Engineering properties of scoria concrete as a construction material

Abstract

The weight and cost of plain concrete are part of the setbacks in its use for construction purposes especially in low-cost housing delivery. This paper reports the experimental results of samples of concrete produced from a mix combination of cement, fine aggregate (sand) and volcanic scoria as coarse aggregate. The scoria concrete so produced in mix ratio 1:2:4 was tested for compressive strength, flexural strength and water absorption capacity. Empirical values of those factors that affect concrete strength were equally determined, these included specific gravity, bulk density and fineness modulus. The quality of scoria as an aggregate was also assessed by carrying out crushing test, impact value and abrasion tests. The compressive strength and modulus of rupture for 28 – days samples of scoria concrete was 20.42N/mm² and 6.08N/mm² respectively. This compares well with plain concrete with compressive strength of 22.22N/mm² and flexural strength of 7.14N/mm². The results show that scoria concrete has sufficient strength to be used as a construction material.

Keywords: Scoria concrete, Compressive strength, Modulus of rupture, Absorption capacity