Construction

and Building

MATERIALS

Construction and Building Materials 21 (2007) 18031808

www.elsevier.com/locate/conbuildmat

The properties of concrete made with ne dune sand

A.S. Al-Harthy *, M. Abdel Halim, R. Taha, K.S. Al-Jabri
Department of Civil and Architecture Engineering, College of Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 33, Al-Khaudh, Oman
Received 10 March 2005; received in revised form 31 January 2006; accepted 25 May 2006
Available online 12 October 2006

Abstract
This paper presents the results of a study that investigated the properties of concrete made with dune sand. Dierent control concrete
mixtures using ordinary Portland cement (OPC) with a minimum design compressive strength of 40 N/mm2 were prepared. The amount
of ne aggregates constituted about 36% by weight of all the aggregates. The workability ranged from low of 16 mm to a high of 122 mm.
For each control mix, other mixtures were prepared in which the ne aggregates were replaced by dierent percentages of dune sand
ranging from 10% to 100%. The eect of dune sand on the workability, compressive strength, tensile strength, modulus of elasticity
and initial surface absorption test (ISAT) was studied. Experimental results show an improvement in the workability of concrete when
ne aggregates were partially replaced by dune sand. An increase in slump was measured with increase in dune sand content. However, at
high dune sand contents (above 50%); the slump starts to decrease with an increase in dune sand. Generally, the strength values decrease
with increase in dune sand replacement. The strength loss was not found considerable as the maximum reduction was less than 25% when
ne aggregates were fully replaced by dune sand. The absorption characteristics of concrete made with OPC as measured by the (ISAT)
generally increased with higher dune sand contents.
 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Fineness; Grading; Workability; Strength; Absorption

1. Introduction
Sand is a major component in concrete mixes. Sand
from natural gravel deposits or crushed rocks is a suitable
material used as a ne aggregate in concrete production. It
is used with coarse aggregates to produce a structural concrete and can be also used alone with cement for mortars
and plastering works. It is also economical since it is abundant near most construction works.
In many desert regions, there is an abundance of a very
ne natural sand known as dune sand. In Oman, nearly
one quarter of the country is covered with dune sand. Oil
production activities in these desert areas involve construction works that require a lot of aggregates. Because of the
remoteness of the construction sites in these areas from

Corresponding author. Tel.: +968 244 15365; fax: +968 244 13416.
E-mail address: alharthy@squ.edu.om (A.S. Al-Harthy).

0950-0618/$ - see front matter  2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2006.05.053

aggregate production quarries, transporting the aggregates

becomes expensive and uneconomical. In addition, engineers are faced with a more restricted choice of materials
in these regions as dune sand is ner than normal sand used
in construction and does not meet the standard requirements for ne aggregate grading. There is also no known
standards or guidelines that cover the use of desert sands
in concrete or mortar. These sands have to be used if it
can be shown that such materials can produce a concrete
of the required quality.
There is limited amount of previous work conducted on
the use of dune sands in concrete. Banll and Carr [1] have
studied the eect of very ne sand dredged from river estuaries on concrete mixtures. It was found that as the sand
content increases, the water required for a given workability increases. However, it was noticed that water contents
required for normal workability are not higher than in concrete made with coarser sand. It was also found that
strength development and elasticity are not dierent than

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A.S. Al-Harthy et al. / Construction and Building Materials 21 (2007) 18031808

conventional concrete. Guettalla et al. [2] have compared

strength properties of mortar mixes made with conventional sands and dune sand. Three water-to-cement ratios
(w/c) 0.40, 0.45 and 0.50 were used. Mixes made with dune
sand only resulted in lower strengths. However, addition of
admixtures had a positive eect on strength. Mixtures
made with dune sand gained strength more rapidly with
the addition of 1% additive (plasticizer). Kay et al. [3] also
investigated the potential of using dune sand as ne aggregates in concrete. A comparison was made among concrete
mixtures made with beach sand, wadi sand, dune sand,
screened dune sand, and combinations of dune sand or
screened dune sand with crushed rock nes. Results indicated that dune sand may provide a readily available alternative material for use as ne aggregate in concrete.
Laquerbe et al. [4] studied the eect of using laterite gravel
and dune sand as aggregates for concrete. Physical and
mechanical properties of the dierent aggregates as well
as concrete strengths in compression and tension were measured. The authors showed that in Senegal (80% covered by
laterites and sands), the laterite gravels can be used instead
of basalt or limestone, and dune sand can serve as a substitute for seashore sand. Some construction projects in the
desert regions in Oman have used concrete containing dune
sand ranging from 20% to 45% of the ne aggregates.
2. Materials and testing program
The dune sand used in the concrete mixtures was taken
from four major sites in the Sharkiya Sands Region. The
following tests were performed on the sand: sieve analysis;
specic gravity; absorption; neness modulus; and sand
equivalency. Table 1 presents physical properties of this
dune sand. The specic gravity and absorption tests were
carried out in accordance with ASTM C128 [5]. Sieve analysis and neness modulus were conducted in accordance
with ASTM C33 [6]. Table 2 presents the gradings of the
coarse aggregates, concrete sand and dune sand. A total
of 10 dune sand samples were tested for particle size distribution. All the dune sand samples had a very close gradation indicating no variation in particle sizes among the
dune sand samples collected from the dierent regions.
The ratio of 2010 mm coarse aggregates was about
70:30 wt%. The proportion of concrete sand to the total

aggregate content was about 36%. These ratio were selected

to be similar to concrete mixtures specied in some construction works in the desert. Five control concrete mixtures (0% dune sand), designated as O1, O2, O3, O4 and
O5, were prepared. For each mixture, 10100% dune sand
was then added as a replacement for normal crushed sand.
The following tests were performed: slump; compressive
strength, fcu (7 and 28 days), on 100-mm cube specimens;
the Brazilian split cylinder test to measure the tensile
strength (ft); the Modulus of Rupture (fr) on prisms to measure the exural strength; the modulus of elasticity of concrete (E) on 150 300 mm cylinders according to ASTM
C469 [7]; and the initial surface absorption test (ISAT)
on 150-mm cubes to measure the absorptive characteristic
of the surface layer of concrete in accordance with BS
1881 [8]. All tests used three replicate samples. Table 3 presents the concrete characteristics of the control samples.
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Grading of dune sand
Fig. 1 shows the grain size distribution of dune sand for
two regions compared against the upper limits of BS882 [9]
and ASTM C33 [6]. The results indicate that dune sand
does not meet the limits for the ne aggregates gradations
specied in both standards. It was also observed that there
was no variation in gradation between the dune sand samples obtained from the dierent regions.
3.2. Eect of dune sand on concrete workability
Fig. 2 shows the variation in slump versus dune sand content for mixes O1, O2 and O3. The data indicate that as the
dune sand content increases, the slump initially increases.
Other things being equal, the increase in slump is attributed
to the spherical shape of the dune sand particles. This is due
to the ball bearing eect as spheres move easier than angular
or awkward shape particles. However, the slump then
decreased at dune sand contents greater than 50%. All
results show that it is possible to maintain the workability
of concrete despite the increase in dune sand content. It
was also observed that the higher the workability of the
mix, the higher the dune sand content that the mix can have

Table 1
Physical properties of dune sand (Wahiba region)
Sample

Sand equivalent

Bulk specic gravity

Apparent specic gravity

Eective specic gravity

Absorption (%)

Fineness modulus

1-A
1-B
2-A
2-B
3-A
3-B
3-C
4-A
4-B
4-C

100.0
99.4
95.1
94.3
94.7
93.3
97.6
98.8
99.2
96.5

2.61
2.53
2.49
2.52
2.61
2.54
2.58
2.62
2.56
2.56

2.67
2.61
2.61
2.59
2.68
2.61
2.72
2.65
2.56
2.61

2.65
2.59
2.58
2.57
2.66
2.59
2.67
2.64
2.56
2.57

0.81
1.01
1.83
1.01
1.01
1.01
2.04
0.40
0
1.01

0.73
0.74
0.85
0.88
0.77
0.86
0.81
0.61
0.69
0.45

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1805

Table 2
Gradings for coarse aggregates, concrete sand and dune sand
Material

Percentage by mass passing each sieve size

Sieve size (mm)
37.5

Coarse aggregate
Concrete sand
Dune sand (region 1-A)

100

20

10

88

32

4
100

2.36
0
75

1.18
46

0.60
28
100

0.30
16
99.96

0.15
9
39.2

0.075
0
0.92

Table 3
Control concrete mixtures
Mix

w/c

a/c

Slump (mm)

Average cube strength (MPa)

O1
O2
O3
O4
O5

0.54
0.54
0.58
0.50
0.50

4.31
4.8
4.9
4.36
5.00

122.0
67.0
95.0
60.0
16.0

49.0
48.0
47.0
57.2
58.2

3.3. Eect of dune sand on concrete strength

Percentage Passing

Region 1-A

Region 2-A

BS882

ASTM C33

100.0
80.0
60.0
40.0
20.0
0.0
0.01

0.1

10

Sieve Opening (mm)

Fig. 1. Gradings of dune sand from region 1-A and 2-A.

O1

slump (mm)

200.0

O2

O3

Fig. 3 shows the eect of dune sand content on the compressive strength of mixes O1, O2 and O3. Figs. 4 and 5
show compressive strength results for mixes O4 and O5,
respectively. A straight line tting of the data points is
shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The results indicate that the
strength of concrete generally decreases with an increase
in dune sand content. This decrease in strength is attributed
to the increase in surface area of the ne aggregates
requiring more grouts to coat the surface of the aggregates.
Table 4 presents the eect of dune sand content on the
change in compressive strength. The ratio of the mix
strength to the control strength (no dune sand) ranges from
0.76 to 1.00 with most of the ratios being above 0.90.
Therefore, it can be concluded that the eect of increasing
dune sand on concrete strength is not high.

160.0

3.4. Eect of dune sand on the elasticity of concrete

120.0
80.0
40.0
0.0
0.0

20.0

40.0

60.0

80.0

100.0

Dune Sand (%)

Fig. 2. Eect of dune sand content on workability for mixes O1, O2 and
O3.

before the reduction in slump. For instance, the optimum

dune sand content is above 50% in the higher workability
mixes of O1, O2 and O3, while it is near 30% for the low
slump concrete in mixes O4 and O5. When all the ne aggregates are replaced by dune sand (100% replacement), a
sharp decrease in slump was observed in all mixes resulting
in a very low slump concrete. The decrease in slump is due to
the resulting particle size distribution when more normal
sand is replaced by dune sand. As it is well known, the ner
the ne aggregates the less workable the concrete.

Fig. 6 shows the linear relationship between the modulus

of elasticity of concrete and the root square of the 28-day
cube strength. As strength increases, the modulus of elasticity increases. The modulus of elasticity decreases with
an increase in dune sand content. This is due to the
decrease in strength. However, such decrease in the modulus of elasticity is not appreciable.
3.5. Eect of dune sand on surface absorption
Fig. 7 shows the initial surface absorption test values for
mixes O1, O2 and O3 after 30 min, while Fig. 8 depicts the
ISAT values for the three mixes after 1 and 2 h. Fig. 9
shows the ow rate for 1 h for mixes O4 and O5. It is clear
that as the percentage replacement of dune sand increases
the surface absorption of the concrete increase. This is
partly due to the decrease in concrete strength. At small
dune sand contents, the change in surface absorption is less

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60.0

50.0

y = -0.031x + 47.15
2
R = 0.1012

y = -0.0299x + 46.283
2
R = 0.1494

fcu
(MPa )

40.0

O1
y = -0.098x + 42.823
2
O3
R = 0.6605
O2
Linear (O3 )
Linear (O2 )
Linear (O1 )

30.0

20.0

10.0

0.0
0

20

40

60

80

100

Dune Sand (%)

Fig. 3. Eect of dune sand content on the compressive strength for mixes O1, O2, and O3.

28 days

24

Linear (28 days)

Fig. 4. Eect of dune sand content on the compressive strength for mix
O4.

7 day

28 day

22
20
18
16
14
12
10
5.8

6.2

6.4

6.6

6.8

7.2

Cube Strength fcu1/2 (MPa0.5)

Linear (28 day)

80.0
fcu
(MPa )

Modulus of Elasticity E (GPa)

fcu
(MPa)

7 days

70.0
y = -0.0587x + 55.279
60.0
R2 = 0.4955
50.0
40.0
30.0
20.0
10.0
0.0
0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0 70.0 80.0 90.0 100.0
Dune Sand (%)

Fig. 6. Variation of the modulus of elasticity with the 28-days cube

strength.

60.0
40.0
20.0
0.0
0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0 70.0 80.0 90.0

Dune Sand (%)

O1 (30 min.)

O2 (30 min.)

O3 (30 min.)

0.9

Fig. 5. Eect of dune sand content on the compressive strength for mix
O5.

0.8
0.7
0.6

Flow
0.5
(ml/m 2.s )

Table 4
Ratio of mix strength to control strength with dune sand contents
Mixtures

Dune sand content (%)

O1
O2
O3
O4
O5

10
.935
.929
.908
x
1.000

20
.821
.979
.807
.874
1.007

30
1.004
.989
.860
.963
.960

0.4
0.3
0.2

40
.953
.925
.815
.916
.940

50
.976
.843
.770
x
x

60
.925
x
.783
.923
.936

80
x
x
x
.900
.837

100
.874
.942
.755
.850
x

0.1
0.0
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Dune Sand (%)

Fig. 7. Absorption results for mixes O1, O2 and O3 (30 min).

100

A.S. Al-Harthy et al. / Construction and Building Materials 21 (2007) 18031808

0.7

O1(1hr)

O2 (1hr)

O3 (1hr)

O1(2hr)

O2 (2hr)

O3 (2hr)

1807

0.6

Flow
2
ml/m .s

0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Dune Sand (%)

Flow
(ml/m 2 .s )

Fig. 8. Absorption results for mixes O1, O2 and O3 (1 and 2 h).

0.4
0.35
0.3
0.25
0.2
0.15
0.1
0.05
0
0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

O4

O5

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

90.0

100.0

Dune Sand (%)

Fig. 9. Eect of dune sand content on absorption of concrete in mixes O4 and O5 (1 h).

noticeable than at higher dune sand contents. Mix O5 has

higher ow rate than mix O4. This may be due to the low
slump values in mix O5 leading to more voids and insucient compaction.
4. Conclusions
The eect of using dune sand in concrete mixes has been
investigated. Five dierent control mixes having a specied
compressive strength of 40 MPa were prepared. The workability as measured by the slump test ranged from a low of
16 mm to a high of 122 mm. The main conclusions
obtained from this study are as follows:
1. Despite the fact that dune sand does not meet the standard gradation limits of ASTM C33 [6] and BS 882 [9], it
has been found that dune sand can be used in properly
designed concrete mixes without negative eects.
2. Other things being equal, replacing normal sand with
dune sand actually improves the workability of the
mix up to a certain limit. The higher the workability
of the mix, the higher this limit. The workability
decreases at very high dune sand contents (>50%).
3. In general, the compressive strength of concrete
decreases with an increase in dune sand content. However, this decrease was small with the maximum reduction in strength being less that 25%.

4. Also, as dune sand content increases, the surface absorption of concrete increases. At small dune sand contents
(up to 30%), the surface absorption is not sensitive to
the change in dune sand content. In mixes containing
high amounts of dune sand (80100%), the surface
absorption was the highest.
5. Increasing dune sand contents does not have an appreciable negative eect on the modulus of elasticity of concrete and tensile strength of concrete.
6. Based on the results obtained in this study, dune sand
can be used as ne aggregates in concrete mixtures
whenever suitable sand materials are not economically
available.

5. Recommendations
The following recommendations are warranted:
1. A high dune sand content (above 60%) is not recommended for concrete.
2. In order to compensate for the reduction in strength due
to the use of dune sand, a lower water-to-cement ratio
can be specied.
3. In order to reduce the surface absorption in concrete
mixtures containing dune sand, the use of slag cement
is recommended.

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A.S. Al-Harthy et al. / Construction and Building Materials 21 (2007) 18031808

4. The necessary mix proportions should be based on trial

mixes.
Acknowledgements
The nancial support provided by Petroleum Development of Oman company (PDO) to carry out this study is
greatly appreciated. Thanks are also due to the technical sta
in the Civil Engineering Department at the Sultan Qaboos
University for assisting with the laboratory experiments.
References
[1] Banll P, Carr M. The properties of concrete made with very ne sand.
Concrete 1987(3):116.
[2] Guettala A, Melkmi S, Tibermacine N. A study of mechanical
characteristics for sand concrete (Rolled sand concrete and dune sand
concrete), In: 7th Arab structural engineering conference, Kuwait,
Nov. 2426; 1997.

[3] Kay A, Frearson J. An investigation into the use of dune sand in

concrete. In: Fookes, Party, editors. Engineering characteristics of arid
soils. Rotterdam: Ballkema; 1994.
[4] Laquerbe M, Cisse I, Ahouansou G. Pour une utilization rationelle
des gravelleux lateriques et des sables de dunes comme ganulats a
beton application au cas du Senegal. Mater Struct 1995;28:
60410.
[5] Standard test method for specic gravity and absorption of ne
aggregate, ASTM C 128, American Society for Testing and Materials,
ASTM specication, Philadelphia; 1993.
[6] Standard specication for concrete aggregates, ASTM C 33, American
Society for Testing and Materials, ASTM specication, Philadelphia;
1999.
[7] Standard test method for static modulus of elasticity and Poissons
Ratio of concrete in compression, ASTM C469, American Society
for Testing and Materials., ASTM specication, Philadelphia;
1994.
[8] British standard specication for concrete, BS 1881, British Standards
Institution, London; 1983.
[9] British standard specication for aggregates from natural sources, BS
882, British Standards Institution, London; 1983.