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Is it possible to just figure out the ratio of rocks and put them into a grinding machine to make custom sand?
by ElijahLynn 19d ago
Is it possible to just figure out the ratio of rocks and put them into a grinding machine to make custom sand?
- xattt 19d agoZombocom… the only limit is your imagination. In all seriousness, rock crushing is energy intensive relative to just taking sand from the source.
- alexpotato 19d agoCreate a bag of rocks and leave them in an area with lots of waves. Let nature and physics do the rest.
- darth_avocado 19d agoIn a few million years
- qwerpy 19d agoPretty sure this is a joke but you never quite know, given that HN is infamous for these "javascript programmer applies his smarts to something that's not javascript" moments.
- MisterTea 19d ago"bag of rocks" is so ridiculous that I would call it a joke for sure.
- deleted 19d ago[deleted]
- Tyr42 19d agoYou'd also care about angular sand vs round sand grains.
- lostlogin 19d agoThis is the difference and why smashing up rocks doesn’t get the same result. Round sand is nicer. You can probably engineer the sand somehow but it’s going to be costly.
- slashdev 19d agoI thought it was the other way around. Too fine/round is not good for concrete, which is why desert sand is unsuitable.
- AngryData 19d agoYes, if you want a good stable foundation for any structural base you want your medium to be sharp and irregular so it locks together. Round material, be it sand or rocks, can be pushed around more like a liquid. Sharp and irregular get tangled together and acts more like one solid object.
- Exoristos 19d agoGP is probably talking about beach sand.
- philipkglass 19d agoYes: "Crushed rock sand – An economical and ecological alternative to natural sand to optimize concrete mix" https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213020916300921 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221302091... The main problem is that even though crushing rocks is affordable, illegal sand mining is even cheaper in regions where law enforcement is weak.
- liveoneggs 19d agoit would be better to farm coral reefs and parrot fish
- darth_avocado 19d agoYou’re talking about a product that’s quite literally “pick it up and sell it”. Adding a single step to the process will be economically more expensive. Mining, logging, fishing etc. are all similar examples.
- lazide 19d agoIt isn’t quite pick it up and sell it (just like most mining) - a lot of work goes into finding and consistently identifying the correct grade.