Vladimir Antonio Paulon

Concrete Made with Alternative Fine Aggregates: The Reuse of Porcelain Electrical Insulators

The use of alternative materials as substitutes for ordinary aggregates, mainly in concrete and mortar, has been common in recent decades in Brazil. Due to its physical and chemical similarities to common aggregates, ceramic waste, when coupled with a granulometric control, is suitable for use as an aggregate in concrete. Brazil has been estimated to dispose of approximately 25,000 tons of porcelain insulators annually, which are insulators that are often discarded along with other debris and harm the environment. This study examined the grinding methodology for and subsequent use of porcelain to replace fine aggregates in concrete and verified the improvement this substitution provided by evaluating the mechanical properties and durability of the concrete under study and examining scanning electron microscope images.