Microwave Characterization of Ecosand for Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) Shielded Construction

Experimental study on microwave attenuation of ecosand is presented. Ecosand is a by-product of cement industry, and presents good alternative for natural river sand. Ecosand is a composite mixture, primarily containing silica and alumina. Microwave characterization provides good value enhancement for ecosand, encouraging its utilization in construction of EMI shielded buildings including safety vaults, server chambers and critical defense installations. Wave guide based studies on virgin ecosand and ecosand fly ash mixtures are conducted. Varying proportions of ecosand - flyash mixtures are considered. Reflected and transmitted power levels are measured. The preliminary results provide satisfactory EMI characteristics for a 60-40 ecosand-fly ash mixture. Further experiments on shielding effectiveness measurement of cement mortar composite, incorporating ecosand-fly ash mixture can provide effective conclusions on the microwave attenuation characteristics, and its subsequent utilization for EMI tolerant constructions.