Utilisation of Granite Chips as a Supplementary Coarse Aggregate Material

Background/Objectives: Concrete mixture consists of cement, fine and coarse aggregates. India possesses a wide variety of stones such as granite, marble, stone, sandstone, limestone and many others. Here, the properties of granite chips are studied and compared with the conventionally used aggregate material. Since granite is a lighter material compared to aggregates, its use in concrete will lead to reduced self weight on members and hence reduced dead load on columns and eventually, the foundation system. Methods/Statistical Analysis: Concrete cubes and cylinders of standard dimensions of M20 grade are cast. Four mix ratios are adopted, ranging from fully conventional concrete to concrete with coarse aggregate completely replaced with granite chips. Compressive strength and split tensile strength tests were conducted on all the test specimens at 7-days, 21-days and 28-days time periods. Findings: Based on the compressive strength test and split tensile strength test in the laboratory on various proportions with granite chips as coarse aggregate and it is compared with the conventional concrete. Applications/Improvements: It is concluded that concrete with 10% replacement of granite chips possesses great strength and since granite chips, considered here are recycled materials, this usage is not only beneficial stability-wise, but also cost-wise.