What is sand ?
Sand is a granular material composed of broken rocks and mineral particles and it is formed in a longer period of time through a natural process where the rocks get broken into small parts. Having a nature of the textural class of soil, sand is finer than gravel and coarser than slits. Sand can be contained either silicon dioxide or calcium carbonate.
Why is sand required in construction?
Sand is the prime component in making the concrete along with the cement in construction. It adds extra strength and durability of the concrete and gives better finishing.
River Sand
River sand is made due to the natural disintegration of rock which has been moved or placed by streams and glacial agencies or obtained from pits.It is the purest form of sand collected directly from the river banks.For example, Trichy river sand is very well- known and highly demanded in the southern states of India.
M - Sand
M - Sand is an artificial sand used as a substitute for river sand. The non availability of river sand and ever increasing requirement of sand brought the concept of M - Sand. M-Sand is the crushed aggregates of granite stone which is washed and prepared in the cubic size. It is prepared by using vertical shaft imp actor method. M- Sand is used for all kinds of concrete works ranging PCC and RCC works. The advantage of the M- Sand is that it contains no impurities and its cubicle particle shape and perfect gradation providea better advantage compared to river sand.
Different grades of sand
Generally, Sand particles range from 0.0625 mm to 2 mm. Sand grain particles range from 2mm to 64 mm. Slit is smaller than 0.0625 to 0.004 mm.ISO 14688 grade sand has the characteristics of fine, medium and coarse with ranges 0.063 mm to 0.2 mm to 0.63 mm to 2.0 mm. IS 2386 (part 2): 1963 makes sure that the clay,slit and dust in the sand should not exceed 5% by weight. There should not be any organic impurities accordance with IS 2386