COMPARISON OF LOCALLY EXCAVATED SAND WITH RIVER SAND IN TERMS OF STRENGTH IN SANDCRETE BLOCKS (NSUDE AS CASE STUDY)

Abstract: The significant demand for sandcrete blocks in Nigeria, driven by the need for physical infrastructure development, renders it a pertinent material within the building and construction sector. Consequently, because to the excessive reliance on river sand in construction endeavours, it becomes imperative to explore other materials that provide equal strength for diverse applications, such as sandcrete blocks. This study aims to assess the strength of sandcrete blocks by comparing locally extracted sand with river sand. The research focuses on Nsude Sand in Enugu State as a case study. During the process of sample collecting, it was seen that Nsude sand had a distinct sharpness in its physical characteristics. However, further sieve examination revealed that Nyama (river sand) exhibited superior qualities compared to Nsude sand. The analysis utilised Unicem, an Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), as well as fine aggregate sourced from Nyama river in Awkuke and Amagu in Nsude, both located in Udi Local Government Area (L.G.A) of Enugu State. Water was obtained from the laboratory reservoir. A series of laboratory procedures, including sieve analysis, Proctor compaction, mix design, silt test/clay dust test, moulding, and compressive strength testing, were conducted to evaluate the comparative strength of sandcrete blocks made with locally extracted sand and river sand. The practical experiments were conducted at the Soil and Concrete Laboratory at Enugu State University of Science and Technology. Based on the conducted research, the study findings indicate that Nsude sand is unsuitable for sandcrete applications, whereas it demonstrates favourable characteristics for plastering purposes. The reason for categorising Nsude sand as belonging to zone 3 is based on the results obtained from the sieve analysis. Zones one and two are designated for concrete and sandcrete construction activities, whilst zones three and four are specifically allocated for plastering purposes. The study thus suggests that Nyama (river sand) should be utilised for concrete/sandcrete construction purposes due to its classification in zone 2, whereas Nsude falls inside a different zone.