Sand applications in construction

Sand is a universal construction material of natural origin. It consists of loose particles, or grains, of rock of different sizes. Sand is divided into types depending on extraction method, grain size and amount of impurities. Depending on extraction method and origin, sand is divided into quarry, river, sea and quartz sand. Sand grains may be fine, medium or coarse. As for impurities, their amount is determined by laboratory methods according to standards. The field of sand application depends on its type. In other words, each type has its own area of application. This is because each type has unique properties suitable for a particular purpose. Let us consider the fields and areas of application of each type of sand.

Field of application of quarry sand

As the name suggests, quarry sand is extracted from quarries by the open method. The grains of this sand are slightly larger than those of river sand. This extraction method does not allow sand to be obtained with a minimal amount of impurities. It usually contains clay and stone impurities, so it is used for:

• road construction;

• production of some building materials, such as brick and concrete;

• backfilling roads during construction of buildings and structures;

• repair work, namely finishing, plastering and forming floor screeds;

• foundation construction when building houses;

• preparation of asphalt concrete mixtures;

• landscape design, for filling garden paths.

Areas of application of river sand

River sand has grains that are much smaller than quarry sand. It is cleaner and characterized by fewer impurities because it undergoes special processing. It is extracted using large construction equipment on riverbanks. All the factors listed above affect the cost of this material.

River sand is used for:

• preparation of various construction mortars, for example concrete mortars;

• creation of drainage systems;

• production of various grouts;

• manufacture of bases for dyes;

• preparation of asphalt concrete mixtures;

• creation of artificial soil in aquariums.

Use of sea sand

This type is extracted from the seabed by special methods. Sea sand contains no impurities because it is cleaned repeatedly. It has unique properties and is therefore in demand. It should be noted that this sand is in short supply because of the extraction method.

Fields of sea sand use:

• as an additive in construction mortars and mixtures;

• as part of reinforced concrete products;

• as a cleaning agent for some equipment;

• used for road construction.

It is also worth saying a few words about quartz sand. It is obtained by crushing natural quartz. This sand is actively used for mass production of glass, in various filters, and in landscape design for arranging areas around houses.

It should be noted that sand quality plays an important role. When choosing this material, attention should be paid to indicators such as frost resistance, water absorption, strength, void content and incompressibility. These indicators are measured by laboratory methods. Low-quality sand leads to increased material consumption and a poor-quality result.

The use of sand in construction is simply indispensable. It is used in almost every construction process. And the faster this field develops, the more it needs this unique product.