TITLE:
River Sand Characterization for Its Use in Concrete: A Revue
AUTHORS:
Muhindo Wa Muhindo Abdias, Manjia Marcelline Blanche, Ursula Joyce Pettang Nana, Henry Fonbeyin Abanda, Ngapgue François, Pettang Chrispin
KEYWORDS:
Characterization, River Sand, Concrete, Construction Material, Structure
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Civil Engineering,
Vol.13 No.2,
June
21,
2023
ABSTRACT: Despite the gradual professionalization of the construction sector as
well as the abundance of sand mining sites offered by the North Kivu, Democratic Republic of
Congo Region, ignorance of materials by local builders persists. This is the case of
quarries extracting river sand used to make concrete and mortar. However, the
dosages of the various constituents are most often chosen on the basis of
experience without any prior characterization of this material. This paper presents a
comprehensive review of the characterization of river sand for its use in
concrete in DRC. The origin and global use of river sand in construction are presented in
percentage terms to highlight the importance of river sand as a construction
material. The physical properties of river sand, including particle size
distribution, bulk density, absolute density, and cleanliness are discussed in
detail. The paper examines the effect of variations
in river sand properties on concrete behavior, including density and
compressive strength. Overall, this paper emphasizes the need to properly
characterize river sand before using it in construction to ensure durable, high-quality structures. This will avoid the problems that are observed
in particular a bad behavior of the coating on the walls; cracks and crumbling
of the beams, lintels, posts and even the ruin of the structures.