Impact of Bentonite Clay on the Structural and Durability properties of concrete

The study explores the significance of Bentonite Clay (BC) as a partial substitute for cement on the fresh, mechanical, and durability properties of M25 grade concrete. BC, which is naturally available aluminosilicate substance has a pozzolanic property. BC was used as a 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% replacement by weight of cement while a constant water-binder ratio of 0.50 was used for all the mixtures. Workability, compressive (CS), split tensile (STS), flexural strengths (FS), and water absorption (WA) tests were carried out in accordance with IS standards. The results show that generally as the BC content increased workability tended to decrease due to its high potential for water absorption. The best result was for when 10% was used (BC10) with CS (36.4 MPa) synergies, improved STS and FS performances, and lower WA (2.65%) compared with the control mixture. Compressive and durability performance decreased from 10% replacement of BC because of dilution of the cement paste and cement porosity associated with further replacement of BC. This study concluded that using 10% BC could be successfully used as a Sustainable mineral admixture in concrete that allows for better performance of combined 10% BC while reducing the consumption of cement and environmental factors.