Author

ALEXSANDRO S. FELIPE (1), JEFFERSON S. CAMACHO (2),

MARIA C.F. ALBUQUERQUE (1), RODRIGO P. ANDOLFATO (2)

(1) Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Ilha Solteira – Civil Engineering Department. Brazil

(2) Structural Masonry Study and Research Centre (NEPAE/UNESP) Brazil

Abstract

Given the substantial growth in the use of structural masonry, many concrete block companies have sought improvements in their production process. Due to the relatively simple procedure in preparing cylindrical specimens for laboratory compression tests, this work addresses the influence of adding different kinds of sand and hydrated lime to the compressive strength of cylindrical concrete specimens and correlating them to that of factory-vibrated hollow concrete blocks. To this end, a simple method was proposed to match the specific density of the laboratory manufactured test samples with the factory-produced blocks, in a vibrating block machine. This study found that concrete which included different sand categories achieved strength increases. The addition of small proportions of hydrated lime in some formulations, to correct the lack of cohesion found in mixtures with small amounts of cement, also proved to be beneficial. The ratio of mean value’s of the compressive strength of cylindrical test specimens to the hollow blocks was of 0.86.This ratio was independent of the admixtures studied in this work.