The use of residues and industrial by-products in construction is an effective alternative for reducing environmental impact of this sector. The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of using soil-cement and residue from precious stones in bored piles for housing construction. The mixture that presented the best strength and workability characteristics consisted of 50% residues, 50% soil and 10% Portland cement (in dry weight of materials). For the field tests, three bored piles measuring 0.23 m in diameter and 3 meters in depth were executed. The results obtained using static load tests with soil-cement and residue piles were compared with results of bored piles with the same geometrical characteristics and made with conventional concrete. The study concluded that it is technically feasible to use the mixture of soil-cement and the residue of precious stones for bored piles, since the load capacity is similar to that of those performed by conventional concrete. In addition, the cost analysis showed that the final price of a bored pile made with soil-cement and residue is up to 38% lower than the price of those made with traditional concrete.
Industrial waste; Bored piles; Load capacity
