Experimental Investigation on the Impact of Nano-alumina Partial Cement Replacement in Quarry Sand Concrete

Abstract

Concrete stands as the most extensively utilized building material across the globe that has economic advantage, strength, and durability. However, it causes an intensiveenvironmental impact. In Ethiopia the biggest challenge is concrete ingredients in quality and quantity. Thus, further investigation is required on novel and ecofriendly material to replace cement and aggregate using alternative materials. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine impact of Nano-alumina (NA) as partial cement substitution in quarry sand concrete. The investigation is done on physical property, material composition, and fresh and hardened concrete test using mechanical and morphological analysis. The detailed procedure consists; the specimens of thesame size were prepared with altered proportion of Nano alumina (NA), specifically, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5% and 100% quarry sand. The tests were determined after 7, 14, 28 days of curing. Based on the experiments on fresh and harden concrete, the finding indicate that the compressive strength of concrete with NA has shown an increment compare to control. As the percentage of Nano alumina reached 1.5% replacement by weight of cement, the compressive strength of Quarry sand concrete increased by 32.6%. This indicated that the amount of alpha phase Nano alumina in the quarry sand concrete is still increasing and not reached to the optimal value. The SEM images analysis showed a strong matrix with well-dispersed and effective early-stage hydration that leads to accelerate hydration, increased strength, reduced permeability, and improved durability of concrete. This helps to produce advanced, sustainable, and ecofriendly concrete.