S. S. Omopariola & E. O. Olusona

Granite chippings are being deposited in large quantities in many quarry sites located in Ogun State of Nigeria as wastes. They constitutes environmental nuisance in the various quarries. On the other hand, the cost of river sand that is used in concrete production is on the high side due to increasing transportation cost. The aim of this study is to explore the possibility of using granite chippings to replace river sand in concrete production. The physical properties of both materials were tested in the laboratory. The consistency of the wet concrete mix as well as the water absorption and compressive strength of hardened concrete cubes were determined. Results shows that water absorption (WA), specific gravity (SG), percentage silt content (SC), and moisture content (MC) of river sand are 1.61%, 2.54, 4.14%, 5.14% and 5.12% respectively. While that of granite chippings are 4.31%, 2.46, 14.3%, 1.3%, and 4.65% respectively. Furthermore, the slump value, water absorption and compressive strength of hardened concrete for river sand are 8mm, 2.75% and 25.67N/mm2 respectively. While that of granite chippings are 10mm, 2.61% and 21.34N/mm2 . The conclusion from the study is that granite chippings can be substituted for river sand as fine aggregate material in producing concrete. Key Words: Exploration, River – sand, Granite – chippings, Concrete, Production 0150