Geological and geotechnical assessment of natural sands in Ilorin, Nigeria
Loading...
Date
2023-04-23
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ICE publishing/Thomas Telford
Abstract
The quality of the aggregates used inplastering mortar contributes to the properties of the mortar. This study
evaluated the suitability of two grades of sand – sharp sand collected along active/old river courses and plastering
sand bbnnmm from borrow pits – as plastering materials. X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence analysis were used
to study their mineralogy and major, minor and trace element components. Grain-size distribution analysis, natural
moisture content, specific gravity, Atterberg limits, matric suction and permeability tests were also carried out on the
sand samples. In both sands, the silica content was more than 80%. The plastering sand had a higher natural
moisture content than the sharp sand. The fineness modulus ranged from 1.31 to 1.83 and 0.53 to 1.01, respectively,
for the sharp sand and the plastering sand. The permeability coefficients and matric suction of the sharp sand were
larger than those of the plastering sand. This implies that sharp sand will allow easier water passage through its
pore spaces, therefore tending to exist in a dryer state than plastering sand. The tested sharp sand may be suitable
for plastering because the test results were within the acceptable limits for good plastering materials according to
national and international standards.
Description
Keywords
Citation
Owoyemi OO and Afolagboye LO Geological and geotechnical assessment of natural sands in Ilorin, Nigeria. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers – Construction Materials, https://doi.org/10.1680/jcoma.22.00016