A Study on Possibility of Use of River Silt as Replacement of Natural Sand in Concrete

Sand is the most widely used fine aggregate in the process of manufacturing concrete. The river beds are the main sources for the natural sand. The natural sand is transported from its available places to the construction sites. Transporting river sand to the construction sites increases its sale price significantly. Due to short supply of natural sand and the increased activity in the construction sector, there is an acute need for a product that matches the properties of natural sand in concrete. Sand can be replaced by slit as a fine aggregate in construction sites. The root cause of Brahmaputra's flood is a large amount of silt carried by the river from neighbouring states which is about 1.87 billion tons per year. Due to this the river bed of Brahmaputra is rising gradually and reduces its water carrying capacity. That is why; a study was performed regarding possibility of use of silt as replacement to natural sand in concrete. From the analysis it was observed that river silt can be used as replacement to natural sand and also reduces the cost of construction.