Abstract

As a way to reduce the demand for portland cement, is tested using chuzca, abundant material in the desert of Chile, along with fly ash in the search for better technical, economic and environmental conditions for the preparation of concrete and mortar mixes. It is considered to chuzca as a material that can take advantage of some pozzolanic properties, usual finding being mixed with rock dust and unwanted compounds such as sulfates and others; which can be enhanced with fly ash pozzolanic forming a compound, which together with Portland cement binder can form a combination of the type "Cement/Chuzca/Fly Ash" of interest. Numerous combinations are studied in the search for those that provide adequate performance in terms of mechanical strength. The study determines optimum combination, which provides mechanical features for use in building works and proper conditions durability. The results are promising in that the chuzca has pozzolanic properties of interest, allowing their use for economic purposes, as it could replace a significant percentage of cement in concrete and its derivatives and thereby reduce the economic cost of building.