Assessment of the Compressive Strength of Concrete Produced with Fine Aggregate from Different Locations in Minna

Abstract

The construction industry in Nigeria has been witnessing serious collapse of buildings resulting from the qualities of materials used in their construction. This continuous collapse necessitates the need to investigate some of the materials used in the production of the building components in order to ascertain their appropriateness. This research thus investigates the compressive strength of concrete produced using fine aggregate from different locations in Minna. Fine aggregates were obtained from Chanchaga, Maikunkele, Bosso, Lapai Gwari and Garatu areas of Minna and subjected to series of tests namely: sieve analysis, Specific gravity, bulk density, moisture content, and water absorption. Concrete samples were produced using the mix ratio 1:2:4 and the water/cement ratio of 0.6. These samples were subjected to both the slump test and compressive strength test. For each of the fine aggregates, nine cubes of concrete (150mm x 150mm x 150mm) were cast, cured and tested at 7, 14 and 28 days. The results obtained for the mean compressive strength of the concrete produced shows that they all have mean strength greater than 20N/mm2 with fine aggregate from Chanchage having the highest mean of 25.17N/mm2 at 28days of curing. Thus all the fine aggregates could be used in the production of structural lightweight concrete but for structures that require higher strength, the fine aggregate from Chanchaga is recommended