Laboratory investigations on bituminous concrete mixtures utilizing foundry sand.

Abstract

This research work reports the effect of foundry sand (FS) mineral filler (MF) aggregate on characteristics of bituminous concrete grading-2 (BC-2) mixtures and compares the test results with the conventional BC-2 mixtures. The Marshall mixture design method is adopted to assess the optimal bitumen content at 4% air voids for bituminous concrete grading-2 specimens prepared using 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 percent FSMF content. Split tensile strength test and water resistivity test were conducted to study the performance characteristics of bituminous concrete mixtures. EDXA (Energy Dispersive X-ray Analyzer) and SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) were also performed to investigate the element content (mineralogical composition) and texture (morphology) of foundry sand (FSMF). The test results show that utilizing foundry sand as a mineral filler in bituminous concrete enhanced the stability, split tensile strength, and split tensile strength ratio when compared to mixtures containing conventional mineral filler material. Hence use of foundry sand mineral filler aggregate in the production of BC-2 mixture is recommended.