Experimental characterization of Portland cement-calcined soldier-ant mound clay cement mortar and concrete

Experimental studies on soldier-ant mound clay as cement replacement material is an on-going research in the Civil Engineering Programme, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Nigeria. In this study, soldier-ant mound clay was calcined to 800 degrees C to produce calcined soldier-ant mound clay (CSAMC) and used in the proportions of 0%, 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% by mass of cement to study its effect on cement mortar and concrete properties. The study showed that CSAMC is pozzolanic, can reduce the heat of hydration by about 17% percent when cement was replaced with 40% CSAMC and accelerated the setting time of concrete. The mortar compressive strength of mix containing 10% CSAMC superceded the reference mix when cured above 60 days and the ratio of the splitting tensile strength to the flexural strength is approximately 0.33. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.