Collected Material File #05

CONCRETE RUBBLE

Collection Details

550 High Street, Thornbury, 3071, Victoria

Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country

Collected from a skip bin on the street

November 2023

Collection Type

Construction and demolition rubble/byproduct from a residential renovation

Previous Use

Ground floor

The story of collection

I was driving along High Street and spotted this skip bin, just 1.3km away from my home-garage-studio. The skip bin was located in a parking bay outside of a commercial property that was being renovated in late 2023.


Extended Material Data

Coordinates

-37.763944312030965, 144.99976832818703

Council / Zoning

Darebin, C1Z - Commercial 1

Material Origin

Unknown

Composition

Cement (alumina, silica, calcium, iron from limestone, shells, chalk, shale, clay, slate, sand, iron ore)

Limestone (calcium carbonate from rock or shell) Sand (silica)

Rocks (bluestone/slate)

Measurements (mm)

NA: Cast in situ

Absorption

TBC

Appearance

Grey, coarse and gritty with aggregate of dark brown and charcoal coloured rock within. Rocks are smooth. Some faces are smooth or polished (ground floor application).

Characteristics & Crushing Notes

Grey cement easily crushable and crumbly after bisque firing. Aggregate is dense and loud to shatter. Breakdown and separate different components for greater versatility, control and wider range of results.

Post-firing Characteristics (Cone 6)

Lime popouts occur. Some iron-rich rocks melt. Depending on particle size, variation in colours from green to orange to brown.

Potential Applications in Ceramics

Limestone and cement components useful as stabiliser in glaze (in place of calcium carbonate). Substitute aggregate (fine grog) for trachyte or ilmenite speckles in clay or glaze.