查看文章

An investigation is conducted to study the possibility of using selected silica deposits of Bangladesh as standard sand in testing compressive strength of hydraulic cements. To this end, silica sands collected from geo-referenced Dupi Tila formation of Bangladesh located near to ground surface were mechanically and chemically processed to remove physical and chemical impurities. Collected deposits show uniformity in grain size and mineralogical composition. X-ray diffraction analysis was conducted to determine chemical composition. Shape and surface morphology of the grains were observed in Scanning Electron Microscope. Cement cubes prepared using the sand samples were compared with those prepared with Ottawa sand in ASTM standard for compressive strength assessment. Finally strength correlations for the samples obtained after mechanical and chemical processing were established, which show close and dependable resemblance with Ottawa sand.