Impact of Al2O3, SiO2 & Fe2O3 Present in Bricks Prepared Using Iron Ore Waste on its Compressive Strength

Mining of iron ore invariably produces lot of waste which significantly damages the environment in different ways. To reduce this environmental damage to a certain extent, iron ore waste can be utilized for making bricks in the construction industry by way of mixing it with some additives. In this investigation, an attempt was made to investigate the impact of major chemical composition of prepared iron ore waste (IOW) bricks on its compressive strength. The chemical compositions like total percentage of Al₂O₃, SiO₂ and Fe₂O₃ present in a brick were observed through the output of Java program for different mix ratios. Based on the available data, results of investigation on the impact of chemical composition of bricks on its compressive strength revealed no appropriate relationship with total percentages of SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ present in a brick. However, with increase in total percentage of Fe₂O₃ present in a brick, its compressive strength was found to decrease gradually. Hence, it is suggested to prepare non-fired bricks from iron ore waste fines containing low percentage of Fe₂O₃, which is also desirable from the point of view of mineral conservation. It is suggested to take up detailed investigation in future to study exclusively the influence of different types of chemical constituents which are present in IOW brick and correlate it with compressive strength and water absorption by carrying out regression analysis and arrive at some useful conclusion.