EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON THE EFFECT OF WATER QUALITY ON STRENGTH OF CONCRETE CASE STUDY: DAL LAKE WATER

The present work deals with the results of experimental investigations of the effect of water quality on compressive strength of concrete developed with Dal Lake Water as a case study. Two concrete mixes, 1:1.5:3(M20) and 1:1:2(M25), with water / cement ratio of 0.60 were put under investigation. Water samples from four different sites of Dal Lake and Portable water of Treatment Plant Rangil were employed to cast 288 concrete cubes in total. The cured cubes were then crushed under a UTM on day 7, 14, 21, 28, 56 and 84 for determining the compressive strength. The chemical components of the water samples were also determined in the laboratory. The results revealed that the compressive strength of concrete cubes produced with potable water increased significantly with days, while those of Dal Lake didn’t show the standard strength. The chemical analyses further revealed that Dal Lake water had concentrations of some chemical parameters on higher side which led to concrete strength reduction. Consequently, adequate water analysis should be encouraged and done before choosing any water for concreting work. Keywordswater analyses, potable water, lake water, compressive strength, concrete mix design, concrete cubes