EFFECTIVE UTILIZATION OF BITUMINOUS ASPHALTS WASTE AS AGGREGATES IN CONCRETE

Abstract

The present trend of indiscriminate dumping of waste bituminous asphalts on the highways in Nigeria calls for urgent attention. The trend all over the world now is the conservation of natural resources and reduction of waste being generated as a result of different human activities. This paper has looked at how the used bituminous asphalts material can be effectively utilized for other construction purposes. Different types of test like: slump, flow table,  fire resistance and compressive strength tests were carried out on the bituminous asphalt waste that was mixed with sand and cement to make concrete, and the result was compared with concrete made from granite of size 20mm, gravel of size 15mm and bush gravel of size less than 8mm. The flow table tests conducted showed that both granite and bituminous concrete mixes have low flow rate, while coarse and bush gravels have medium flow rate. The bituminous concrete has the highest cube strength of 25 N/mm² after 28 days.  In conclusion, bituminous asphalts could be a very good substitute as aggregate in concrete for some marine structures that are not exposed to fire.