Utilization of fine fraction of construction and demolition masonry waste for mortar

Abstract

Construction and demolition waste plays a major role of the waste production in developing countries and there is scarcity of natural resources also, due to rapid development projects. This research is focused on the utilizing Construction and Demolition (C&D) masonry waste as a replacement of sand in mortar. Objective of this study is to investigate the performance of mortars having different replacement ratios of C&D masonry waste and determine the best proportion of the C&D waste for the mortar which can be used as plaster. Crushed C&D masonry waste was collected from the Construction Waste Management Centre (COWAM), which is located in Galle. A sieve analysis test was performed to determine particle size distribution of C&D masonry waste. Bulk density, workability, flexural strength, compression strength, water absorption and fire resistivity were experimentally investigated. Bulk density of C&D masonry waste was 18% lower than that of the river sand. Bulk density of fresh and harden conventional mortar had higher values than sand replaced mortars. Workability of the mortar decreased when increasing the waste content. The flexural strength and compression strength were maximized at 10% and 20% sand replacement levels, respectively. Water adsorption of sand replaced mortars was higher than the conventional mortar. It was found that with the presence of C&D masonry waste in the mortar, the higher resistance to the fire.