Construction and Building Materials 169 (2018) 289–298

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Construction and Building Materials

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Strength and impact resistance properties of concrete containing fine

bone china ceramic aggregate
Salman Siddique a, Sandeep Shrivastava a,⇑, Sandeep Chaudhary b, Trilok Gupta c
a
Department of Civil Engineering, Malaviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur, Jaipur, India
b
Discipline of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Simrol, Indore 453552, India
c
Department of Civil Engineering, College of Technology and Engineering, MPUAT, Udaipur, India

h i g h l i g h t s

Ceramic aggregate from fine bone china ceramic waste was evaluated.

River sand of concrete mixes was replaced by fine bone china ceramic aggregate.

Fine bone china ceramic aggregate is mechanically feasible for concrete.

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: This article examines the mechanical and impact resistance properties of concrete incorporating fine
Received 23 October 2017 bone china ceramic aggregate. Three different concrete mixes with varying water-to-binder ratios con-
Received in revised form 26 February 2018 taining different substitutions (0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100%) of fine bone china ceramic aggregate
Accepted 28 February 2018
as fine aggregate were prepared. The mechanical properties such as compressive strength, split tensile
Available online 6 March 2018
strength, flexure strength and modulus of elasticity were evaluated. The impact resistance of concrete
containing 40% fine bone china ceramic aggregate was measured by a drop weight test and rebound test.
Keywords:
The microstructure of the concrete mixes was examined via a scanning electron microscope. The inclu-
Ceramic waste
Fine bone china ceramic aggregate
sion of fine bone china ceramic aggregate in concrete leads to enhanced mechanical strength and impact
Impact resistance resistance properties. The microstructure of the fine bone china ceramic aggregate concrete showed
Drop weight test enhanced formation of hydration products.
Modulus of elasticity Ó 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
The higher rigidity of concrete classifies it as a brittle material.
To recommend a suitable concrete mix for structural applications
satisfying its serviceability criteria, evaluation of the modulus of
elasticity is an important parameter to consider. Similarly, for
non-structural applications such as pavement blocks the impact
resistance of concrete should be thoroughly evaluated. In the past
few decades the concrete and construction industry has pushed
towards the effective utilisation of recycled materials and by-
products as concrete-making material [1–9]. Among the various
recycled or waste materials, the use of different types of ceramic
waste as aggregate has been extensively researched due to their
ability to be manufactured into any form of aggregate [10–14].
Ceramic waste aggregate is available worldwide and has vary-
ing physical and chemical properties depending on the locally
⇑ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: san.civil@gmail.com (S. Shrivastava).
available raw material and production processes. The studies car-
ried out by various researchers have considered fine or coarse
forms of ceramic aggregate.
Senthamarai and Manoharan [11] evaluated the effect of elec-
trical insulator based ceramic coarse aggregate on the compressive
strength, flexure strength, split tensile strength and modulus of
elasticity of concrete. They observed that on incorporation of
100% ceramic aggregate the mechanical properties are negatively
affected. Correia et al. [14] reported that the inclusion of 100%
coarse recycled ceramic aggregate resulted in inferior compressive
and flexural strength of concrete. Medina et al. [10] concluded that
up to 25% coarse sanitary-ware aggregate provided enhanced com-
pressive and split tensile strength of concrete. The pozzolanic
behaviour of sanitary-ware aggregate was concluded as the major
strength-gaining factor. Alves et al. [13] demonstrated that con-
crete samples containing 20%, 50% and 100% fine sanitary-ware
ceramic aggregate exhibited a loss in compressive strength and
split tensile strength. The modulus of elasticity for ceramic aggre-
gate concrete was found to be lower than that of control concrete.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.02.213
0950-0618/Ó 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
290 S. Siddique et al. / Construction and Building Materials 169 (2018) 289–298
The poor physical characteristics of ceramic aggregate were one of
the primary reasons for the inferior mechanical performance of
ceramic concrete. Gonzalez-Corominas and Etxeberria [12]
observed slightly increased strength properties of concrete such
as compressive and split tensile in concrete samples containing
fine ceramic aggregate. The modulus of elasticity observed for
the same mix considerations was slightly inferior to that of the
control concrete.
The tableware industry of India is growing, with future planned
investments. The potential drawback that the fine bone china cera-
mic tableware industry is facing is the waste disposal system for
rejected products. The waste generation amounts to nearly 15–
20% of total production units and more than 50,000 tonnes per
annum [15,16].
For tableware ceramics, especially bone china ceramic, the
authors have carried out studies covering the fresh properties
and microstructure properties of fine bone china ceramic aggregate
concrete [17,18]. It was reported that the introduction of fine bone
china ceramic aggregate provides higher strength characteristics
and superior microstructure compared with control concrete. To
the best knowledge of the authors, no previous studies have been
carried out on the modulus of elasticity and impact resistance
properties of ceramic aggregate concrete.
The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential factors affect-
ing the mechanical properties of fine bone china ceramic aggregate
concrete. For this purpose, the physical and chemical characteris-
tics of raw fine bone china ceramic aggregate have been evaluated.
Various concrete mixes have been investigated for their compres-
sive strength, split tensile strength, flexural strength, modulus of
elasticity and impact resistance. Microscopic images have also
been obtained to evaluate the microstructure of concrete
specimens.
2. Materials and methods
2.1. Materials
Ordinary Portland cement of 43 grade was used in the study.
River sand satisfying the specifications of BIS 383 [19] having the
specific gravity of 2.67 and water absorption of 1% was used as fine
aggregate. Naturally available crushed stone aggregate having the
specific gravity of 2.74 and water absorption of 0.5% was used as
coarse aggregate. For the fine bone china ceramic aggregate, the
waste products of a local tableware production unit were crushed
to obtain the form of fine aggregate (Fig. 1). Table 1 presents the
physical and chemical properties of the fine bone china ceramic
aggregate. The grading curves for the natural sand and fine bone
Fig. 1. Fine bone china ceramic aggregate.
Table 1
Physical and chemical characteristics of fine bone china ceramic aggregate.
Analysis Values obtained
Physical characteristics
Specific gravity 2.40
Water absorption (%) 2.5
Chemical characteristics
CaO (%) 24.15
SiO2 (%) 28.86
Al2O3 (%) 23.86
Fe2O3 (%) 5.41
MgO (%) 2.86
K2O (%) 1.58
LOI (%) 0.5
china ceramic aggregate are presented in Figs. 2–3. Fig. 4 shows
the gradation curve for all-in-aggregates.
Tap water was used for mixing the ingredients of the concrete.
A high range water reducer superplasticizer was used to obtain a
compaction factor of 0.9 or higher for the fresh concrete mixes.
2.2. Mix proportioning
The concrete mix proportions followed in the study are pre-
sented in Table 2. The mix proportioning of the concrete was done
as per the guidelines of BIS 10,262 [20]. A total of 18 mixes were
prepared with three different water-to-binder (w/b) ratios (0.35,
0.45 and 0.55). Natural fine aggregate was replaced by fine bone
china aggregate in proportions of 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and
100%. To maintain a constant water-to-binder ratio, supplemen-
tary water was added during the mixing process to compensate
for the water absorption of the aggregates. The nomenclature of
the mixes followed was: series A for 0.35 w/b, series B for 0.45
w/b and series C for 0.55 w/b.
The ingredients of the concrete mix were dry-mixed in a mixer
for a duration of 2–3 min. After thorough dry mixing, the total mix-
ing water was introduced into the mixer and superplasticizer was
used to facilitate the desired workability and uniformity in the mix.
Superplasticizer was added as a percentage by weight of the
cement content in the mix. The mixes were poured into moulds
after they showed proper workability and uniform distribution of
constituent materials.
2.3. Testing regime
2.3.1. Compressive and flexural strength
The compressive strength and flexural strength tests were con-
ducted on 100 mm cubic specimens and 100 mm  100 mm  500
mm prisms respectively. An average of 3 specimens was reported
as per the guidelines of BIS 516 [21].
A scanning electron microscope (Nova Nano FESEM 450) was
utilised to obtain the microscopic images of the concrete speci-
mens. 28 days cured concrete specimens were cut into 10 mm 
10 mm  10 mm sample sizes. The samples were then grinded to
obtain a smooth surface for proper microscopic investigations.
2.3.2. Split tensile strength
The split tensile strength on 150 mm cubic specimens was
examined following the guidelines of BIS 5816 [22].
2.3.3. Modulus of elasticity
The modulus of elasticity was calculated on cylindrical speci-
mens of 150 mm diameter and 300 mm height, following the
guidelines of ASTM C469 [23].
 S. Siddique et al. / Construction and Building Materials 169 (2018) 289–298 291

Gradation Curve
100
95
90
85 Material
80 Sample
75
70
Percentage Finer than

65
upper range
60
of gradation
55 band
50
45
40 lower range
35 of gradation
30 band
25
20
15
10
5
0
0.10 1. 00 1 0.00
Sieve Size
Fig. 2. Gradation curve for natural sand.

Gradation Curve
100
95
90
85
80
75
70
Percentage Finer than

65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
0 . 10 1 .0 0 1 0 .0 0
Sieve Size
Fig. 3. Gradation curve for fine bone china ceramic aggregate.
292 S. Siddique et al. / Construction and Building Materials 169 (2018) 289–298

100

80 0% Fine Aggregate
Replacement
20% Fine Aggregate
% Passing

60 Replacement
40% Fine Aggregate
Replacement
40
60% Fine Aggregate
Replacement

20 80% Fine Aggregate

Replacement
100% Fine Aggregate
0 Replacement
0.01 0.1 1 10 100
Particle Size (mm)
Fig. 4. Gradation curve for all-in-aggregates.

Table 2
Mix Proportions.

Mix Cement (kg/m3) Natural sand (kg/m3) Fine bone china ceramic aggregate (kg/m3) Coarse aggregate (kg/m3) Water (kg/m3) Superplasticizer (%)
A0 383 821 0 1095 147.73 0.5
A20 383 656.8 147.78 1095 149.78 1.0
A40 383 492.6 295.56 1095 151.84 1.0
A60 383 328.4 443.34 1095 153.89 1.0
A80 383 164.2 591.12 1095 155.94 2.2
A100 383 0 738.9 1095 157.99 2.4
B0 383 821 0 1095 186.03 0.10
B20 383 656.8 147.78 1095 188.08 0.10
B40 383 492.6 295.56 1095 190.14 0.15
B60 383 328.4 443.34 1095 192.19 0.15
B80 383 164.2 591.12 1095 194.24 0.20
B100 383 0 738.9 1095 196.29 0.20
C0 383 821 0 1095 224.33 0
C20 383 656.8 147.78 1095 226.38 0
C40 383 492.6 295.56 1095 228.44 0
C60 383 328.4 443.34 1095 230.49 0.05
C80 383 164.2 591.12 1095 232.54 0.10
C100 383 0 738.9 1095 234.59 0.10

2.3.4. Drop weight impact test
Impact resistance under the drop weight test was examined as
per the guidelines of ACI committee 544 [24]. Three cylindrical
specimens of 150 mm diameter and 75 mm height were cast for
the drop weight test. The experiment consisted of dropping a ball
of 4.5 kg weight from a height of 450 mm onto a hardened steel
ball of 65 mm diameter which rested on the concrete specimen
(Fig. 5). The total number of blows till the first crack (N1) and fail-
ure (N2) of the specimen were observed. The impact energy of the
specimens was calculated as follows:
E ¼ Nmgh
where E is the impact energy, N is the number of blows till fail-
ure of the specimen, m is the mass of the dropped ball (4.5 kg), g is
the gravity-based acceleration (9.8 m/s2) and h is the height of the
drop (450 mm).
concrete specimen is the difference between the initial and final
potential energy. The drag resistance due to air was considered
to be negligible. The initial and final potential energy were
calculated as follows:
Ei ¼ mghi ð2Þ
Ef ¼ mghf ð3Þ
where Ei and Ef are the initial and final potential energy, m is the
ð1Þ mass of the steel ball (130 g), g is the acceleration due to gravity, hi
is the initial height of the drop (1 m), hf is the rebound height.
The energy absorbance capacity of the specimen (E) is calcu-
lated as the difference between the initial and final potential
energy.

2.3.5. Rebound impact test 3. Results and discussion

Impact resistance under the rebound test was evaluated on 150
mm cubic specimens. A steel ball of weight 130 g was dropped The results obtained for compressive strength, split tensile
from a fixed height of 1.0 m. The rebound height of the ball was strength, flexure strength and static modulus of elasticity are pre-
recorded on a sensitive camera. The energy imparted to the sented in Table 3.
 S. Siddique et al. / Construction and Building Materials 169 (2018) 289–298 293

Series A (0.35)
Series B (0.45)
Series C (0.55)

Ball 32

Handle 30

7 Days Compressive Strength (MPa)

28

26

Drop 24
Height
22

20

18

0 20 40 60 80 100
Fine Bone China Aggregate (%)

Fig. 6. 7 Days compressive strength of various concrete mixes.

Lugs
Cylinder

Fig. 5. Drop weight impact test apparatus. 50 Series A (0.35)

Series B (0.45)
Series C (0.55)
28 Days Compressive Strength (MPa)

3.1. Compressive strength 45

The compressive strengths of various concrete mixes observed 40

at 7, 28, 90 and 180 days of curing are presented in Figs. 6–9.
The measurement error for compressive strength is shown in
35
Table 4. The results show that the introduction of fine bone china
ceramic aggregate in concrete mixes results in an increase of com-
pressive strength. In their previous studies, the authors have 30
depicted an increase in the compressive strength of concrete due
to the formation of better and higher hydration products [17].
25
The better quality of calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) leads to a bet-
ter interfacial transition zone (ITZ) in concrete mixes containing
fine bone china ceramic aggregate. The pozzolanic behaviour of 20
fine bone china ceramic aggregate is highly beneficial in long- 0 20 40 60 80 100
term curing (180 days), as the specimens containing 100% fine Fine Bone China Aggregate (%)
bone china ceramic aggregate recorded the highest compressive
Fig. 7. 28 Days compressive strength of various concrete mixes.
strength. For 28 days of curing, specimens containing 60% fine

Table 3
Results for mechanical properties for various concrete mixes.

Compressive strength (MPa) Split tensile strength (MPa) Flexural strength (MPa) Static modulus of elasticity (MPa)
Mix 7 days 28 days 90 days 180 days 28 days 28 days 56 days 28 days
A0 25.00 ± 0.3 39.00 ± 0.4 44.30 ± 0.5 51.23 ± 0.4 3.99 ± 0.2 4.37 ± 0.1 4.45 ± 0.1 31800 ± 0.3
A20 25.00 ± 0.3 40.00 ± 0.1 45.00 ± 0.3 55.16 ± 0.4 4.14 ± 0.3 5.12 ± 0.1 5.36 ± 0.1 30800 ± 0.4
A40 26.66 ± 1.6 45.16 ± 0.6 55.30 ± 0.3 61.00 ± 0.2 4.25 ± 0.03 5.36 ± 0.06 5.42 ± 0.1 42700 ± 0.2
A60 30.66 ± 0.6 47.33 ± 0.6 58.00 ± 0.4 66.00 ± 0.3 4.68 ± 0.1 5.62 ± 0.2 5.91 ± 0.3 37500 ± 0.6
A80 32.00 ± 0.6 43.33 ± 0.3 63.33 ± 0.7 71.33 ± 0.5 5.03 ± 0.3 5.81 ± 0.3 6.17 ± 0.4 34700 ± 0.6
A100 32.00 ± 0.6 44.00 ± 1.3 64.16 ± 0.8 73.27 ± 0.3 5.05 ± 0.2 5.67 ± 0.7 6.11 ± 0.2 33300 ± 0.8
B0 20.66 ± 0.7 31.33 ± 0.6 35.00 ± 0.6 41.00 ± 0.2 2.86 ± 0.2 3.51 ± 0.01 4.04 ± 0.1 27800 ± 0.3
B20 22.33 ± 0.7 33.00 ± 1.1 38.26 ± 0.5 44.33 ± 0.3 2.92 ± 0.2 3.93 ± 0.01 4.89 ± 0.01 29400 ± 0.4
B40 23.67 ± 0.2 35.66 ± 0.7 41.14 ± 0.4 51.20 ± 0.6 3.91 ± 0.1 4.15 ± 0.02 5.07 ± 0.01 33000 ± 0.2
B60 23.67 ± 0.3 38.33 ± 0.3 44.66 ± 0.4 56.33 ± 0.5 3.65 ± 0.2 4.03 ± 0.01 4.54 ± 0.01 32600 ± 0.3
B80 24.33 ± 0.3 36.33 ± 0.3 49.33 ± 0.4 65.60 ± 0.2 3.6 ± 0.1 4.38 ± 0.02 5.17 ± 0.1 29100 ± 0.6
B100 22.33 ± 0.6 33.33 ± 0.6 51.20 ± 0.5 66.00 ± 0.2 3.9 ± 0.2 4.19 ± 0.2 4.85 ± 0.2 31300 ± 0.2
C0 18.00 ± 0.4 22.00 ± 0.3 29.33 ± 0.2 34.12 ± 0.6 2.81 ± 0.1 3.03 ± 0.1 3.92 ± 0.2 24500 ± 0.5
C20 20.00 ± 0.3 29.33 ± 0.2 32.66 ± 0.4 37.41 ± 0.3 3.52 ± 0.1 3.76 ± 0.1 4.13 ± 0.01 21500 ± 0.4
C40 21.00 ± 0.3 33.00 ± 0.5 36.45 ± 0.5 41.90 ± 0.4 3.52 ± 0.1 4.11 ± 0.2 4.84 ± 0.01 24800 ± 0.4
C60 22.00 ± 0.5 35.00 ± 0.6 40.32 ± 0.3 45.33 ± 0.3 3.51 ± 0.5 4.24 ± 0.02 4.93 ± 0.1 26000 ± 0.3
C80 20.00 ± 0.1 30.33 ± 0.3 41.00 ± 0.3 47.66 ± 0.3 3.32 ± 0.1 4.31 ± 0.1 5.07 ± 0.1 27500 ± 0.4
C100 20.00 ± 0.2 30.00 ± 0.6 43.91 ± 0.1 48.30 ± 0.5 3.66 ± 0.2 4.16 ± 0.01 4.92 ± 0.002 28900 ± 0.5
294 S. Siddique et al. / Construction and Building Materials 169 (2018) 289–298

Series A (0.35) compressive strength for concrete specimens containing up to

Series B (0.45) 30% coarse sanitary-ware ceramic aggregate. Senthamarai and
Series C (0.55)
65 Manoharan [11] reported a similar mechanical performance
between concrete specimens containing coarse electrical insulator
aggregate and conventional aggregate. Zegardlo et al. [26] reported
90 Days Compressive Strength (MPa)

60
up to 24.74% higher compressive strength for concrete samples
55 containing 100% ceramic aggregate. Torkittikul and Chaipanich
[27] observed increased compressive strength on incorporating
50
50% earthenware ceramic waste as fine aggregate in concrete
45
mixes.
The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images at 5000 of
40 the control concrete, and 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% fine bone
china ceramic aggregate concrete are presented in Fig. 10. It can
35 be observed from Fig. 10(a) that the control concrete mixture con-
tains a staggered distribution of CSH gel. Several voids are notice-
30 able amongst these hydration products and these cause weak
interfacial zone characteristics and poor microstructure character-
0 20 40 60 80 100
istics. These micro pores/voids or gel pores/voids in the CSH gel
Fine Bone China Ceramic Aggregate (%)
lead to poorer mechanical performance [28]. Fig. 10(b–d) show
Fig. 8. 90 Days compressive strength of various concrete mixes. that the CSH gel in fine bone china ceramic aggregate concrete
mixes is higher and covers a greater surface area of aggregate, pro-
viding better contact points. Fine bone china ceramic aggregate
Series A (0.35) concrete mixes contain extra gel components and have fewer voids
Series B (0.45)
Series C (0.55) than in the control mix. The fine distribution of CSH gel and the
75 formation of extra CSH gel owing to the consumption of port-
180 Days Compressive Strength (MPa)

70 landite by the pozzolanic action of the fine bone china ceramic

65
60
55
50
45
40
35
0 20
Fine Bone China Ceramic Aggregate (%)
Fig. 9. 180 Days compressive strength of various concrete mixes.
bone china ceramic aggregate recorded the highest compressive
strength. The extra water added for fine bone china aggregate con-
crete during the concrete mixing results in a superior hydration
reaction and consumes portlandite to form CSH gel in the concrete.
The results obtained in the current investigation are in good
agreement with the results obtained in different studies containing
other types and forms of ceramic aggregate. Medina et al. [10]
observed an increase in mechanical properties on incorporating
25% coarse sanitary-ware ceramic aggregate. The pozzolanic beha-
viour of the ceramic aggregate was considered responsible for the
increase in strength. Rashid et al. [25] also observed superior
aggregate resulted in better performance of the concrete mixtures
in terms of strength development. This is attributed to the fact that
the fine bone china ceramic aggregate modified the concrete
matrix through the pozzolanic reaction and reduced the Ca(OH)2
content. The microstructure images provide a valid understanding
and reasoning for the higher strength characteristics of fine bone
china ceramic aggregate concrete.
The microstructural findings of the study are similar to the
research findings of Medina et al. [10] and Zegardlo et al. [26],
who also observed a higher amount of hydration products and bet-
ter interfacial transition zone characteristics on the incorporation
of sanitary-ware based coarse ceramic aggregate in concrete.
40 60 80 100
3.2. Split tensile strength and flexural strength
Fig. 11 shows the split tensile strength observed for various
concrete mixes at 28 days of curing. The split tensile strength of
concrete on 100% replacement of natural sand by fine bone china
ceramic aggregate increased by 26.48%, 40.61% and 36.33% for con-
crete mix series A, B and C respectively. Fig. 12 shows the flexural
strength of various concrete mixes at 28 days and 56 days of cur-
ing. The values observed for flexural strength are in good agree-
ment with those of compressive and split tensile strength. The
highest flexural strength was obtained at 80% fine bone china cera-
mic aggregate content in all concrete mix series. At 28 days of cur-
ing, the flexural strength of the concrete increased from 4.37 N/
mm2, 3.51 N/mm2 and 3.03 N/mm2 to 5.81 N/mm2, 4.38 N/mm2
and 4.31 N/mm2 for concrete mix series A, B and C respectively

Table 4
Impact resistance of various concrete mixes at initial crack and failure.

Mix Impact resistance (number of blows) N2-N1 N2/N1 Impact energy (J)
Initial crack (N1) Failure (N2) Initial Failure
A0 393 400 7 1.02 7807.04 7946.10
A40 428 439 11 1.03 8502.33 8720.84
B0 305 311 6 1.02 6058.90 6178.09
B40 309 327 18 1.06 6138.36 6495.94
C0 92 105 13 1.14 1827.60 2085.85
C40 142 155 13 1.09 2403.70 2820.87
 S. Siddique et al. / Construction and Building Materials 169 (2018) 289–298 295

(a) (b)
Aggregate
Aggregate

Staggered
distribution of
CSH/Hydration
products Denser Aggregate
CSH/Hydration
product covering
Aggregate larger surface area

(c) (d)

CSH/Hydration
Aggregate Products
CSH/Hydration
Products Better contact point
between aggregate
and cement paste

Aggregate

Fig. 10. SEM images of (a) control concrete (b) 40% fine bone china ceramic aggregate concrete (c) 60% fine bone china ceramic aggregate concrete (d) 100% fine bone china
ceramic aggregate concrete.

incorporating coarse and fine forms of ceramic waste as aggregate.

5.0 The improved microstructural characteristics along with the for-
28 Days Split Tensile Strength (MPa)

Series A (0.35)
mation of mechanical hooks, i.e. the penetration of cement paste
Series B (0.45) into the porous structure of the ceramic aggregate, were consid-
4.5 Series C (0.55)
ered as major factors in improving the mechanical performance
of the concrete.
4.0
3.3. Modulus of elasticity

3.5
3.0
2.5
0 20
Fine Bone China Ceramic Aggregate (%)
Fig. 11. 28 Days split tensile strength of various concrete mixes.
on 80% replacement of natural sand by fine bone china ceramic
aggregate.
As discussed in section 3.1, the presence of fine bone china cera-
mic aggregate results in a higher quantity of CSH, improving the
mechanical properties of the resulting concrete. The improved
ITZ layer resists the movement of cracks on tensile loading, thus
ensuring higher resistance. The denser microstructure of fine bone
china ceramic aggregate concrete helps to enhance the tensile
strain capacity of the concrete matrix and thus improves the ten-
sile strength of the specimens.
Similar observations were reported by Medina et al. [10],
Corominas and Etxeberria [29] and Zegardlo et al. [26] when
Fig. 13 shows the results of the modulus of elasticity for various
concrete mixes. The results show that the modulus of elasticity
increases with the replacement percentage of fine bone china cera-
mic aggregate.
The main factors influencing the modulus of elasticity of con-
40 60 80 100
crete are the stiffness of the coarse aggregate, the stiffness of the
mortar paste, the porosity and the bond between the aggregate
and mortar paste. The only parameter changing across mixes is
the type of fine aggregate. The stiffness of the mortar paste
increases on replacing natural fine aggregate with fine bone china
ceramic aggregate. For series A and series B, the 40% fine bone
china ceramic aggregate concrete recorded the highest modulus
of elasticity. For higher percentages of fine bone china ceramic
aggregate (60%, 80% and 100%), the angularity and roughness of
the aggregate creates voids in the concrete specimens, which
decreases the modulus of elasticity. For concrete series C, the high-
est modulus of elasticity was observed for 100% fine bone china
ceramic aggregate concrete. At a lower percentage substitution
(40%), the lower water-to-binder ratio and the roughness of the
fine bone china ceramic aggregate help to increase the interlocking
and the contact area between the aggregate and cement paste.
Such behaviour facilitates uniform stress distribution with mini-
mum deformation in the dimensions.
296 S. Siddique et al. / Construction and Building Materials 169 (2018) 289–298

6.0 (a) 3.4. Impact resistance under drop weight

5.5 As observed in the previous section (3.3), 40% fine bone china
28 Days Flexural Strength (MPa)

Series A (0.35) ceramic aggregate concrete displays the maximum modulus of

5.0 Series B (0.45) elasticity. Therefore, for impact testing, 40% fine bone china aggre-
Series C (0.55)
gate concrete specimens were studied.
4.5 The impact resistance of concrete was calculated by observing
the number of blows for the first crack (N1) and failure (N2) of
4.0 the specimen. The difference between the number of blows for
the first crack and the number of blows for failure along with the
3.5
ratio of first crack to failure are given in Table 4.
The number of blows for the initial crack and failure were found
to be higher for concrete specimens containing fine bone china
3.0
ceramic aggregate. The number of blows for the initial crack (N1)
0 20 40 60 80 100 increased by 8.91%, 1.31% and 31.52% for series A, B and C respec-
tively. The inclusion of fine bone china ceramic aggregate also
Fine Bone China Ceramic Aggregate (%)
6.5 (b) increased the number of blows till failure of the specimen (N2),
as shown in Table 4.
56 Days Flexural Strength (MPa)

The results indicate that the inclusion of fine bone china cera-
6.0
Series A (0.35)
mic aggregate improves the energy absorption capacity of con-
Series B (0.45) crete. As discussed in the previous sections, CSH gel is the
Series C (0.55)
5.5 dominating factor in providing the strength and bonding proper-
ties of concrete. For impact resistance under drop weight, the con-
tact point between the CSH gel and aggregate matters the most in
5.0
resisting crack propagation [28]. The inclusion of rough fine bone
china ceramic aggregate improves the contact area between the
4.5 mortar paste and aggregate. Furthermore, the pozzolanic beha-
viour develops a higher amount of hydration product, increasing
the bond area between the aggregate and mortar paste. The dual
4.0
beneficial role of fine bone china aggregate, i.e. roughness coupled
with higher strength characteristics of the concrete, provides
0 20 40 60 80 100
enhanced resistance to the drop weight impact.
Fine Bone China Ceramic Aggregate (%)
The fracture pattern observed for concrete specimens is shown
Fig. 12. (a) 28 days and (b) 56 days flexural strength of various concrete mixes. in Fig. 14(a), (b). The inclusion of fine bone china ceramic aggregate
changed the failure pattern from a single large crack to a group of

45000
Series A (0.35)
Series B (0.45)
Series C (0.55)
(a)
40000
Static Modulus of Elasticity (MPa)

35000

30000

25000

20000
0 20 40 60 80 100
Fine Bone China Aggregate (%)
(b)
Fig. 13. 28 Days modulus of elasticity of various concrete mixes.

For coarse and fine sanitary-ware ceramic aggregate, Halicka

et al. [30] reported that the modulus of elasticity of raw ceramic
aggregate is higher than conventional raw aggregate. They specu-
lated that concrete mixes containing such ceramic aggregate will
have a higher modulus of elasticity. Similarly, Anderson et al.
[31] and Corrominas and Etxeberria [12] reported that, when util-
ising coarse and fine ceramic aggregate, the modulus of elasticity
remained comparable to that of the control concrete. Fig. 14. (a), (b). Fracture patterns of concrete specimens due to drop weight impact.
 S. Siddique et al. / Construction and Building Materials 169 (2018) 289–298
1.00
0.98
0.96
Energy absorbed (J)
0.94
0.92
0.90
0.88
0.86
0 10 20 30
Fine bone china ceramic aggregate (%)
Fig. 15. Impact energy absorbed by various concrete specimens.
cracks. Another observation is the movement of the cracks in 40%
fine bone china ceramic aggregate concrete. The cracks move
around the aggregate and specimen to propagate through the
weakest portion. This conglomeration of cracks movement delays
the failure of the specimen.
3.5. Impact resistance under rebound test
The energy absorbed due to impact under rebound is shown in
Fig. 15. It can be observed that the inclusion of fine bone china
ceramic aggregate leads to enhanced impact-resistant perfor-
mance. In the concrete with 40% replacement of natural sand with
fine bone china ceramic aggregate, the absorbed impact energy
rises from 0.94 J to 0.99 J, 0.89 J to 0.92 J and 0.86 J to 0.89 J for ser-
ies A, B and C respectively.
The rebound test is dependent upon the surface and its hard-
ness. For the concrete specimen containing fine bone china ceramic
aggregate, the ITZ layer is superior to that of the control concrete
[18]. The improved ITZ layer enhances the hardness of the concrete
specimens, leading to a higher energy absorption capacity [32]. The
hydration products such as CSH gel provide a sound and compact
microstructure along with cohesive binding between the aggre-
gate. The quality and amount of CSH gel also have a minor influ-
ence on the hardness of the concrete [33–35]. As discussed
earlier, the quality and amount of CSH gel in fine bone china cera-
mic aggregate concrete are superior to those of control concrete.
These two factors can contribute towards the higher impact energy
absorption of fine bone china ceramic aggregate concrete.
4. Conclusions
The effect of fine bone china ceramics on the strength and
impact properties of concrete was investigated. The above work
suggests that desired mechanical properties of concrete can be
obtained with significant replacement (20%–100%) of natural fine
aggregate by fine bone china ceramic aggregate without any spe-
cial processing. The pozzolanic effect of fine bone china aggregate
is dominant in later ages of curing than the early ages. However, as
observed for the different water/cement ratios used in the study,
the amount of water plays a huge role in the generation of hydra-
tion products. The concrete mixes of series B and C show a higher
gain in mechanical properties than that of series A.
Based on the results and discussion, the following conclusions
can be drawn.
297
1. The compressive strength of concrete increases on increasing
the content of fine bone china ceramic aggregate for both stan-
dard and long term curing. The pozzolanic behaviour of raw fine
bone china ceramic aggregate has been concluded as being
Series A (0.35)
Series B (0.45)
responsible for the development of strength properties.
Series C (0.55) 2. The inclusion of fine bone china ceramic aggregate resulted in
higher split tensile and flexural strength of the concrete. The
concrete matrix densification and improved mortar–aggregate
interface due to the slight pozzolanic behaviour of the aggre-
gate resulted in enhanced strength properties.
3. The increased modulus of elasticity of fine bone china ceramic
aggregate concrete was due to the increased stiffness of the fine
bone china ceramic aggregate mortar paste, the higher amount
of hydration products and better contact area between the
aggregate and mortar paste.
40 4. The number of blows for failure and initial cracking under the
drop weight test increases with the incorporation of fine bone
china ceramic aggregate. The fracture pattern shows a group
of cracks rather than a single crack in the fine bone china cera-
mic aggregate concrete. The incorporation of fine bone china
ceramic aggregate creates a strong bond between the aggregate
and mortar paste, which delays the propagation of cracks.
5. The inclusion of fine bone china ceramic aggregate imparts a
higher energy absorption capacity to the concrete specimens.
The better ITZ characteristics of the fine bone china ceramic
aggregate concrete lead to higher energy absorbance.
5. Future scope
The work carried out in this study provides a suitable assess-
ment of impact resistance for 40% fine bone china ceramic aggre-
gate. For future work, other percentages of replacements and
different types of ceramic aggregates can be considered.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the support provided by
the Material Research Centre of Malaviya National Institute of
Technology Jaipur in conducting the microstructure studies.
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