Production of Artificial Aggregates and Their Impact on Properties of Concrete

The gradual exhaustion of natural resources is seriously impacting the ecological and environmental balance, which drives the formation of synthetic aggregates. In order to mitigate the destruction of land topography and the concerns with natural aggregate shortage, the production of artificial aggregates has progressively been a popular topic in recent years with the advantages of utilizing industrial waste and by-products. A study used the maximum quantity of fly ash and minimal cement to produce cold-bonded artificial aggregates. Four types of artificial aggregates have been produced by varying the proportions of fly ash and cement as 90:10, 85:15, 80:20, and 75:25. The physicomechanical characteristics of produced aggregates were characterized, and their impacts on the properties of concrete were determined. Concrete incorporated with artificial aggregates has shown superior fresh properties compared to natural aggregate concrete. The concrete with an increased volume of artificial aggregates exhibited decrement in strength but satisfied the code requirements to use it as structural construction material. The study concludes that artificial aggregates may efficiently replace natural coarse aggregate in the production of structural concrete, bringing numerous advantages in terms of the economy, the environment, and technology.