COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE STRENGTH OF CONCRETE MADE FROM VARIOUS AGGREGATE

ABSTRACT: Highly automated brick plants exist in Nigeria. Soil-cement blocks are also produced to keep unit cost of blocks down and affordable; but some characteristics of the soil-cement blocks needed to be improved by use of highly sandy concrete aggregates in the production. This paper demonstration the influence of concrete aggregates on compressive and tensile strength, the initial rate of water absorption (IRA) water absorption, surface porosity and pore size, stress-strain relationships and elastic properties of soil-cement blocks. Also the strength of the cement stabilized blocks of literate soil was determined in the soil laboratory with a view to have an alternative in the building industry, after which an analysis of the existing laterite soil was done. Results indicate that IRA is inversely proportional to concrete aggregates while rate of moisture absorption is directly proportional to concrete aggregates. Soil-cement block modules varied between 2000 and 6000 MPa.