Determination Of Mechanical Thermo-Physical And Filtration Properties Of Dried Clay Mixtures Of Different Sand Concentrations For Water Storage Vessel

ABSTRACT The study experimentally investigated the crushing strength thermal conductivity and filtration properties of dried clay mixtures of different sand concentration using clay sample from Isan-Ekiti after experimental comparison with clay sample from Igbara-Odo both in Ekiti State Nigeria. The percentage by weight of sand considered are from 0 increasing progressively by 10 to 100. 50g 200g and 250g of clay sample composition were mixed with the various percentage by weight of sand using clean water to form the crushing thermo-physical and water filtration specimens respectively. Tensometer Lees disc apparatus and Calibrated beaker of 600ml capacity were used to determine the crushing strength thermal conductivity and filtration rate of the specimens respectively. The result shows that crushing strength of the specimens was found to decrease with increase in percentage weight of sand from 7.28MNm2 to 1.53MNm2 respectively. However thermal conductivity of the specimens was observed to increase with increase in percentage weight of sand from 0.0133Wm-1k-1 to 0.1191Wm-1k-1 respectively. Also filtration rate of the clay sand specimens was found to increase with increase in percentage weight of sand concentration from 0.00422cm3s-1 to 0.01449cm3s-1 respectively. In a similar trend the permeability of the specimens increases with increase in percentage of sand concentration from 0.0017darcy to 0.003darcy respectively. It is observed that the clay-sand mixture specimen with 0 weight of sand has the highest crushing strength least thermal conductivity least filtration rate and least permeability which will be the ideal specimen for making water storage vessels provided it is oven fired instead of sun-dried.