Influence of glass components on the properties and structure of sand-lime materials

Abstract The use of recycled glass sand in building materials requires the assessment of its strength and thermodynamic properties. The paper presents the results of research on the influence of glass sand on the structure and properties of silicate brick and the composition of the material modified by introducing a glass composite. The structure of the sand-lime material was assessed on the basis of scanning electron microscopy analyzes using the SEM QUANTA FEG 250 microscope. From the obtained results, it was found that glass sand had a positive effect on the compressive strength, keeping the material at a level not exceeding 20 MPa. Research based on SEM shows that the modification with glass sand leads to the crystallization of the C-S-H phase towards gyrolite and natrolite in the modified brick and tobermorite in the reference brick. Silicates, as natural materials, fit into the criteria of ecological construction and due to this fact, the work has relevance on the subject of sustainable construction.