Roles of aluminium shavings and calcite on engineering properties of cement-based composites

In the construction industry, which large amounts of raw materials are consumed, substituting even small parts of concrete components with waste materials may lead to significant savings in consumed energy and natural resources hence support prevention of environmental pollution. In this study, an experimental program was carried out to find a reliable and eco-friendly method for eliminating large quantities of calcite powders originating from the marble processing industry and also aluminium shavings, a nondisposable product of metal working and shaping industry. Physical, mechanical and microstructural properties of the mortars produced with industrial wastes at different replacement percentages were evaluated. Adding up to 20% calcite to the mortar mixtures instead of cement did not cause a significant change in water absorption values compared to control mortar. In addition, the gradual increase of aluminium shavings in all mortar mixtures resulted in a significant decrease in apparent porosity. In mortars based on 10% calcite, an increase of 52% in 7-days flexural strength was achieved with the addition of 4% aluminium shavings.