Investigation of the Strength Development of Concretes Containing Waste Glass Powder at Different Cement Replacement Ratios

Abstract

Seven percent of total amount of solid waste in the World consists of waste glass. Because of its high-cost due to impurities, the recycling ratio of waste glass is very low. Using waste glass as a cement replacement material in concrete, in addition to its contribution for the reduction of waste disposal, can contribute to the improvement of concrete properties with its potential as a pozzolanic material, by partially replacing the cement, due to its rich silica content. In this study, four different concrete mixes were designed, by varying the glass powder replacement (0%, 10%, 20% and 30%) by cement mass and keeping the water/cement ratio constant (w/c = 0.55). Glass powder affected the properties of fresh concrete. Workability increased and unit weight decreased when glass powder ratio increased. Compressive and splitting tensile strengths and rebound number were determined at 7,28 and 91 days. The results showed that the optimum use of glass powder may be between 10% and 20% replacement by glass powder. The ratio tended to be higher at later ages but it also depends on the tested property.