PRODUCTION OF TRANSLUCENT CONCRETE WITH DIFFERENT DOSES OF QUARTZ AS A REPLACEMENT FOR COARSE AGGREGATE TO INCREASE ITS LUMINOUS TRANSMITTANCE

Abstract

The opacity of concrete limits its use in applications that require transparency, such as facades and decorative elements. In current building projects, especially in multi-family buildings, there is a need for innovative solutions to improve lighting, as natural light only enters through the free-facing fronts. As an alternative to this problem, translucent concrete has emerged—a material about which very little information is available, even including patents for its manufacturing process. This research prepared plain concrete using a mix of quartz sand and silica sand as fine aggregates. Additionally, the coarse aggregate was replaced with crushed quartz in proportions of 10%, 20%, and 40%. Cylindrical and prismatic samples were produced to assess their influence on physical and mechanical properties such as compressive strength and light transmittance. The results showed that the absorption capacity of quartz is lower than that of common aggregates and that increasing the proportion of coarse quartz aggregate reduces compressive strength while simultaneously increasing light transmittance.