Influence of Aggregate Texture on the Strength of Concrete for Rural School Buildings in Benue State, Nigeria

Abstract

The primary objective of study was to determine the mean influence of aggregate texture on the strength of concrete for use in rural schools in Benue State, Nigeria. These aggregates which are common known as inert fillers within the construction industry account for 60 to 80 percent by volume and 70 to 85 percent of the weight of building concrete. The study was purely an experimental research design. Material collation and the experiment were carried out in Benue State, Nigeria. Different aggregate textures and sizes at different mix combinations were involved in the experiments. Cement-water ratio was held constant in the experiment. From the analysis of the data from experiments, this study has discovered that: i) a good quality concrete strength is possible from locally available aggregates with different  textures and sizes for rural school buildings in Benue sate; ii) a mix combination of dulled quarry dust  and  granite  of 20mm texture  gives  the  highest  compressive strength  of 26.52  N/mm² is highly recommended; iii) the use of quarry dust and granite of 20mm with rough surface texture improves  the concrete  strength  by 34 % over that  from sand and gravel of polished surface with  maximum size of 28mm; iv) as the polished texture of coarse aggregates increases, the more the concrete strength decreases and iv) owning to the weak nature of the soil in Benue state, a mixture of quarry dust and granite aggregates of rough surface can produce concrete with expected strength for use in rural school buildings. The study therefore recommends that for the attainment of higher concrete strength, dulled or rough surface textured aggregates should be used. The construction of rural school buildings in Benue state should be based on adherence to stringent engineering test of materials.