Investigating the Factors That Affect the Quality of River Sand in the Outskirts of Woldia Town
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Date
2019-12
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Concrete is the widely used construction material made up of different constituents which
later determine the property of final products. Since about 75% of the concrete matrix is
made up of aggregate particles, the properties and strength of concrete is mainly affected by
the nature and proportions of fine and coarse aggregates. This research was focused on
assessing the potential factors affecting the quality of sand in the rivers around Woldia town
which are the main sources of sand for the construction projects of the north Wollo zone and
other towns of the Amhara region. In collecting sand samples from the exposed scenario,
each single external factor was considered and tested by field test for its effect on the sand
property. Based on the results of field tests, the potential factors affecting the properties of
river sand were identified and further examined with different laboratory tests. The
laboratory results of river sand samples collected from both controlled and exposed scenarios
were interpreted. In the sand source rivers, there were external factors affecting sand
properties with various degree of influence. The human, animal and truck action; soil, leaves
and flora; and water flow of the river has considerable effect on the properties of river sand.
While detergent and sewage from the town shows slight effect on the properties of sand. In
order to know the effect on the compressive strength of concrete, the C25 concrete specimens
were produced and tested for both controlled and exposed scenarios. Based on the existing
factors in the sand source rivers, the research recommends the possible ways of treatment
which helps to produce a consistent product.
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Keywords
Fineness modulus, organic impurity, silt content, unit weight, standardization, factors of sand quality