Strength Properties of Concrete Produced With Iron Filings as Sand Replacement

An experimental study was carried out to investigate the strength properties of concrete produced with iron filings as partial replacement for sand. Concrete specimens (cubes, cylinders and prisms) were cast and tested for compressive, split-tensile and flexural strengths at 0% (control mix), 10%, 20% and 30% replacement of sand by weight with iron filings after curing in water for 28 days. The results obtained showed that the compressive strength of concrete increased for the 10% and 20% replacement levels of sand with iron filings by 3.5% and 13.5% respectively while there was a decrease of 8% for the 30% replacement level. The split-tensile strength of concrete for the 10% and 20% replacement levels increased by 12.7% and 1% respectively and decreased marginally by 1.7% for the 30% replacement level when compared to the control mix. The flexural strength of concrete increased by 11.1% and 4.8% for the 10% and 20% replacement levels respectively while it decreased marginally by 1.6% for the 30% replacement level as compared to the control mix. An optimum of 10% and 20% replacement by weight of sand (fine aggregates) with iron filings in concrete mix is recommended for concrete production depending on the desirable property required in the concrete.