Manufactured Sand (M-Sand) for Concrete -Properties and Advantages
Gopal Mishra
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Manufactured sand (M-Sand) is a substitute of river sand for concrete construction . Manufactured sand is produced from hard granite stone by crushing.
The crushed sand is of cubical shape with grounded edges, washed and graded to as a construction material. The size of manufactured sand (M-Sand) is less than 4.75mm.
Why Manufactured Sand is Used?
Manufactured sand is an alternative for river sand. Due to fast growing construction industry, the demand for sand has increased tremendously, causing deficiency of suitable river sand in most part of the word.
Due to the depletion of good quality river sand for the use of construction, the use of manufactured sand has been increased. Another reason for use of M-Sand is its availability and transportation cost.
Since manufactured sand can be crushed from hard granite rocks, it can be readily available at the nearby place, reducing the cost of transportation from far-off river sand bed.
Thus, the cost of construction can be controlled by the use of manufactured sand as an alternative material for construction. The other advantage of using M-Sand is, it can be dust free, the sizes of m-sand can be controlled easily so that it meets the required grading for the given construction.
Advantages of Manufactured Sand (M-Sand)
It is well graded in the required proportion.
It does not contain organic and soluble compound that affects the setting time and properties of cement, thus the required strength of concrete can be maintained.
It does not have the presence of impurities such as clay, dust and silt coatings, increase water requirement as in the case of river sand which impair bond between cement paste and aggregate. Thus, increased quality and durability of concrete.
M-Sand is obtained from specific hard rock (granite) using the state-of-the-art International technology, thus the required property of sand is obtained.
M-Sand is cubical in shape and is manufactured using technology like High Carbon steel hit rock and then ROCK ON ROCK process which is synonymous to that of natural process undergoing in river sand information.
Modern and imported machines are used to produce M-Sand to ensure required grading zone for the sand.
Properties of Manufactured Sand for Concrete Construction
Higher Strength of concrete
The manufactured sand has required gradation of fines, physical properties such as shape, smooth surface textures and consistency which makes it the best sand suitable for construction. These physical properties of sand provides greater strength to the concrete by reducing segregation, bleeding, honeycombing, voids and capillary.
Thus required grade of sand for the given purpose helps the concrete fill voids between coarse aggregates and makes concrete more compact and dense, thus increasing the strength of concrete.
Durability of concrete
Since manufactured sand (M-Sand) is processed from selected quality of granite, it has the balanced physical and chemical properties for construction of concrete structures.
This property of M-Sand helps the concrete structures withstand extreme environmental conditions and prevents the corrosion of reinforcement steel by reducing permeability, moisture ingress, freeze-thaw effect increasing the durability of concrete structures.
Workability of concrete
Size, shape, texture play an important role in workability of concrete. With more surface area of sand, the demand for cement and water increases to bond the sand with coarse aggregates.
The control over these physical properties of manufacturing sand make the concrete require less amount of water and provide higher workable concrete. The less use of water also helps in increasing the strength of concrete, less effort for mixing and placement of concrete, and thus increases productivity of construction activities at site.
Less Construction Defects
Construction defects during placement and post-concreting such as segregation, bleeding, honeycombing, voids and capillarity in concrete gets reduced by the use of M-Sand as it has optimum initial and final setting time as well as excellent fineness.
Economy
As discussed above, since usage of M-Sand has increased durability, higher strength, reduction in segregation, permeability, increased workability, decreased post-concrete defects, it proves to be economical as a construction material replacing river sand.
It can also save transportation cost of river sand in many cases.
