DEVELOPMENT OF SELF COMPACTING CONCRETE MIX AND ANALYSIS OF COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH BY REPLACEMENT OF FINES WITH IRON ORE FINES

This paper presents the results on an experimental program carried to explore the possibility of use of iron ore fines as partial replacement of fine aggregate (M-sand) in self-compacting concrete (SCC). With restrictions on indiscriminate dredging of river sand and stone crushing, there has been growing need in civil fraternity for identification of alternative materials for fine aggregates. One promising alternative has been iron ore fines generated in mines, but were limited to partial replacements due to property variations. SCC mixes were designed and fine aggregates were replaced with 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100% iron ore fines. Tests were performed to evaluate the fresh properties and strength properties of SCC. Properties such as slump flow, V-funnel, L-box and compressive strength were examined. Results indicated that compressive strength of self-compacting concrete improved with incorporation of iron ore fines at all the curing ages and the optimum percentage of replacement was found to be 40%. Tests conducted on fresh SCC indicated that use of iron ore fines made the microstructure of SCC denser and less workable. Cost analysis was done to compare the cost of control mix and optimum replaced mix.