Waste Management 30 (2010) 1705–1713

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Waste Management
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/wasman

Re-usage of waste foundry sand in high-strength concrete

Yucel Guney a, Yasin Dursun Sari b,*, Muhsin Yalcin a, Ahmet Tuncan a, Senayi Donmez c
a
Satellite and Space Sciences Research Center, Anadolu University, Ikieylul Campus, 26470 Eskisehir, Turkey
b
Civil Engineering Department, Atilim University, Incek-Golbasi, 06836 Ankara, Turkey
c
Cankiri Karatekin University Technical and Business College, 18100 Cankiri, Turkey

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

Article history: In this study, the potential re-use of waste foundry sand in high-strength concrete production was inves-
Received 28 June 2009 tigated. The natural fine sand is replaced with waste foundry sand (0%, 5%, 10%, and 15%). The findings
Accepted 9 February 2010 from a series of test program has shown reduction in compressive and tensile strengths, and the elasticity
Available online 9 March 2010
modulus which is directly related to waste foundry inclusion in concrete. Nevertheless the concrete with
10% waste foundry sand exhibits almost similar results to that of the control one. The slump and the
workability of the fresh concrete decreases with the increase of the waste foundry sand ratio. Although
the freezing and thawing significantly reduces the mechanical and physical properties of the concrete.
The obtained results satisfies the acceptable limits set by the American Concrete Institute (ACI).
Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction manufacturing, mortars, traction material on snow and ice, vitrifi-

Foundry sand is high-quality silica sand that is a byproduct
from the production of both ferrous and non-ferrous metal casting.
The raw sand (base sand) is normally of a higher quality than the
typical bank run or the natural sand used in construction. During
the molding process the sand forms the outer shape of the mold
cavity. This sand normally relies upon a small amount of bentonite
clay to act as a binding material. When natural clays (bentonite or
kaolinite) bind the sand, the mix is referred to as ‘green sand’.
Foundry sand or green sand, consists of high-quality 85–95% silica
sand, 7–10% bentonite or kaolinite clay, 2–5% water, and about 5%
sea coal. Chemical binders, such as phenolic urethane, are also used
to create sand cores (American Foundrymen’s Society, 2004).
In the casting process, molding sand is recycled and re-used
several times. Eventually, the recycled sand degrades to the point
that it can no longer be re-used in the casting process. At this point,
the old sand is removed from the cycle as a byproduct, new base
sand is introduced, and the cycle begins again. The continued dis-
posal of waste foundry sand results in huge volumes of such foun-
dry sand, which cannot be stored in the finite storage unit of the
foundry system. As the foundry sand is basically a fine aggregate,
it can be used in many of the same ways as natural or manufac-
tured sands. Approximately 500–700 thousand tons of foundry
sand is used annually in engineering applications in the United
State of America. Waste foundry sand could also be used in
embankments, barrier-layer construction, flowable fills, roadway
construction, soil reinforcement, hot mix asphalt, Portland cement
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +90 312 5868333; fax: +90 312 5868091.
E-mail addresses: yguney@anadolu.edu.tr (Y. Guney), ydsari@atilim.edu.tr
(Y.D. Sari), senayidonmez@hotmail.com (S. Donmez).
cation of hazardous materials, smelting, rock-wool manufacturing,
fiberglass manufacturing, landfill cover, and hydraulic barriers. The
largest volume of waste foundry sand is used in geotechnical appli-
cations, such as embankments, site development fills and road
bases (American Foundrymen’s Society, 2004). The waste foundry
sand is typically used as landfill cover in Turkey. A small portion
of waste foundry sand is beneficially re-used in engineering appli-
cations. This is mainly due to a lack of information and research on
its possible benefits. As for Turkey about 300 thousand tons of
foundry sand are annually used in various foundry sectors.
In this study, a series of testing programs was conducted on the
fresh and hardened concrete to investigate the re-use of waste
foundry sand in high-strength concrete. The control concrete mix-
ture was arranged so as to achieve a high-strength concrete of
about 65 MPa. Other concrete mixtures were proportioned to
replace 5%, 10%, and 15% by mass of the fine sand with waste foun-
dry sand. The performance of the concrete was evaluated with re-
spect to mechanical properties such as compressive and tensile
strengths, as well as elasticity modulus. Besides, some of the phys-
ical properties of the concrete were also investigated. At all days
age of testing, the concrete containing 10% waste foundry sand
gave almost the same mechanical and physical properties as that
of the control concrete. On the other hand, the effect of winter con-
ditions was also examined by performing unconfined compression
tests on the specimens after a series of freeze–thaw cycles.
Although, all the specimens with waste foundry sand exhibited
less strength values than that of the control one, the specified value
of the ACI 318-99 was passed. Based on the results obtained in this
investigation it can be stated that concrete mixtures containing
10% of used-foundry sand are appropriate for high-strength con-
crete production.

0956-053X/$ - see front matter Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2010.02.018
1706 Y. Guney et al. / Waste Management 30 (2010) 1705–1713

2. Literature review Table 1

Size and physical properties of aggregates.

Several researchers have studied foundry sand in recent years, Aggregate Grain size Specific Water
some of whose work has been listed in the following: use of foun- (mm) gravity content (%)
dry sand in highways and sea barriers (Kirk, 1998; Mast and Fox, Coarse Crushed stone-1 8–16 2.64 0.4
1998); hydraulic barriers (Abichou et al., 1998, 2000); asphalt con- Crushed stone-2 4–8 2.63 0.3
Fine Natural sand 0–4 2.60 2.0
crete (Bakis et al., 2006); investigating the permeability with slurry
material, usage opportunity as waste material in civil engineering
and recycling (TRB, 1994; Reddi et al., 1995); quality of leakage
water in the foundry sand landfill areas and its properties (Ham aggregates (American Foundrymen’s Society, 2004). With respect
et al., 1986; Institute of British Foundrymen, 1996a,b); recycling to these points, two different sizes of crushed stone (as a coarse
and removal off waste foundry (Senske, 1970). In addition, Khatib aggregate), natural sand, and waste foundry sand (as a fine aggre-
and Ellis (2001), Naik et al. (2003, 2004), Fiore and Zanetti (2007), gate) are arranged for the preparation of the mixture. The maxi-
Siddique et al. (2007, 2009), and Siddique and Noumowe (2008) mum grain size in the mixtures is 16 mm. The grain size, specific
have reported the use of waste foundry sand in concrete and con- gravity, and the water content of the aggregates have been pro-
crete-related products. Guney et al. (2006) investigated the re-use vided in Table 1.
of foundry sand modified mixtures for sub-based layers of high-
ways. Naga and El-maghraby (2003), Raupp-Pereiraa et al.
3.1.2. Waste foundry sand and cement
(2006), Quaranta et al. (2004), and Seung-Whee and Woo-Keun
The waste foundry green sand is obtained from the Toprak Cast-
(2006) have reported the use of waste foundry sand in ceramic
ing Industry Bozuyuk Facilities in Eskisehir, Turkey. This sand is
materials and tile making process. Korac et al. (2006) investigated
used as foundry sand in steel and metal molding facilities for the
the used-foundry sand in making of plaster mixture. El Haggar and
production of metal-steel parts at high temperatures (1500 °C)
El Hatow (2009) investigated the use of rejected and un-recyclable
for about 8–10 times until loosening its molding properties. The
plastics with used-foundry sand for manhole covers and its base.
Scanning Electron Microscope, SEM, photography of foundry sand
Gao and Drummond (1999), Ferraris et al. (2001), and Colombo
is shown in Fig. 1. The waste foundry sand used in the current
et al. (2003) have reported the use of waste foundry sand for the
study is generally sub-angular to round in shape. The grain size
inertization and re-use of waste materials by vitrification. In addi-
tion, Raupp-Pereiraa et al. (2004) investigated the refractory mor-
tars made of waste foundry sand.

2.1. Research significance

Although there is large scale availability of used-foundry sand

in the world such material is not commonly used in the concrete
industry. Though used-foundry sand has been investigated exten-
sively as ingredient materials for medium strength concrete, and
controlled low-strength materials, its possible utilization in high-
strength concrete has not been researched thoroughly. The benefits
of utilization of used-foundry sand as partial replacement for stan-
dard fine aggregate sand in high-strength concrete, especially, con-
cerning the optimum replacement grade, are discussed in this
paper. The significance of this work is that not much has been re-
ported on the use of the spent foundry sand in concrete and con-
crete-related products such as bricks, blocks, and paving stones.
Therefore, this investigation will contribute significance value for
the use of the waste foundry sand in high-strength concrete and
concrete-related products.
One of the practical results of this research is to maintain the
optimum mixture proportions for the high-strength concrete pro-
ductions containing used-foundry sand. Additionally, the results
of this investigation can be used to establish material specification
for concrete containing used-foundry sand for structural concrete
and other applications. This should lead to increased utilization
of used-foundry sand in manufacture of concrete for various
applications.

3. Experimental studies

3.1. Materials

3.1.1. Aggregate
Aggregate properties strongly influence freshly-mixed and
hardened properties the concrete. On the other hand, specifications
governing the selection and use of aggregates in concrete mixtures Fig. 1. (a) The SEM photography of a single foundry sand piece. (b) The SEM
generally relate to the particle-size distribution or gradation of the photography of foundry sands.
 Y. Guney et al. / Waste Management 30 (2010) 1705–1713 1707

distribution of waste foundry sand is uniform, with 100% of the is due to the fact that the ACI 318-99 standard requires a maxi-
material under 1 mm, 10% of foundry sand greater than 0.5 mm mum water-to-cement ratio (w/c) of 0.45 by mass for concrete to
and 5% smaller than 0.125 mm; it is black in color (the sea-coal or- be exposed to freezing–thawing in moist conditions. The aggregate
ganic binder has been used in the foundry sand) and has a specific ratios used in the mixtures are shown in Fig. 2.
gravity of 2.45. The results of the chemical analyses, X-ray fluores-
cence (XRF) and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) of the 3.2.2. Experiments
waste foundry sand are shown in Table 2. The ASTM Type I, CEM The workability of the fresh concrete was measured by the
cement is used as a binding material. The physical properties and slump test according to the ASTM C143 standard. Standard test
chemical composition of the typical foundry sand, waste foundry method for splitting tensile strength of concrete specimens accord-
sand, and the cement have also given in Table 2. ing to the ASTM C496 was conducted to determine such strength;
the ASTM C39 standard test method was used to test the compres-
3.2. Laboratory studies sive strength; the ASTM C597 test method for the determination of
the ultrasonic pulse velocity of propagation of compression waves
3.2.1. Mixtures and properties in concrete; and the ASTM C642 test method that sets specific
The ASTM C33 allows a maximum of 5% fine aggregate particles gravity, water absorption, and void ratio in hardened concrete,
to pass through sieve No. 200. These particles include clay and was conducted at the age of 28 and 56 days. After 120 days of cur-
other dusts. High dust content can interfere with the bonding of ing, the specimens were frozen in a temperature chamber at
the cement onto the surface of the aggregate, and can also increase 24 ± 1 °C for 24 h, and then thawed according to the ASTM
water demand. These factors reduce the durability of hardened C666. The unconfined compressive strength and the dynamic elas-
concrete. The particle-size distribution of foundry sand was pre- ticity modulus were, then, measured before and after 80 freeze–
cisely arranged according to these regulations. The waste foundry thaw cycles.
sand passing the sieve No. 200 is 4% which satisfies the ASTM
C33 requirement. Apart from this, mixtures were set up in such a 4. Results and discussion
way that the particle-size distributions are in between the A16
and B16 reference curves according to the Turkish Standard 4.1. Slump test
TS706 (1980) (Fig. 2). The fineness modulus of the used-foundry
sand is 2.53. The slump test results of the fresh concrete to reveal the effects
The waste foundry sand is replaced with 5%, 10%, and 15% of the of the waste foundry sand on the consistency are given in Fig. 3. It
fine natural sand by mass. The amount of cement used is 500 kg/ is observed that the waste foundry sand decreases the fluidity and
m3, and w/c ratio of the mixtures is proportioned to be 0.45. This the slump value of the fresh concrete. This is probably due to the
presence of clay-type fine materials in the waste foundry sand,
which are effective in decreasing the fluidity of the fresh concrete.
Table 2
Physical properties and chemical composition of the waste foundry sand, cement and
typical foundry sand. 4.2. Compressive strength and modulus of elasticity
Waste Cement (ASTM Typical
foundry sand Type I, CEM) foundry sand* The unconfined compression test results for the various
Physico-chemical properties, value
amounts of waste foundry sand as partial replacement of fine
Gs 2.45 3.1 2.39–2.55 aggregate at 28 and 56 days have been plotted in Fig. 4. The mod-
Cu 5.5 – – ulus of elasticity is also calculated according to the equation sug-
Fines content 24 – – gested by the ACI 318 at the age of 28 and 56 days, as follows:
(<74 lm) (%)
Active clay content 5 – – E ¼ 0:043  W 3=2  r1=2 ð1Þ
(<2 lm) (%)
Moisture content (%) 3.25 – 0.1–10.1 where E is the modulus of elasticity in MPa, W is density in kg/m3,
pH 9.1 – –
Organic content (%) 4.3 – –
and r is the unconfined compressive strength in MPa. The calcu-
lated moduli of elasticity have also been provided in Fig. 4. It can
Chemical composition, value (%)
Silica (as SiO2) 98 20.35 87.91
be seen, from Fig. 4, that the compressive strength increases with
Aluminum (as Al2O3) 0.8 5.19 4.70 age for all the tested mixtures. It is also observed that the concrete
Iron (as Fe2O3) 0.25 3.35 0.94 with 10% waste foundry sand replacement exhibits highest com-
Potassium (as K2O) 0.04 – 0.25 pressive strength at the age of 56 days. The compressive strength
Calcium (as CaO) 0.035 64.56 0.14
decreases with an increase in the amount of foundry sand. The con-
Magnesium (as MgO) 0.023 1.52 0.30
SO3 0.01 3.1 0.09 crete with 10% waste foundry replacement may indicate the opti-
Na2O 0.04 0.1 0.19 mum re-allocation amount of waste foundry sand in this study.
TiO2 – 1.1 0.15 The concrete with 10% waste foundry sand shows almost the same
Mn2O3 0.01 – 0.02 strength as that in the control concrete mixture whereas all the
LOI – 1.4 5.15
other waste foundry-added mixtures exhibit lower values than that
Nickel 0.004 – –
Chromium 0.003 – – of the control. This may indicate that the particle-size distribution
Lead 0.003 – – of the mixture with 10% waste foundry sand has sufficient adher-
Zinc 0.003 – – ence than the other mixtures with waste foundry sand. On the other
Copper 0.002 – –
hand, it is obvious from Eq. (1) that the static modulus of elasticity
Cadmium 0.001 – –
Sulphur – – – is a function of the compressive strength of the concrete. If the com-
Trace elements 0.836 – – pressive strength of the concrete increases, the static modulus of
elasticity will also increase, and vice versa. This fact can be clearly
Note: Gs: specific gravity, Cu: coefficient of uniformity (=D60/D10). Fines content
and grain size diameters (for Cu calculations) are based on ASTM D422. Active clay
observed in the Fig. 4.
content was determined following the procedures in ASTM C837. Reddi et al. (1995) reported that the compressive strength of
*
American Foundrymen’s Society (2004). stabilized waste foundry sands decreases with the increase in
1708 Y. Guney et al. / Waste Management 30 (2010) 1705–1713

100

Under Sieve, %
80

60

40

20

0
0 0.25 0.5 1 2 4 8 16
A16 0 3 7.5 12 21 36 60 100
B16 0 8 20 32 42 56 76 100
K0 0 7 14 23 34 48 69 100
K5 0 7 14 23 34 48 69 100
K10 0 7 14 23 33 48 69 100
K15 0 7 14 23 34 48 69 100
Sieve Size, mm

Fig. 2. The particle-size distribution of the mixtures (A16, B16 Turkish standard; K0, K5, K10, K15 waste foundry mixes).

17

15

13
Slump, cm

11

5
0 5 10 15
Waste Foundry, %

Fig. 3. The effect of the waste foundry sand on the slump behavior.

waste foundry sand content in the mixtures. This while, the clay-
bonded foundry sand reduces the strength of the stabilized mixes
more than the chemically-bonded foundry sands.
Siddique et al. (2007) have conducted a study concerning the ef-
fect of waste foundry sand as partial replacement of fine aggregate
on the medium compressive strength of the concrete. The control
mixture without waste foundry sand was proportioned to com-
pressive strength of about 30 MPa at a 28-day period. They con-
cluded that the compressive strength of concrete mixes with
10%, 20%, and 30% fine aggregate replacement with foundry sand
was higher than the control mix at all ages. Also, the compressive
strength increased marginally with the increase in foundry sand. At
the age of 28 days, the compressive strength increased by 4.2%,
5.2%, and 9.8% when compared to control mix without foundry
sand, whereas the increase was 1.0%, 5.18%, and 14.3% at the age
of 56 days.
Khatib and Ellis (2001) carried out a research on the compres-
sive strength of concrete prepared with three types of foundry sand
as a partial replacement for fine aggregate. Three types of sand
were used in foundries: the white fine sand without the addition
of clay and coal, the blended foundry sand (before casting), and
the waste foundry sand. The standard fine sand was partially re-
 Y. Guney et al. / Waste Management 30 (2010) 1705–1713
28 days, σc, strength
66
65
64
63
62
Compressive Strength, MPa
61
60
59
58
57
56
55
54
53
52
51
0 5
Fig. 4. Effect of waste foundry sand on compressive strength and modulus of elasticity.
placed with these types of foundry sand (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%).
The increase in the replacement level of standard sand with the
foundry sand decreased the strength of the concrete linearly. The
concrete with white sand replacement showed similar strength
to those containing waste foundry sand. The high replacement of
the blended foundry sand caused a reduction in strength as com-
pared with concrete incorporating white sand or waste foundry
sand.
Naik et al. (2004) studied the influence of waste foundry sand as
well as fly ash and bottom ash on the compressive strength of
bricks, blocks, and paving stones. The replacement rates by mass
for sand with waste foundry sand were 25% and 35%. They con-
cluded that the replacement of that part of the sand with waste
foundry sand in mixtures had caused a reduction in the strength.
It was also determined that 25% of the fine sand in blocks could
be replaced with waste foundry sand in cold regions, while and
up to 35% of the sand in bricks and blocks could be replaced with
waste foundry sand for use where frost action is not a concern.
The results stated by Khatib and Ellis (2001) and Naik et al.
(2004) are similar to the present study except the case with 10%
of waste foundry sand replacement which increases the compres-
sive strength and modulus elasticity. Unlike the current study, Sid-
dique et al. (2009) stated that the compressive strength increased
with the increase in waste foundry sand for all ages for all mixes.
They stated that the increase in compressive strength with the
inclusion of used-foundry sand could probably be due to the fact
that used-foundry sand was finer than regular sand which resulted
in the denser concrete matrix, and also due the silica content pres-
ent in the used-foundry sand. In addition, Siddique and Noumowe
(2008) stated that clay-bonded foundry sand reduces the strength
of stabilized mixes more than the resin-bonded sands owing to the
absorption of water by the clay content.
In this study, the 10% amount of replacement of waste foundry
sand initiates a different behavior than some of the previous stud-
ies stated in the literature. This may imply optimum re-allocation
of the waste foundry sand for this investigation. This contrary re-
1709
56 days, σc, strength 28 days, E 56 days, E
41
40
Elasticity Modulus, GPa
39
38
37
36
35
10 15
Waste Foundry Sand, %
sult has to be verified with additional studies concerning added
replacement of waste foundry sand percentage ratios around
10%. The mixtures containing more than 10% used-foundry sand
had compressive strength lower than the control mixture; hence,
these mixtures are not appropriate for high-quality structural
concrete.
4.3. Splitting tensile strength
The tensile strength characteristics have considerable impor-
tance in any type of high-strength concrete design procedure.
The results show that the waste-foundry-sand-included mixtures
develop substantial tensile strength that shows a close relationship
with the content of such sand. The splitting tension test results of
the specimens, with and without the foundry sand, are given in
Fig. 5. The similar results – like those in the compression test –
are obtained from the splitting tension test. The splitting tensile
strength values of 5% and 15% waste-foundry-sand-replaced-spec-
imens are lower than that of the control one; the specimens re-
placed with 10% waste foundry sand have slightly higher values
than the control mix (without foundry sand). The results of the
splitting tension test can be considered as acceptable values when
compared to that of the ACI 318 relation as in,
fsp ¼ 0:47ðfc0 Þ0:56 for 5 MPa < fc0 < 120 MPa ð2Þ
were fsp is the splitting tensile strength in MPa, and fc0 is the com-
pressive strength in MPa.
Siddique et al. (2007) have studied the effect of waste foundry
sand as partial replacement of fine aggregate on the splitting ten-
sile strength and the elasticity modulus of the concrete. The pro-
portions of the replaced fine aggregate were 10%, 20%, and 30%.
Their results indicated that the splitting tensile strength increased
with an increase in the foundry sand. The modulus of elasticity for
foundry-sand-concretes with 10%, 20%, and 30% fine sand replace-
ment was higher than the control mix at all ages. They also ob-
1710
σsp, 28-day
Splitting Tensile Strength, MPa 4.0
3.8
3.6
3.4
3.2
3.0
0 5
Fig. 5. Effect of waste foundry sand content on splitting tensile strength and ACI 318 calculations.
served that the modulus of elasticity of in the all mixes continued
to increase with age.
The use of waste foundry sand in asphalt concrete with regard
to tensile strength has been investigated by Bakis et al. (2006).
The asphalt concrete mixtures were prepared with 0%, 4%, 7%,
10%, 14%, 17%, and 20% replacement of fine sand with waste foun-
dry sand. Tests were performed for splitting tensile strength as per
the AASTHO T283 standard. The strength of the asphalt concrete
mixtures showed a nearly linear decrease as the percentage of
waste foundry sand increased (1.39 MPa with 0% waste foundry
sand and 0.94 MPa with 20% waste foundry sand).
In the current investigation, the tensile strength of all the mix-
tures decreased with the addition of waste foundry sand (except
for that with partial substitution of 10% waste foundry sand). This
means that the results here are similar to those of the Bakis et al.’s
(2006). Although, the results of Siddique et al. (2007) have shown
that the splitting tensile strength increases to remarkable level
when compared to ordinary mix without foundry sand, the
replacement of waste foundry sand exhibits an adverse effect in
this study other than a particular substitution amount of 10%.
The test results of the mixture containing this amount of substitu-
tion are higher than the ACI 318 estimated tensile strength values
for all ages (see Fig. 5).
4.4. Water absorption
The water absorption test for each mixture was conducted at
the age of 28 and 56 days. At least, three cubical specimens from
each mixture were weighed and kept immersed in water for an
hour, then taken out from the water and weighed again. Later,
the specimens were kept dry for two days. Again, the weights of
the specimens were measured and kept in water for a day, after
which they were taken out and weighed. The water absorption
values of the specimens with and without the foundry sand are
provided in Fig. 6. It is observed that the water absorption of the
concrete with 5% waste foundry sand is higher than that of the
concrete without waste foundry sand at the age of 56 days. It
can also be seen from this figure that the water absorption ratio
Y. Guney et al. / Waste Management 30 (2010) 1705–1713
σsp, 56-day σaci, 28-day σaci, 56-day
10 15
Waste Foundry Sand, %
has decreased for the specimens having waste foundry sand of
10% and 15%. This may be explained as the consumption of waste
foundry sand decreases the voids in the concrete. Therefore, water
absorption values have a tendency to decrease in the specimens
with greater waste foundry sand than 5%. It is also observed that
the water absorption ratios of the specimens supplied with 10%
waste foundry sand and the specimens without waste foundry
sand are close to each other. The specimens supplied with waste
foundry sand a have lower absorption capacity than the control
ones. The changes in the void ratios of concrete samples with
and without waste foundry sand are also given in Fig. 6. The re-
sults of the void ratio of the samples with and without waste foun-
dry sand are similar to the results water absorption test. The
replacement of waste foundry sand with fine sand in ratios greater
than 5% decreases the void ratios for all ages. From their studies,
Siddique and Noumowe (2008) and Siddique et al. (2009) have
concluded that waste foundry sand exhibits higher water absorp-
tion level and higher void percentage compared to regular con-
crete sand. It is worth noting that the findings of this study are
not similar to the predictions of Siddique and Noumowe (2008)
and Siddique et al. (2009).
4.5. Freezing–thawing resistance and dynamic elasticity modulus
The durability of concrete in variable climatic conditions is an
essential requirement for its application in the outdoor sections
of buildings and structures. Tests for freeze–thaw resistance of
concrete were performed as per the ASTM C 666 on 100 mm cubes
subjected to cyclic freezing and thawing within the temperature
range from 24 to +24 °C. The unconfined compressive strength
was measured before and after 80 freezing and thawing cycles.
Supplied in Fig. 7 are the compression test results of the specimens
for all mixtures before and after freezing and thawing at the 120th
day of the curing period. The relative dynamic modulus of elastic-
ity (Ed) was calculated before and after the tests. The formula for
which appears in Eq. (3):
 Y. Guney et al. / Waste Management 30 (2010) 1705–1713 1711

28 days, water 56 days, water 28 days, void 56 days, void

9.0

3.4
8.5

3.2
8.0
Water Absorption, %

3.0
7.5

Ratio, %
2.8
7.0

Void
2.6
6.5

2.4
6.0

2.2 5.5

2.0 5.0
0 5 10 15
Waste Foundry Sand, %

Fig. 6. Effect of waste foundry sand content on water absorption and void ratio.

Control, Strength 80 cycles, Strength Control, Elasticity 80 cycles, Elasticity

75 52

70
51

Dynamic Elasticity Modulus, GPa

Compressive Strength, MPa

65
50

60

49

55

48
50

47
45

40 46
0 5 10 15
Waste Foundry Sand, %

Fig. 7. Freezing–thawing influence on compressive strength and dynamic elasticity modulus.

V 2  n  ð1 þ lÞ  ð1  2lÞ
Ed ¼
1l
where Ed is the dynamic modulus of elasticity (MPa), V is the ultra-
sonic pulse velocity (m/s), n is the unit weight of the specimen (kg/
m3), and l is the Poisson’s ratio (0.15).
The obtained results for the dynamic modulus of elasticity, Ed,
are plotted in Fig. 7. It can be observed that both the compressive
strength and the dynamic modulus of elasticity decrease with the
freezing and thawing cycles. The same trend has been noted in all
ð3Þ the mixes; also, the concrete samples with 10% foundry sand mix-
ture are slightly influenced by freezing and thawing cycles with re-
spect to the other waste foundry sand replacement ratios. On the
other hand, the ACI 318-99 code sets a minimum specified com-
pressive strength of 31.0 MPa for concrete exposed to freezing
and thawing in a moist condition. All the mixes have sufficiently
high compressive strengths to comply with the specified value of
the ACI 318-99.
1712 Y. Guney et al. / Waste Management 30 (2010) 1705–1713
The effect of freezing and thawing on bricks, paving stones and
blocks was studied by Naik et al. (2004). Their tests were performed
according to the ASTM C 1262. Based on whose results, they re-
ported that partial substitution of conventional sand with waste
foundry sand caused an almost disregardable effect on strength,
density, and absorption; blocks with 25% sand replacement showed
a large reduction in the freezing and thawing period compared to
the fly ash. Also, blocks with 35% replacement of sand with either
bottom ash or waste foundry sand showed a very sharp reduction
in the above-mentioned period compared with the fly ash.
Although the strength of blocks containing waste foundry sand
was considerably higher than of those containing bottom ash, the
freezing and thawing behaviors of the two groups of blocks were
about the same. In the current study, and after 80 standardized
freeze–thaw cycles, it was found that the concrete with 10% content
of waste foundry sand showed good resistance to frost period. In
fact, a decrease in the compressive strength and the dynamic mod-
ulus of elasticity did not exceed 10% and 7%, respectively. The other
mixtures, however, showed higher reduction in the compressive
strength than this mix – a decrease of 11% and 18% for 5% and
15% replacement of foundry sand, respectively.
5. Conclusions
According to the results of this study, the following conclusions
can be drawn;
 Fine aggregates used in concrete mixtures generally constitute
clay and silt which are smaller than 200 lm. Excessive use of
these materials may cause unfavorable effects, such as a weak-
ening in cement/aggregate adherence, an increase in the amount
water required, and retardation in cement hydration. In addi-
tion, water absorption during cement hydration and, then, water
loss in the hardened concrete may cause an increase in the voids
and, later, the occurrence of cracks inside the concrete. The
strength and durability of concrete decrease significantly under
these unfavorable conditions. For this reason, the existence of
small clay particles larger than a specific amount in the mixtures
is not recommended. On the other hand, the use of these mate-
rials smaller than a specific amount may cause a decrease in the
porosity of the concrete, and that possibly a favorable effect on
the mechanical and impermeability properties.
 An increase in the replacement level of the conventional fine
sand with waste foundry sand decreased the compressive and
tensile strengths as well as the elasticity modulus of the con-
crete (except for a particular substitution amount of 10%). Sim-
ilar compressive and tensile strengths together with the
elasticity modulus were obtained from the specimen with 10%
waste foundry sand and the control ones. Using waste foundry
sand with a ratio less than 5% can be inadequate and using more
than 10% will be an excessive amount as far as the strength
parameters are concerned.
 The concrete with waste foundry sand higher than 5% exhibited
reductions in water absorption and void ratios. The reduction in
these ratios may be due to the void-padding effect of clay-type
materials in the waste foundry sand.
 Reductions in the compressive and tensile strengths, and the
dynamic modulus of elasticity occurred in all concrete speci-
mens after the completion of the freezing and thawing cycles.
However, these reductions were within the allowable limits of
the ACI code. The clay particles around the surface of the waste
foundry sand cause a reduction in the adherence at the interface
of paste and aggregate after the freezing and thawing cycles.
This adverse effect should be considered in cold regions while
using the waste foundry sand in high-strength concrete. It is a
worthwhile to note that the freezing–thawing influences on
both of the used-foundry-sand-added and control specimens
were about the same. It is also important to note that the labo-
ratory-simulated freezing and thawing conditions (ASTM C 666)
are harsher than the normally encountered winter conditions in
most regions in Turkey, and most of the mixtures are likely to
exhibit a better performance in the field.
 The transportation costs are generally the highest for the re-use
of waste foundry sand. The most economically-sustainable
options seems to be to set up construction projects at locations
closest to waste foundry sand stock areas of both appropriate
quality and sufficient quantity. In this way, the use of such sand
in high-strength concrete will be beneficial.
 The results showed that foundry sand can be successfully used
in high-strength concrete applications if the particle-size distri-
bution is arranged carefully, thus providing similar properties to
that of the high-strength concrete containing standard fine sand.
 It can be inferred from these results that the use of waste foun-
dry sand benefits the environment as well since such stocks can
be put to profitable use and the transportation cost and require-
ments are reduced considerably.
Acknowledgements
This research has been supported by the Anadolu University
Research Fund under Project Number 031010.
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