Sand at Dysart
byC.ABacon
Abstract
A deposit of sand on the property Mauriceton at Dysart is
being considered as a source of bedding sand for
construction purposes. Samples of this sand, and two other
sand occurrences in the area, were submitted to the
Department and subjected to grainsize analysis to
detetmine their suitability for various potential uses.
Various building and coustruction commodities bave size
specifications to detetmine wbat is, and wbat is not, suited
to a particular use. The upper and lower limits of a
specification can be plotted, giving a "grading envelope".
This shows the range of proportions of each of the grain
sizes which are either recommended, or permitted, for a
specific task.
Potential uses for sand include:
LOCATION AND ACCESS
An occnrrence of sand is located at AMG co-ordinates
EN095919 on the Mauriceton property, 9 km NW of
Dysart. Two samples of sand taken from prospecting pits
50 m apart were submitted to the Department. A mining
lease, ML 1328PIM of 12 ba in the name of J. S. D. Allen,
is held over the area
PREVIOUS WORK
Six pits are shown on the Department of Mines
Construction Matetials Register in the vicinity of this new
area (fig. 1). All of these existing pits are in the Ferntree
Mudstone rock uuit, and produce coarse broken rock
suitable for use on unsealed roads and as a base course on
sealed roads.
The geology of the Mauriceton area is shown on the
Geological Survey Atlas 1:50000 Series 'Brighton' sheet
(Leaman, 1975). The area from which the sand samples
were taken is shown as Femtree Mudstone, the same host
rock as other pits in the locality. This rock uuit consists of
unfossiliferous quartz siltstone with some coarse sandstone
horizons. In this case weathering has produced a mantle of
fine sand, which would probably not be very thick. The
depth of the sand has not yet been detetmined, and no
estimate has been made of the quantity of sand available.
USES OF SAND
Sand is used for a large variety of purposes in the
construction materials industry and very pure grades of
sand bave metallurgical uses. In determining the possible
end uses of a sand product both the chemical composition
and the grainsize of the sample must be ascertained.
The sample is analysed by determining the proportion by
mass or weight of gmins which remain, or which pass
through sieves of certain sizes. The sieve sizes are known
as "Australian Standatd Sieves". The results are plotted,
showing the proportion of the sample that passed through
each of the various sieves. This is called a "grading curve".
REPORT 199210S
1. Bedding sand: used in the laying of pavements etc.
The sand should not contain an excessive amount of
fines and should not be gap-graded (i.e. lacking some
grainsizes within the grading envelope). The grains
should prefernbly be angular (sharp), not ronnded.
Such sand should not contain any soluble salts and
should bave a uuiform (low) moistore content in the
range4-S%.
2.
Joint-filling sand: used to fill the small gaps or joints
between paving uuits, which are usually 2-4 mm wide
and must be filled with arelatively fine sand. This sand
should pass a 2.36 mm sieve and be well graded.
A small proportion (not more than 5-10%) of fine
)IlIl sieve) may be added to the
sand. These fines help restrict the penetration of water
into the cmcks or joints of a pavement Joint-filling
sand should be dry when used and should not contain
any soluble salts.
material (passing 75
3. Sharp sand (fine aggregate): used in the making of
concrete, baving a small or no proportion of fine
material.
4. Fat sand: used in the making of mortar, and baving a
proportion of fine matetial, usually clay, which helps
in the binding of the mortar. Not more than 10% of
material should be finer than 75 )IlIl, and not more than
1% of matetial shouW be larger than 2.36 mm. Many
Australian sands used to make mortar are in fact finer
than this.
5. Foundry sand: must bave a very high silica (SiOz)
content (>99.6%) with low aluminium, iron and
titanium content Is generally finer than bedding sand
and joint-filling sand.
6. Glass making: grades also vary, however even for
coloured glass the silica content must be qnite high (at
least 99%) with not too much iron. For better quality
types of glass, from colourless glass and to lead crystal
1
5cm
1I
Figure 1.
Gravel pHs near Dysart.
'""'
.57 DOM CONMAT registered pit
•
1
1
..,
REPORT 1992iOS
Sample location, Mauriceton
2
to lenses and optical fibres, progressively better
quality material is needed. Generally a fine sand is
used, with the majority of sand grains being between
150--600 fIlIl. For the top end of the madret (optic
fibres, etc.) the sand must be exceptionally pure
Grainsize and chemical analyses are listed in Tables 3 and
4. Tbe grading profiles are shown in Figure 5.
CONCLUSIONS
(>99.9% SiOz).
The sand samples submitted were alI extremely fine
grained, finer than the normal specifications for bedding
and paving sand, but they just fell within the SAA draft
standard for mortar sand. The material has potential to be
used as a road materials binder.
SAND SPECIFICATIONS
Some specifications for various sands are given in Table I.
These should only be taken as a rough guide; particular
projects may require further specifications.
Further laboratory tests would be needed to verify the
suitability of the material for mortar sand.
The grading envelopes of some sand specifications are
shown in Figures 2 to 4.
The material is chemically unsuited to any of the usual
metallurgical applications for sand, such as glass
manufacture.
In addition, sands used in metallurgy must be of
appropriate quality. Chemical analyses for typically used
sands are given in Table 2. Again, these are only a rough
guide.
REFERENCE
LEAMAN, D. E. 1974. GeologiCal atlas 1:50000 series. Sheet
75 (8312N). Brighton. Department ofMines, Tamnanin.
SAND SAMPLES FROM DYSART
[30 March 1992]
Table 1.
Sand specifications.
Use
Bedding'
Joint
filling'
Mortar!-
Foundry#
(fine)
Fonndry#
(coarse)
Glass
Sieve size
% passing
% passing
% passing
% passing
% passing
% passing
9.52mm
100
4.75mm
95-100
2.36mm
80-100
100
99-100
1.18mm
50-85
90-100
30-100
100
100
100
600"",
300"",
25-60
60-90
15-100
96
70
98
10-30
30-60
5-50
45
8
47
150 "'"
75"",
5-15
15-30
0-15
3
<I
0-10
5-10
0-10
0.1
3
0.1
*
recommended by the Cement and Concrete Association
+ draft SAA Mortar Standard BDI34I74-459
# typical industrial specifications
Table 2.
Chemical analyses, metallurgical sands.
REPORT 1992J05
Sand
High quality
glass (%)
Foundry
(%)
SiCh
99.9
0.03
0.012
99.6
AhO:!
FezO:!
TiCh
0.02-0.04
0.16
WI
0.02
0.10
0.04
0.06
3
~s
Table 3.
Grainsize analysis of sand samples.
MauricctoD
(Top of Hill)
Mass
Mam'iceton
(Bottom of Hill)
Castle Hill
Bally Hooly
(%)
Cum. mass
(%)
Mass
(%)
Cum. mass
(%)
Mass
(%)
Cum. mass
(%)
Mass
Sieve Size
(%)
Cum. mass
(%)
+2.36mm
0.26
0.26
0.03
0.03
0.21
0.21
0.04
0.04
+1.18mm
0.15
0.41
0.15
0.18
6.01
6.21
2.30
2.34
+ 600 "'"
0.39
0.80
5.07
5.25
28.91
35.13
0.34
2.68
+ 300 "'"
+ 212 "'"
4.94
5.74
31.33
36.58
34.09
69.22
11.24
13.92
14.10
19.84
34.72
71.30
26.30
9553
2354
37.46
+ 150 "'"
31.34
51.18
23.33
94.63
3.56
99.09
26.86
64.33
+ 106 "'"
27.61
78.80
3.42
98.05
0.91
100.00
26.69
91.02
+ 75 "'"
+38"",
10.94
89.73
1.95
100.00
553
96.55
6.38
96.11
3.45
100.00
- 38 "'"
3.89
100.00
Table 4.
Chemical analyses of sand samples.
Mauriceton
(Top of Hill)
Bally Hooly
Castle Hill
SiCh
91.65
93.10
93.88
91.43
liCh
0.41
0.28
0.25
0.35
Ah03
I'e203
4.02
3.26
2.34
3.76
0.74
0.86
0.85
1.54
MnO
<0.01
<0.01
<0.01
<0.01
Cao
<0.01
<0.01
<0.01
0.15
N020
0.81
0.65
0.20
0.92
K20
PlOs
1.88
1.24
0.86
1.22
<0.01
<0.01
<0.01
<0.01
S03
<0.1
<0.1
<0.1
<0.1
LOr
MgO
REPORT 199210S
Mauricetoo
(Bottom of Hill)
1.00
1.10
1.50
1.00
<0.01
<0.01
<0.01
<0.01
4
M
1324
REFERENCE No.
LAB. SERIAL No.
LOCALITY
SEDIMENT ANALYSIS PARAMETERS
FINE AGGREGATE
COARSE AGGREGATE
AGGREGATE
COARSE
COBBLE
-6
75
53
GRANULE
-4
37.5 26.5
19
-~
-3
9.5
4.75
V. COARSE I
?
-,I
2.36
1.18
u..o
<[
u..o
0.6
0.3
0.15
.
70 -
"'"
50 r-
II
0
40 r
/J
V
N.A.A.S.R.A. (road materials)
I V. FINE
~
FINE
80 -
60
~
I
~
v~
""
:E
SAN D
MEDIUM
90 -
I-
Vl
Vl
BINDER
1
100
'"z
I
COARSE
IK=
A77-1957 (concrete)
I
FINE AGGREGATE
PEBBLE
-5
I Sk =
I V=
M=
SILT
~
~
4
0.D38
0.075
,
Aust. Stand. Sieve
o
V1
- 01
- Ol
-
or 0--o
3:
>
- Ot ~
Uncrushe fine
aggreg Ie
-Sv. Draftm
J
rtarsand
'I
-
os
- 09
ortar AS 1 3
30 f-
- 0L
20 f-
- 09
10 f-
- 06
o
100
50
20
10
/..
5
2
0.5
~
z~
(;)
0.2
Figure 2. Grading envelopes: Mortar, crushed aggregate
0.1
0.05
0.02
Scm
001
0.01 mm
M
1324
REFERENCE No.
LAB. SERIAL No.
LOCALITY
SEDIMENT ANALYSIS PARAMETERS
I v=
M=
FINE AGGREGATE
COARSE AGGREGATE
COBBLE
-t
75
-4
37.5 26.5
19
-~
-3
9.5
4.75
v. COARSE I
-I
0
1.18
2.36
COARSE
BINDER
I
1
SAN D
MEDIUM I
2
100
90 l80 I<>
.....
z
«
.....
Coarse pundry sa d -
70 r-
FINE
I
I
N.A.A. S.R.A. (rood materials)
SILT
V. FINE
~
0.3
0.6
1K=
An -1957 (concrete)
FINE AGGREGATE
GRANULE
PEBBLE
-5
53
I
AGGREGATE
COARSE
1 Sk =
4
0.15
~
5
0.075
0.038
,
Aust. Stand. Sieve
~
o
- 01
- Ol
-0
Fine f undry san
0-
IX
Vl
Vl
60 r-
- 0
50 I-
-
40
-
30 r-
- 0L
20 r-
- 08
10
-
- 06
o
,
<
:::E
,...,2
0
100
'"
./
50
20
10
5
2
0.5
Figure 3. Grading envelopes: Foundry sands
0.2
0.1
0.05
5cm
0.02
~I
09
001
0.01 mm
M
1324
REFERENCE No.
LAB. SERIAL No.
LOCALITY
SEDIMENT ANALYSIS PARAMETERS
1 V=
MCOARSE AGGREGATE
COARSE
7S
53
100
37.5 26.5
,
-~
19
9.5
I
I
COARSE
J
j
,
-'--'--,
-'-
MEDIUM
I
0.15
.L
,./
./
80 l-
./
/
'"
«
t;:;
.'
""
«
""::e
50 l-
/
~
0
Joir ·tUling Sa
40 I-
\d -for pa ~ing
10 l-
/
20 I-
o
100
,,/
50
20
lr-." :-10
5
,
.I:'
.-
..
.1/
.
,/'
2
.
..
/.:
··..
/....
A:-'
..j/
..
/.:
~.
../
./
.-I
/
,/
10 l-
..//
.-
.
. .·
.:
. ..
-
Ausl. Slond. Sieve
o
.
- 01
~
.,:.-" . ..-..
..
/-
//
I
60 l-
0.038
,.- - ..-:---:..,
,('
I
w
z: 70 l-
--
t
.~
t
0.075
-'-
.
90 I-
SILT
V. FINE
1
0.3
0.6
'
""
N.A.A.S.R.A. Jrood moleriol~
I
FINE
t
l
1.18
2.36
4.75
BINDER
I
=
K=
A77-1957 (concr.le)
SAN D
V. COARSE
-t
-f
~
FINE AGGREGATE
GRANULE
PEBBLE
-~
-6,.
I
AGGREGATE
COBBLE
ISk
FINE AGGREGATE
..
.
.• Beddin
- Ol
.
Sand- f>r paving
-
- ot
:
- 011
.
0.5
09
0.2
Figure 4. Grading envelopes: Bedding and joint-filling sands
0.1
0.05
0.02
5cm
06
001
0.01 mm
..!
M 1324
REFERENCE No.
LAB. SERIAL No.
LOCALITY
SEDIMENT ANALYSIS PARAMETERS
COBBLE
-6
75
37.5 26.5
-4
19
-~
-3
9.5
4.75
V. COARSE I
-I
2.36
COARSE
0
l.lB
I
BINDER
SAN D
MEDIUM
0.6
I
FINE
~
1
0.3
N.A.A.S.R.A. Irood moteriols)
I V. FINE
~
0.15
u..o
'"
z
:;;:
r
80
r
70 r-
I-
u..o
""
V'>
V'>
<
:=;:
~
60 r50
SILT
*
*
Aust. Stond. Sieve
0.038
~
•....
~ fI
~
t
0.075
100
90
IK=
A77-1957 Iconcrete)
I
FINE AGGREGATE
GRANULE
PEBBLE
-5
53
I
AGGREGATE
COARSE
I Sk =
I V=
M=
FINE AGGREGATE
COARSE AGGREGATE
o
.",-
- 01
Ma ricetc n (to~ of hill)
- Ol
Ma ricet n(bo om of hili)
Ball Hocy
-0
Cas ~eHi
- 0
-
r-
0
40
- 09
30 r
- 0l
I
20 -
~~
10 '-
o
100
-08
I
50
20
10
5
2
0.5
- 06
0.2
Figure 5. Grading profiles of Mauriceton and associated samples
0.1
0.05
0.02
5cm
001
0.01 mm