Mechanical properties evaluation of concrete with pebble powder incorporation as fine aggregate

Abstract

The pebble powder is the waste obtained from pebble crushing, collected in riverbeds, and can replace coarse sand in production of concrete. This study is directed to the pebble collected in Tocantins River, near the city of Palmas, TO. The use of this powder promotes an environmentally correct disposal of the waste and enables the reduction of extraction of the natural sand from the rivers in region. This study analyzed the technical feasibility of replacing pebble powder in 10%, 20%, 30%, 50% and 100%. The study was performed through pebble powder characterization, plus concrete tests (slump test and compressive strength) with partial incorporation of pebble powder. The results found are in accordance with the standards of Brazilian Association of Technical Standards, ABNT. The best results were obtained with substitution of 20% of pebble powder, showing that this percentage is the ideal when regarding pebble powder in structural concrete.