An Investigation on Optimum usage of Foundry Sand as Fine Aggregate in Foundry Sand Admixed Concrete

In the current arena, infrastructure development holds the key for the development of every nation. Concrete is one of the most utilized materials by the construction industry which is a homogeneous material prepared of heterogeneous materials like Cement, sand and aggregate. However rapid urbanization has created a huge demand for natural sand hence made it even more expensive. Due to the high volume consumption all the natural resources are facing depletion. Industrial waste products are accumulating to an alarming level which makes the safe disposal of the industrial wastes a herculean task. An attempt has been made to study the behaviour of high performance concrete made with partial replacement of fine aggregates with used foundry sand. It is found that up to 30% of fine aggregate can be replaced with used foundry sand for the manufacture of high performance concrete reducing the usage of fresh fine aggregates and to minimize the exploitation of natural resources to a minimum balanced state with reduced ecological impact.