Study of the mechanical resistence of concretes incorporated with plaster waste as aggregate

Abstract

Since the Industrial Revolution in the eighteenth century, man has used his extended productive capacity to satisfy his material  needs and economic yearnings. The natural environment shows symptoms and the paradigm of inexhaustible resources shows itself to be illusion. The civil construction draws attention to the amount of waste generated. Most discards are characterized by waste, but some are already treated as tailings as their reuse / recycling is hampered by technicaleconomic unfeasibility. Plaster, which comes from gypsum, is a very common material in construction. Its malleability has adapted to the needs of the architecture and its application is increasing. Resolution 307 of CONAMA regulates the plaster as waste class C, it means the recycling is technically unfeasible. Recycling plaster as a small aggregate in concrete is a bold alternative. The tests proved that traces of total replacement of the aggregate by plaster is infeasible, reaching tensile strength of 0MPa. However, the partial substitution of 50% of trace sand by plaster powder proved to be a viable alternative and the bodies offered resistant tension of up to 7.50MPa. The manufacture of sealing blocks is valid use for such concretes.