Suitability of Crushed Hintalo Wejerat Sandstone as a River Sand Alternative for Normal Grade Concrete Production
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Date
2025-09-01
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The potential of substituting Hintalo Wejerat Sandstone for regular river sand in the production of regular grade concrete is investigated in this study. The building industry of Ethiopia is
expanding rapidly,, with the resultant increased demand for concrete. River sand has been the main fine aggregate: however, overexploitation has resulted in environmental degradation in the
form of riverbank erosion and loss of habitat. The study examines particle size distribution, specific gravity, water absorption and strength of concrete that consists of Hintalo Wejerat sandstone and compares it with the properties of natural river sand. River sand substitution with different percentage of Hintalo Wejerat Sandstone was used to produce concrete mix, C-25. The workability of the fresh concrete was checked by slump tests, and the compressive and flexural strength of hardened concrete was checked at 7,14 and 28 days. Results indicate that Hintalo Wejerat Sandstone can be used successfully as a river sand substitute in the production of concrete with all replacement levels satisfying the compressive strength requirement. Although concrete mix containing 100% river sand was indicated to possess higher compressive strength, use of Hintalo Wejerat Sandstone also facilitated proper workability, and hence, its suitability towards sustainable construction. The flexural strength tests indicated that higher percentage of Hintalo Wejerat Sandstone had a positive influence on the bending strength of the concrete, demonstrating improved durability. In conclusion, this study recommends Hintalo Wejerat sandstone as a substitute to river sand in concrete production to construction sector's need for green operations. The study recommends the establishment of standard practices in Hintalo Wejerat sandstone quarrying and processing to further enhance its usefulness as a building material. Additional studies should also involve the long term strength of Hintalo Wejerat Sandstone concrete under different environmental conditions and its use performance in practice.
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Keywords
Hintalo wejerat Sandstone, River sand, Concrete, Compressive and flexural strength