Investigation on Suitability of Spent Fire Bricks (SFB) in Concrete

Concrete is the most undisputable and indispensable material being used in infrastructure development throughout the world. Umpteen varieties of concretes (FAC, HVFAC, FRC, HPC, HSC and others) were researched in several laboratories and brought to the field to suit the specific needs. Although natural fine aggregates i.e., river sand are so far superior to any other material in making concrete; their availability is continuously being depleted due to intentional overexploitation throughout the globe. Hence, partial or full replacement of fine aggregates by other compatible materials like sintered fly ash, crushed rock dust, quarry dust, glass powder, recycled concrete dust, and others is being researched from past two decades in view of conserving the ecological balance. In this direction, a preliminary investigation was undertaken to use "Spent Fire Bricks" (SFB) i.e., waste material from foundry bed and walls and lining of chimney which is adopted in many industries, for partial replacement of sand in making good concrete. The vital objective of this investigation is to assess the utility of SFB in making good concrete by studying its physicochemical and other characteristics.