 1 : 1.40 : 2.95 / 0.47

TABLE III. PROPERTIES OF FINE AGGREGATE
E 1 : 1.40 : 2.95 / 0.47
S.NO Proportions G F.M S.M W.A ZONE
(%) (%)
1 100% N.S – 0% 2.59 2.21 0.11 0.09 III F 1 : 1.41 : 2.95 / 0.47
M.S
2 90% N.S – 10% 2.57 2.23 0.35 0.07 III
M.S G 1 : 1.47 : 2.95 / 0.46
3 80% N.S – 20% 2.50 2.27 0.67 0.05 II
M.S H 1 : 1.47 : 2.95 / 0.46
4 70% N.S – 30% 2.50 2.41 0.91 0.04 I
M.S
5 60% N.S – 40% 2.50 2.39 1.06 0.03 I I 1 : 1.47 : 2.95 / 0.46
M.S
6 50 % N.S – 50% 2.51 2.38 1.31 0.02 I J 1 : 1.43 : 2.95 / 0.45
M.S
7 40 % N.S – 60% 2.61 2.60 1.66 0.01 I
M.S

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 Proc. of the International Conference on Science and Engineering (ICSE 2011)

B. Chemical attack
K 1 : 1.47 : 2.95 / 0.44
For performing the chemical attack, the tests namely acid
attack, chloride attack and sulphate attack are conducted. For
each test 9 cubes of size 150 mm x 150 mm x 150 mm are cast
Results and Discussion for M 30 grade concrete. The weight and the compressive
strength at the end of 28 days are calculated and they are
placed in the sulphuric acid, sodium chloride and sodium
From Table 4 it is found that the quantity of fine aggregate sulphate solutions of 0.1Normality. The weight loss and the
increases while using the manufactured sand. This may be due loss in compressive strength of the concrete cubes are
to the high specific gravity of manufactured sand. It is also calculated.
observed that the w/c ratio is reduced with the increase in
percentage of manufactured sand. This may be due to the high Loss of weight due to acid attack
0.6
surface moisture content of the manufactured sand.

L o ss o f w e ig h t in %
0.5
0.4
V. TESTING DETAILS 0.3 M 30 A
0.2 M 30 B
A. Alkali aggregate reaction test 0.1 M 30 C
0
This test is conducted as per IS: 2386 (Part 7) – 1963. This 7th 14th 21st 28th 56th 90th 180 365
test is developed to provide a way to identify reactive day day day day day day days days
aggregates. The mortar bars (25mm x 25 mm x 250 mm) are
cast with cement and fine aggregate in the ratio of 1:3 and LossAge
of weight
in daysin %
water / cement ratio of 0.47. Three mortar prisms are cast. The
mortar prisms are cured for 24 hours in a room at 21 ± 2°C, Figure 2. Loss of weights due to acid attack
demoulded, and immersed in water in a closed container
maintained at 80°C. After 24 hours, the length of the specimens
is measured. They are then immersed in a closed container of
1M sodium hydroxide solution maintained at 80°C. The Loss of weight due to chloride attack
L o ss o f w eig h t in %

0.6
specimens are removed periodically from the containers and 0.5 M 30 A
measured before significant cooling can occur. The length 0.4
M 30 B
change of the prisms is measured up to 32 days after casting. 0.3
0.2 M 30 C
0.1
Alkali aggrgate reaction test 0
0.25
7th 14th 21st 28th 56th 90th 180 365
Percentage Expansion day day day day day day days days
0.2
100 % Natural Sand
P ercen tag e E x p an sio n

LossAge
of weight
in daysin %
0.15
Percentage Expansion
0.1 70 % Manufactured sand
Figure 3. Loss of weights due to chloride attack
0.05 Percentage Expansion
100 % Manufactured
0 sand
0 10 20 30 40 Loss of weight due to sulphate attack
-0.05 0.8
L o ss o f w e ig h t in %

Age in days 0.7

0.6 M30 A
0.5
0.4 M30 B
Figure 1. Alkali aggregate reaction test results 0.3
M30 C
0.2
0.1
Results & Discussion 0
7th 14th 21st 28th 56th 90th 180th 365th
Figure 1 shows the alkali aggregate reaction test results. day day day day day day day day
From the figure, it is observed that the Percentage expansion is
Loss of weight Age
due toin sulphate
days attack in %
reduced for manufactured sand. This may be due to the grain
size of the manufactured sand is coarser and the better packing
is developed. Due to the better packing the presence of Figure 4. Loss of weights due to sulphate attack
moisture is reduced, So that the percentage expansion is less in
manufactured sand. The test results indicate that the reactive
silica in manufactured sand is less when compared to natural
river sand. So the manufactured sand is harmless.

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 Proc. of the International Conference on Science and Engineering (ICSE 2011)

Loss of strength due to acid attack allowed to dry for 2 days and the four faces of the cubes are
L o ss o f stren g th in 14
M30 A
painted to prevent the penetration of water from sides. Then the
12
10 top surface is effectively sealed to achieve water tightness.
M30 B
8 Glass bottles are kept in position to collect the water
%

6 M30 C
4 percolating through the specimen. Compressor is started and
2 the pressure is applied at the rate of 0.5 MPa to the water
0
column. The quantity of water passing through the cube is
d ay

2 1 st

365
7 th

1 4 th

d ay
2 8 th

5 6 th

9 0 th

1 8 0 th
d ay

d ay

d ay

d ay

d ay

th
collected at the bottom, in the glass bottle through the funnel,
Loss of strength
Agedue
in to
days
acid attack in %
being maintained in humid atmosphere to prevent losses due to
evaporation. The operating pressure, quantity of water
collected, time of observation etc., at intervals is recorded. The
Figure 5. Loss of strength due to acid attack test is continued till the uniform rate of flow is obtained. The
co-efficient of permeability is calculated using the formula
K=QL/ATH
Loss of strength due to chloride attack
L o ss o f stren g th in %

8
7
6
5
4
3 Permeability Test
2
12

coefficient x10-
1
M30 A

Permeability
0 10

7cm/sec
7th 14th 21st 28th 56th 90th 180th 365 M30 B 8
day day day day day day day th M30 C
6
day 4
2
Loss of strengthAge
due to
in days
chloride attack in % 0
A B C
Figure 6. Loss of strength due to chloride attack Proportions M30

Figure 8. Water permeability test

L o ss o f stre n g th in

Loss of strength due to sulphate attack

20
15 Results and Discussion
10 M30 A
%

5 M30 B Figure 4 shows the water permeability test. From the

0
7th 14th 21st 28th 56th 90th 180th 365
M30 C Figure, it is noted that the permeability values are reduced
day day day day day day day th while using the manufactured sand. This may be due to the less
day voids of better interlocking bond between the aggregate and
Loss of strengthAge
dueintodays
sulphate attack in %
cement paste.

Figure 7. Loss of strength due to sulphate attack D. Rapid chloride penetration test
In the AASHTO T277 (ASTM C1202) test, a water-saturated,
Results and Discussion
50 mm thick, 100 mm diameter concrete specimen is placed in
Figure 2 shows the losses in weight of the concrete cubes in one reservoir contains 3.0 % NaCl solution and another
acid, chloride and sulphate attack at various periods. From the reservoir contains 0.3 M NaOH solution and subjected to a 60
Figure, it is observed that the weight losses are lesser in V applied DC voltage for 6 hours. The total charge passed is
manufactured sand and it is least for the optimum proportion of determined and this is used to rate the concrete.
70 % of manufactured sand when compared to the concrete
with natural river sand. This may be due to the less entry of the
solution in to the pores of concrete. Figure 3 shows the strength Rapid chloride permeability Test
losses of the concrete cubes in acid, chloride and sulphate 4000
Ch arg es p assed in

attack at various periods. It is noticed that the strength losses

co u lo u m b s

3000
are lesser in manufactured sand and it is least for the optimum
proportion of 70 % of manufactured sand when compared to 2000
the concrete with natural river sand. Due to the better 1000
interlocking of manufactured sand, the loss of strength is less in 0
manufactured sand. A B C

C. Permeability test Proportions

M30
The test is conducted as per IS: 3085 (Part 7) – 1963. The
standard cubes of size 150 mm x 150 mm x 150 mm are cast
Figure 9. Rapid chloride permeability test
and cured for 28 days. After curing period, it is taken out and

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 Proc. of the International Conference on Science and Engineering (ICSE 2011)

Results and Discussion

Figure 5 shows the rapid chloride penetration test results.
From the Figure, it is found that the chloride ion penetrability
is high for concrete with natural sand and it is reduced while
using manufactured sand. This may be due to the grain size of
the manufactured sand is coarser and the better packing is
developed. Due to the better packing the permeability of the
concrete is reduced. From the above results, it is observed that
the optimum proportion of 70 % manufactured sand gives
better results.

VI. CONCLUSION
The percentage expansion due to alkali aggregate reaction
is 17 % less while using the manufactured sand.
The weight loss due to acid attack, chloride attack and
sulphate attack is reduced as 25 – 40 % while using 70
percentages of manufactured sand.
The loss in compressive strength due to acid attack,
chloride attack and sulphate attack is reduced as 2 - 8 % for the
optimum proportion of manufactured sand.
The permeability of the concrete with manufactured sand is
20 % less when compared to the natural river sand.
The chloride ion penetration is less for the concrete with
manufactured sand and it is also reduced for high grades of
concrete

REFERENCES
[1] Abhay Kumar jain (2003) “study on addition of superplasticizer to
increase concrete’s resistance to sulfuric acid”Aggregate coatings effect
on concrete pavement”
[2] Ilangovan,R.,(2000) “Studies on Strength and behaviour of concrete by
using quarry waste as fine aggregate” , Proceedings of All India Seminar
on Materials and Machines for construction, New Age International,
pp991-102.
[3] Ilangovan.R et al., (2008) studied the ”Strength and Durability
Properties of Concrete containing Quarry Rock Dust as Fine Aggregate”
ARPN Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, vol. 3, no. 5,
October 2008.
[4] Kalgal M.R et al., (2007) “Strength and durability of concrete with pond
ash as fine aggregate”. The Indian Concrete Journal, March 2007.
[5] K.Permual and R.Sundarajan (2003) “Quarry rock dust could be used as
alternative replacement of natural sand in concrete” Proceedings of
National Seminar on Futuristic in Concrete and Construction
Engineering, SRM university, Chennai.
[6] S.N.Raman,M.F.M.Zain,Md.Safuddin(2000), “Utilization of quarry
waste fine aggregate in concrete mixtures”. Journal of Applied Sciences
Research, 3(3): 202 – 208, 2007.
[7] Shanmugavadivu P.M., Malathy.R.,(2009), “A comparative study on
Mechanical Properties of Concrete with Manufactured Sand”
International journal of Technology World, Malaysia, Vol.5, ISSN 2180
– 1614, Oct – Nov 2009, pp 96 – 101.
[8] IS 1489 Specification for Portland Pozzolona cement.
[9] IS 383:1970 Specification for coarse and fine aggregate from natural
sources of concrete.

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