Comparative Study on the Strength of Cement-Sand-Gravel Blocks Prepared at Different Proportions

Cement-sand-gravel blocks were constructed at the Concrete and Materials Testing Laboratory in the Department of Farm Structure and Environmental Engineering, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh. Local sand having a fineness modulus (F.M) of 1.44, ordinary Portland cement, and gravel stone having a fineness modulus (F.M) of 4.96 were used. For each block, three different proportions of cement, sand, and gravel were selected i.e., 1:2:4, 1:2:6, and 1:2:8. The dimension of the specimens was selected as 10” x 5″x 3” (length, width, and height) after 60 days of water curing the specimens were tested for unit weight, density, water absorption, and compressive strength. The test results showed that the unit weight and density are high for the proportion of 1:2:4 and low for the proportion of 1:2: 8. The water absorption for the proportion of   1:2:8 is more than others. For all types of blocks, compressive strength is more at 1:2:4, medium at 1:2:6, and less at 1:2:8. The cost for the proportion of 1:2:4 is more than others. It was also revealed that the cement-sand-gravel block at 1:2:6 proportion shows the best combination in terms of unit weight, density, water absorption, compressive strength, and unit cost.