Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Thesis submitted
In partial fulfillment of the requirement for the
Award of the degree of
MASTER OF ENGINEERING
IN
CIVIL ENGINEERING
(STRUCTURES)
By:
ISHATPREET KAUR
Under the guidance of:
Dr. RAFAT SIDDIQUE
I express my deep sense of gratitude to Dr. Rafat Siddique, Professor and Head of Civil
Engineering, Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology (Deemed University),
Patiala, for his valuable guidance and supervision during the course of study. I am
indebted to him for sparing his valuable time in giving me concrete suggestion and
enhancing my knowledge through fruitful discussions.
I owe thanks to library staff of T.I.E.T., Patiala and I.I.T. Roorkee for their full
co-operation in providing the necessary literature. Thanks are due, to staff of Concrete
Structures laboratory for providing facilities to carry out the experimental program.
Special thanks to my all classmates for the help they extended during this investigation.
(Ishatpreet kaur)
Place: Patiala
Dated:
CONTENTS
PAGE NO.
CERTIFICATE i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii
LIST OF TABLES v
LIST OF FIGURES vii
ABSTRACT 1
CHAPTER 1 INTODUCTION 2
1.1 General 2
1.2 Types of Foundry Sand 3
1.3 Material Properties 4
1.3.1 Physical Characteristics of Foundry Sand 4
1.3.2 Physical Properties 5
1.3.3 Chemical Composition 6
1.3.4 Mechanical Properties 7
1.4 Handling of Foundry Sand 8
1.5 Foundry Sand Economics 8
1.6 Foundry Sand Engg. Characteristics 8
1.7 Foundry Sand Environmental Characterization 9
1.8 Current Management Options 9
1.8.1Recycling 9
1.8.2 Disposal 10
1.8.3 Market Sources 10
CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 12
CHAPTER 3 EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAMME 22
3.1 Object of Testing 22
3.2 Test Results of Materials 22
3.2.1 Cement 22
3.2.2 Coarse Aggregate 22
3.2.3 Fine Aggregate 25
3.2.4 Foundry Sand 26
3.2.5 Water 30
3.2.6 Superplasticizer 30
3.3 Moulds 30
3.4 Mix Design 31
3.5 Batching Mixing and Casting of Specimens 32
CHAPTER 4 RESULT AND DISCUSSION 33
4.1 General 33
4.2 Compressive Strength 33
4.3 Split Tensile Strength 38
4.4 Modulus of Elasticity 42
CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION 46
PICTURES 47
REFERENCES 50
LIST OF TABLES
Metal foundries use large amounts of the metal casting process. Foundries successfully
recycle and reuse the sand many times in a foundry and the remaining sand that is termed
as foundry sand is removed from foundry. This study presents the information about the
civil engineering applications of foundry sand, which is technically sound and is
environmentally safe. Use of foundry sand in various engg. applications can solve the
problem of disposal of foundry sand and other purposes.
Foundry sand consists primarily of silica sand, coated with a thin film
of burnt carbon, residual binder (bentonite, sea coal, resins) and dust.Foundry sand can be
used in concrete to improve its strength and other durability factors. Foundry Sand can be
used as a partial replacement of cement or as a partial replacement of fine aggregates or
total replacement of fine aggregate and as supplementary addition to achieve different
properties of concrete.
In the present study, effect of foundry sand as fine aggregate
replacement on the compressive strength, split tensile strength and modulus of elasticity
of concrete having mix proportions of 1:1.45:2.20:1.103 was investigated.
Fine aggregates were replaced with three percentages of foundry sand. The percentages
of replacements were 10, 20 and 30 % by weight of fine aggregate. Tests were performed
for compressive strength, split tensile strength and modulus of elasticity for all
replacement levels of foundry sand at different curing periods (28-days & 56-days).
Test results showed that there is some increase in compressive strength,
split tensile strength and modulus of elasticity after replacing the fine aggregates with
certain percentage of foundry sand so foundry sand can be safely used in concrete for
durability and strength purposes.
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 General
Foundry sand is high quality silica sand with uniform physical characteristics. It is a by-
product of ferrous and nonferrous metal casting industries, where sand has been used for
centuries as a molding material because of its thermal conductivity. It is a byproduct from
the production of both ferrous and nonferrous metal castings.
The physical and chemical characteristics of foundry sand will depend in great part on
the type of casting process and the industry sector from which it originates. In modern
foundry practice, sand is typically recycled and reused through many production cycles.
Industry estimates that approximately 100 million tons of sand are used in production
annually of that 6 - 10 million tons are discarded annually and are available to be
recycled into other products and in industry. The automotive industries and its parts are
the major generators of foundry sand. Foundries purchase high quality size-specific silica
sands for use in their molding and casting operations.
The raw sand is normally of a higher quality than the typical bank run or natural sands
used in fill construction sites. The sands form the outer shape of the mold cavity. These
sands normally rely upon a small amount of bentonite clay to act as the binder material.
Chemical binders are also used to create sand “cores”. Depending upon the geometry of
the casting, sands cores are inserted into the mold cavity to form internal passages for the
molten metal. Once the metal has solidified, the casting is separated from the molding
and core sands in the shakeout process. In the casting process, molding sands are recycled
and reused multiple times. Eventually, however, the recycled sand degrades to the point
that it can no longer be reused in the casting process. At that point, the old sand is
displaced from the cycle as byproduct, new sand is introduced, and the cycle begins
again. A schematic of the flow of sands through a typical foundry is shown in Fig.1.3.
Although there are other casting methods used, including die casting and permanent mold
casting, sand casting is by far most prevalent mold casting technique. Sand is used in two
different ways in metal castings as a molding material, which focuses the external shape
of the cast part and as cores that form internal void spaces in products such as engine
blocks. Since sand grains do not naturally adhere to each other so binders must be
introduced to cause the sand to stick together and holds its shape during the introduction
of molten metal into mold and cooling of casting.
• Green sand molds are used to produce about 90% of casting volume in the U.S.
Green sand is composed of naturally occurring materials which are blended
together; high quality silica sand (85-95%), bentonite clay (4-10%) as a binder, a
carbonaceous additive (2-10%) to improve the casting surface finish and water (2-
5%). Green sand is the most commonly used recycled foundry sand for beneficial
reuse. It is black in color, due to carbon content, has a clay content that results in
percentage of material that passes a 200 sieve and adheres together due to clay
and water.
• Chemically bonded sands are used both in core making where high strengths are
necessary to withstand the heat of molten metal, and in mold making. Most
chemical binder systems consist of an organic binder that is activated by a catalyst
although some systems use inorganic binders. Chemically bonded sands are
generally light in color and in texture than clay bonded sands.
Foundries produce Recycled Foundry Sand (RFS) generally in their overall production
volume although there are different sand to metal ratios employed in different casting
processes and products. Most foundries have two sand systems one feeding the external
molding lines and the other feeding the internal core lines. After the metal is poured and
the part is cooling, green sand is literally shaken off the castings, recovered and
reconditioned for continual reuse. Used cores are also captured during this cooling and
shake out process; these break down and are crushed and reintroduced into green sand
systems to replace a portion of sand lost in the process. Broken cores are cores, which do
not break down, are discarded. Depending on the projected end use, it may be important
to segregate sand streams at the foundry as each stream can have different characteristics.
Additionally some sand is typically unrecoverable during shake off and finishing
processes. These sans may be contaminated with metals or very large chunks of burnt
cores and will need to undergo some type of segregation, crushing and screening before
recycling.
1.3 Material Properties
1.3.1 Physical Characteristics of Foundry Sand
Foundry sand is typically sub angular to round in shape. After being used in the foundry
process, a significant number of sand agglomerations form. When these are broken down,
the shape of individual sand grains is apparent.
Green sands are typically black, or gray, not green chemically bonded sand is typically a
medium tan or off-white color Figs.1.1 & 1.2 shows the unprocessed foundry sand and
green sand respectively.
Fig.-1.2 Green Sands from a gray iron Industry
Typical physical properties of spent foundry sand from green sand systems are given in
Table-1.1. The grain size distribution of spent foundry sand is very uniform, with
approximately 85 to 95 percent of the material between 0.6 mm and 0.15 mm (No. 30 and
No. 100) sieve sizes. Five to 12 percent of foundry sand can be expected to be smaller
than 0.075 mm (No. 200 sieve). The particle shape is typically sub angular to round.
Waste foundry sand gradations have been found to be too fine to satisfy some
specifications for fine aggregate.
Spent foundry sand has low absorption and is nonplastic. Reported values of absorption
were found to vary widely, which can also be attributed to the presence of binders and
additives. The content of organic impurities (particularly from sea coal binder systems)
can vary widely and can be quite high. This may preclude its use in applications where
organic impurities could be important (e.g., Portland cement concrete aggregate). The
specific gravity of foundry sand has been found to vary from 2.39 to 2.55. This variability
has been attributed to the variability in fines and additive contents in different samples .In
general, foundry sands are dry, with moisture contents less than 2 percent. A large
fraction of clay lumps and friable particles have been reported, which are attributed to the
lumps associated with the molded sand, which are easily disintegrated in the test
procedure. The variation in permeability, listed in Table-1.1, is a direct result of the
fraction of fines in the samples collected.
The quality of foundry sand can be quantified by its durability and soundness, chemical
composition, and variability. Various aspects of foundry sand production influence these
three characteristics. Durability/Soundness of foundry sand is important to ensure the
long-term performance of civil engineering applications. Durability of the foundry sand
depends on how the sand was used at the foundry. Successive molding can cause the
foundry sand to weaken due to temperature shock. At later stages of mold use, this can
lead to the accelerated deterioration of the original sand particles. However, in civil
engineering uses, the foundry sand will not normally be subjected to such severe
conditions. In geotechnical applications, foundry sand often demonstrates high durability.
Silica sand is hydrophilic and consequently attracts water to its surface. This property
could lead to moisture-accelerated damage and associated stripping problems in an
asphalt pavement. Antis tripping additives may be required to counteract such problems.
Depending on the binder and type of metal cast, the pH of spent foundry sand can vary
from approximately 4 to 8 . It has been reported that some spent foundry sands can be
corrosive to metals. Because of the presence of phenols in foundry sand, there is some
concern that precipitation percolating through stockpiles could mobilize leach able
fractions, resulting in phenol discharges into surface or ground water supplies. Foundry
sand sources and stockpiles must be monitored to assess the need to establish controls for
potential phenol discharges.
Typical mechanical properties of spent foundry sand are listed in Table–1.2. Spent
foundry sand has good durability characteristics as measured by low Micro-Deval
abrasion and magnesium sulfate soundness loss tests. The Micro-Deval abrasion test is an
attrition/abrasion test where a sample of the fine aggregate is placed in a stainless steel jar
with water and steel bearings and rotated at 100 rpm for 15 minutes. The percent loss has
been determined to correlate very well with magnesium sulfate soundness and other
physical properties. Recent studies have reported relatively high soundness loss, which is
attributed to samples of bound sand loss and not a breakdown of individual sand
particles. The angle of shearing resistance (friction angle) of foundry sand has been
reported to be in the range of 33 to 40 degrees, which is comparable to that of
conventional sands.
Table-1.2. Typical mechanical properties of spent foundry sand
[American Foundryman’s Society, 1991]
Trace element concentrations present in most clay-bonded iron and aluminum foundry
sands are similar to those found in naturally occurring soils. The leachate from these
sands may contain trace element concentrations that exceed water quality standards; but
the concentrations are no different than those from other construction materials such as
native soils or fly ashes. Environmental regulatory agencies will guide both the foundry
sand supplier and the user through applicable test procedures and water quality standards.
If additional protection from leachate is desired, mechanical methods such as compacting
and grading can prevent and further minimize leachate development. In summary,
foundry sand suppliers will work with all potential users to ensure that the product meets
environmental requirements for the engineering application under consideration. Foundry
sand can be used to produce a quality product at a competitive cost under normal
circumstances.
Little information is available regarding the amount of foundry sand that is used for
purposes other than in-plant reclamation, but spent foundry sand has been used as a fine
aggregate substitute in construction applications and as kiln feed in the manufacture of
Portland cement.
1.8.2 Disposal
Most of the spent foundry sand from green sand operations is land filled, sometimes
being used as a supplemental cover
Foundry sand can be obtained directly from foundries. Foundry sand, prior to use, is a
uniformly graded material. The spent material, however, often contains metal from the
casting and oversized mold and core material containing partially degraded binder. Spent
foundry sand may also contain some leach able contaminants, including heavy metals and
phenols that are absorbed by the sand during the molding process and casting operations.
Phenols are formed through high-temperature thermal decomposition and rearrangement
of organic binders during the metal pouring process. Heavy metals are of greater concern
in nonferrous foundry sands generated from nonferrous foundries. Spent foundry sand
from brass or bronze foundries, in particular, may contain high concentrations of
cadmium, lead, copper, nickel, and zinc.
Chapter-2
LITERATURE REVIEW
EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAMME
The main objective of testing was to know the behavior of concrete with replacement
of ordinary sand with foundry sand at room temperature.
The main parameters studied were compressive strength, split tensile strength,
modulus of elasticity. The materials used for casting concrete samples along with
tested results are described.
3.2.1 Cement
IS mark 43 grade cement (Brand-ACC cement) was used for all concrete mixes. The
cement used was fresh and without any lumps. Testing of cement was done as per IS:
8112-1989. The various tests results conducted on the cement are reported in Table
3.1.
Fineness Modulus of fine aggregates with 10% foundry sand = ΣF/100 =267.35/100 = 2.6
Table 3.11 Sieve Analysis of Fine Aggregates at 20% replacement levels
Fineness Modulus of fine aggregates with 20% replacement = ΣF/100 = 277.5/100 = 2.7
Fineness Modulus of fine aggregates with 30% replacement = ΣF/100 = 251.5/100 = 2.5
3.2.5 Water
Potable tap water was used for the concrete preparation and for the curing of
specimens.
3.2.6 Superplasticizer
Conplast – SP 430, a concrete superplasticizer based on Sulphonated Napthalene Polymer
was used as a water-reducing admixture and ton improve the workability of concrete
containing foundry sand. Conplast - SP 430 has been specially formulated to give high
water reductions up to 25% without loss of workability or to produce high quality
concrete of reduced permeability. Conplast - SP 430 is non-toxic.
Superplasticizer complies with IS: 9103: 1999, ASTM C – 494 Type F, BS 5057 part Ш.
The dosage of superplasticizer varied from 0.5% to 2% by weight of cement in plain
concrete, concrete incorporating foundry sand. Technical data of Superplasticizer are
listed in Table 3.13
Table 3.13 Technical data of Superplasticizer
S. No Characteristics Value
1. Colour Dark Brown liquid
2. Specific gravity @ 30˚ C 1.220 to 1.225
3. Air entrainment Maximum 1%
4. Chloride content Nil
3.3 Moulds
Cubical mould of size 150mm*150mm were used to prepare the concrete
specimens for the determination of compressive strength of foundry sand concrete at
various replacement levels. Care was taken during casting and vibrator was used for
proper compaction.
Cylindrical mould of size 150 mm*300 mm were used to prepare the concrete
specimens for the determinations of split tensile strength and modulus of elasticity of
foundry sand concrete. All the specimens were prepared in accordance with Indian
Standard Specifications IS: 516-1959.All the moulds were cleaned and oiled properly.
These were securely tightened to correct dimensions before casting. Care was taken that
there is no gaps left from where there is any possibility of leakage out of slurry.
Kg/m3 Kg/m3
M-1 372 538.45 410.4 818.85 0 186 0.288
M-2 372 538.45 410.4 818.85 3.425 186 0.384
80
Control M-1 100 0
M-20 Mix
80
Foundry M-2 90 10
Sand 80
concrete M-3 80 20
80
M-4 70 30
3.5 Batching, Mixing and Casting of Specimens
A careful procedure was adopted in the batching, mixing and casting operations.
The coarse aggregates and fine aggregates were weighed first with an accuracy of 0.5
grams. The concrete mixture was prepared by hand mixing on a watertight platform. PPC
having 43 grades was used in casting. Three proportions of fine aggregates are replaced
with foundry sand and thoroughly mixed. After that coarse aggregates are added to it.
Superplasticizer as per requirement was added to required quantity of water separately in
different containers. Then water was added carefully so that no water was lost during
mixing. Six clean and oiled moulds for each category were then placed on the vibrating
table respectively for the cubical samples for compression strength testing and twelve
cylindrical moulds for split tensile and modulus of elasticity testing were filled in three
layers. Vibrations were stopped as soon as the cement slurry appeared on the top surface
of the mould.
The specimens were allowed to remain in the steel mould for the first 24 hours at
ambient condition. After that these were demoulded with care so that no edges were
broken and were placed in the curing tank at the ambient temperature for curing. The
ambient temperature for curing was 27 ± 20
CHAPTER – 4
4.1 General
Various properties of concrete incorporating foundry sand at various replacement levels
with fine aggregate were studied, results were compared and checked for compressive
strength, split tensile strength and modulus of elasticity of foundry sand mix with
ordinary mix.
4.2 Compressive Strength
strength at 56 days was 15%, 12%, 15%, & 20% higher than the 28 days compressive
strength.
Figs. 3.3 show the compressive strength ratio (at 28 and 56 days) with respect to different replacement levels. Compressive
strength increases with age at different replacement levels.
31
30
29
28
27
0 10 20 30
Foundry Sand, %
Fig 4.1Compressive strength vs. replacement of foundry sand at 28-days
Compressive Strength,MPa
40
35
30
25
0 10 20 30 40
Foundry Sand,%
Compressive Strength,MPa
35
30 0% Foundry Sand
10% Foundry Sand
25
20% Foundry Sand
20 30% Foundry Sand
15
10
28-days 56-days
Age,days
Fig 4.3 Compressive strength vs. Age at various replacement levels of foundry sand
It was found that split tensile strength of concrete incorporating foundry sand (using
10 %, 20 % and 30 % replacement levels with fine aggregate and a w/c of 0.5)
depended on the percentage of foundry sand used The variation of split tensile
strength was shown in Table 4.2.
Fig. 4.4 shows the variation of split tensile strength with replacements of foundry
sand with various levels of fine aggregate at 28-days. Fig. 4.5 shows that split tensile
strength increases with the increase in replacement of percentage of sand with foundry
sand at 56-days. For control mix, split tensile strength was increase by 12%, 14%, and
20% with respect to different replacement levels of sand with foundry sand at 28 days. At
56 days the split tensile strength varies as 6%, 10% & 20% than control mix without
foundry sand to the various replacement levels.
Figs. 4.6 show the split tensile strength ratio (at 28 and 56 days) with respect to age at
Table 4.2: Split tensile strength (MPa) of concrete with various levels of replacement
of foundry sand
2.5
2
0 10 20 30
Foundry Sand,%
Fig.-4.4 Split tensile strength vs. replacement levels of foundry sand at 28-days
3.7
3.3
3.1
2.9
2.7
2.5
0 10 20 30
Foundry Sand,%
Fig.-4.5 Split tensile strength vs. replacement levels of foundry sand at 56-days
Compressive Strength, MPa
4
3 0% Foundry Sand
10% Foundry Sand
20% Foundry Sand
2 30% Foundry Sand
1
28-days 56-days
Age, days
Fig.-4.6 Split tensile strength vs. Age at various levels of replacement of foundry
sand
at the age of 28 & 56 days at various levels of replacement of fine aggregates with
foundry sand with w/c ratio of 0.5.At 28-days, control mix M-1 (with 0% replacement
level of foundry sand) achieved modulus of elasticity of 25.10 GPa, whereas mixtures
M-2 (10% foundry sand), M-3 (20% foundry sand), and M-4 (30% foundry sand)
the values of 27.19, 29.11, 31.12 and 33.20 GPa for mixtures M-1, M-2, M-3, & M-4
respectively. So the results show that modulus of elasticity increase with age as well
as replacement of foundry sand. Table-4.3 shows the results for modulus of elasticity
of Elasticity at various replacement levels of foundry sand is shown in Fig.- 4.7 & 4.8
elasticity at (at 28 and 56 days) with respect to age at various replacement levels of
30
28
26
24
22
20
0 10 20 30
Foundry Sand ,%
34
33
32
31
30
29
28
27
26
25
0 10 20 30
Foundry Sand,%
35
30
0% Foundry Sand
25
10% Foundry Sand
20% Foundry Sand
20
30% Foundry Sand
15
10
28-days 56-days
Age,days
CONCLUSIONS
Javed, S., Lovell, C., 1994.Use of Waste foundry sand in Highway construction.Rep.
JHRP/INDOT/FHWA-94/2J, Final REP., Purdue School of Engg., West
Lafayette, Ind.
Javed, S., Lovell, C. W., 1994b.Use of waste foundry sand in civil engineering. Transp.
Res. Rec. 1486, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 109–113.
Kleven, J. R., Edil, T. B., Benson, C. H., 2000. Evaluation of excess foundry system
sands for use as sub base material. Transp.Res.Rec. 1714, Transportation
Research Board, Washington, D.C., 40–48.
Naik, T. R., and Singh, S. S., (1997a). Permeability of flowable slurry materials
containing foundry sand and fly ash. J. Geotech. and Geoenvir. Engg., ASCE,
123(5), 446–452.
Naik, T. R., and Singh, S. S., (1997b). Flowable slurry containing foundry sands. J. Mat.
in Civil. Engg., ASCE, 9(2), 93–102.
Naik, T. R., Singh, S. Shiw, and Ramme, W. Bruce, April, 2001.Performance and
Leaching Assessment of Flowable Slurry. Journals of Environmental Engg., V.
127,No. 4,pp 359-368.
Naik, T.R.; Kraus, N. Rudolph; Chun, Yoon-moon; Ramme, W. Bruce; and Singh S.
Shiw, August 2003.Properties of Field Manufactured Cast-Concrete Products
Utilizing Recycled Materials. Journals of Materials in Civil Engg.,V.15,No. 4,pp
400-407.
Naik, T.R.; Kraus, N. Rudolph; Chun, Yoon-moon; Ramme, W. Bruce; and Siddique
Rafat, May-June2004.Precast Concrete Products Using Industrial By-Products.
ACI Materials Journal. 101,No. 3,pp 199-206.
Reddi, N. Lakshmi, Rieck, P. George, Schwab, A. P., Chou, S. T. and Fan, L.T., May
1995. Stabilization of Phenolics in foundry sand using cementious materials.
Journals of Hazardous Materials,V. 45, pp 89-106
Stark, T., Eid, H., 1994. Drained residual strength of cohesive soils. J. Geotech.Engg,
ASCE, 120(5), 856–871.
Tikalsky, J. Paul, Smith, Earl and Regan, W. Raymond, December 1998. Proportioning
Spent-Casting Sand in Controlled Low-Strength Materials. ACI Material Journal,
V.95, No.6, pp 740-746.
Tikalsky, J. Paul, Gaffney Mike and Regan, W. Raymond, December 2000. Properties of
Controlled Low-Strength Materials Containing Foundry Sand. ACI Materials
Journal, V.97, No.6, pp 698-702.
IS: 8112-1989, Specifications for 43-Grade Portland cement, Bureau of Indian Standards,
New Delhi, India.
IS: 383-1970, Specifications for coarse and fine aggregates from natural sources for
concrete, Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi, India.
IS: 10262-1982, Recommended guidelines for concrete mix design, Bureau of Indian
Standards, New Delhi, India.
IS: 1199-1959, Indian standard methods of sampling and analysis of concrete, Bureau of
Indian Standards, New Delhi, India.
IS: 516-1959, Indian standard code of practice- methods of test for strength of concrete,
Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi, India.