Stimulus on strength and durability of granite powder in the waste-based masonry units with copper slag and crumb rubber as partial substitute of fine aggregate

In this research, an extensive experiment was made to utilise industrial waste rejects for the production of bricks via a pressing technique in a factory-controlled environment. A total of 650 bricks were cast and each brick's recipe consists of a fixed percentage of primary raw materials akin to lime and gypsum. Along with granite powder as partly substituted for fly ash composed with copper slag and crumb rubber as a partial replacement with stone dust were used in different percentages. A range of mechanical, durability, morphology, FTIR and UPV studies are presented. The investigations reveal that the bricks of a prototype mix design using granite waste and copper slag using an optimum percentage of fly ash and lime-gypsum binder provide better strength and durability. The advantage of the proposed bricks is twofold: having utilised sustainable wastes make an eco-friendly product; the developed product can be used for load-bearing structural elements.