Mechanical Properties of Concrete Including Wood Shavings as Fine Aggregates

Abstract

Residual and end-life products are a major hazard on the environment. Many researchers have considered waste as partial replacement of some construction materials to reduce their environmental and ecological problems. This kind of practices can be an important option for the protection of the environment. Wood shavings and saw dust are byproduct of the lumber industry. They are made from timber that's been sawn into planks in saw mills in almost every major city worldwide. This is a daily activity that generates piles of wood residuals at the end of each day. This research investigates the effect of using wood shavings on the mechanical properties of concrete. Fine aggregate was replaced by volume at different levels of replacement by wood shavings. Five different levels of replacement were used, namely 5, 10, 15, 30 and 50% and the results were compared to conventional concrete. Tests were carried out on concrete in fresh and hardened phase to determine slump, wet unit weight, compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, dry unit weight and absorption. The results showed that up to 10% level of substitution, the concrete maintained acceptable mechanical properties in comparison to conventional concrete.