STUDY ON THE PERFORMANCE OF CRYSTALLINE SILICA AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR FINE AGGREGATE IN CONCRETE

This Research focuses on the effect of partial replacement of fine aggregate by crystalline silica. This crystalline silica is by product from cement manufacturing company. The fine aggregate is replaced by crystalline silica at 10%, 20%, 30% and 40%. The demand for fine aggregate for making concrete is getting increased day by day. As a solution for prevailing condition many industrial by products can be used as a substitute for fine aggregate. One such industrial by product is crystalline silica which has rich silica content. The crystalline silica can be used as micro filler ability because of its size. Because of the wide particle size distribution the crystalline silica can be used as a filler, by which the porosity of concrete can be significantly reduced. From the test results, it is concluded that the fine aggregate can be replaced by crystalline silica up to 50% beyond which the strength reduces. The particle size is studied by SEM analysis and XRD test was also carried out. The rheology properties were also made. Being micro filler, the crystalline silica demands more water to enhance the workability. The workability was improved when chemical admixture was added at 1% by weight of cement.