Since its establishment, Rhombus Concrete has led the construction industry in innovation, production efficiency, quality control, cost-effectiveness and sustainability.
We have also been about moving the sector from traditional to modern methods.
It is along these lines that we have introduced the use of manufactured sand; replacing natural sand and river sand that people have been using since the beginning of time.
What Is Manufactured Sand?
Manufactured sand (M-Sand) is artificial sand produced from crushing hard stones into small sand-sized angular-shaped particles, washed and finely graded to be used as construction aggregate and for the production of ready-mix concrete.
How It Is Manufactured?
Rocks or quarry stones are blasted and subjected to a series of crushing cycles to reduce the particles to the size of naturally occurring sand.
The produced sand is then sieved and washed to remove fine particles and impurities and tested for various quality aspects before it is deemed fit for use.
Importance of Manufactured Sand
In this day and age; the construction industry needs to adopt the use of manufactured sand for the following reasons:
- Global Scarcity of Natural Sand
Increased sand mining and continuous depletion of natural aggregate sources have led to the scarcity of natural sand, making it unsustainable to continue relying on it.
- Cost Effective
The scarcity of natural sand and river sand has led to a dramatic rise in prices of the same. In addition, most sand pits producing the required quality of sand are often located in remote locations, leading to high costs in transportation. When these costs are passed on to consumers, construction becomes expensive.
- Growing Demand for Fine-Aggregates in Construction
Nearly 65-80% of the volume of concrete and screed mixes is made up of sand/aggregates. This demand must be met by sustainable solutions.
- Presence of Silt and Clay in Natural Sand
Natural sand is inherently high in silt and clay, which can be damaging for screed and concrete.
- Reduction of Wastage of Low-Value By-Products in the Quarry
The low-value aggregates formed as a by-product of rock crushing can be utilized efficiently to create a high-value product. This is important for the circular economy.
Advantages of Manufactured Sand
- Manufactured Sand Is More Cost Effective
Manufactured sand is derived from more readily-available materials and can be produced in areas closer to construction sites – bringing down the cost of production and transportation.
- Compliance with International Standards
Manufactured sand can be used as aggregates in screed and concrete mixes, as per EN13139 standards. It can be used as a replacement or as a blended mixture with natural sand.
- Less Disruptive to the Environment
The land used for quarrying rock can be reclaimed for commercial/residential purposes or used for wetland restoration. This can help in reducing the sand mining from river beds.
- Lesser Impurities
Manufactured sand is free of silt and clay particles, and has denser particle packing than natural sand. It also offers higher flexural strength, better abrasion resistance, higher unit weight and lower permeability.
- Desired Properties
In manufactured sand, you get desired properties like shape, smooth texture and consistency and required gradation of fines. The cubical shape and proper gradation give good flexibility, durability, higher strength and long life to the concrete.
- Higher Compressive and Flexural Strength
Manufactured sand is graded with precision and consistency thus it has a higher fineness modulus compared to natural sand and crusher dust. Additionally, the physical and chemical properties in M-Sand are balanced and can withstand any harsh climatic conditions.
- Overcoming Defects.
With manufactured sand; you can overcome the defects in concrete like segregation, honeycombing, corrosion of reinforcement steel, voids, capillary, bleeding etc.
All these factors considered – we usher all of you to the brave new world of manufactured sand. Join us in making construction safer, sustainable and affordable.