An Experimental Study of Concrete Mixed with Coconut Shell as Partial Replacement of Course Aggregate

Abstract

The high cost of conventional construction materials affects the economy of structure. The possibility of utilizing recycled coconut shell aggregates in concrete as coarse aggregate is examined in the present study. An optimum percentage replacement of coarse aggregate with coconut shell aggregate is determined from the study. Coconut shell is a lightweight material thus producing lightweight concrete. The replacement of coarse aggregate of coconut shell by 10%, 20% and 30%. The Design mix used is M20 grade and testing of specimens are conducted after 7 and 28 days of curing. The flexural and compressive strength of concrete are tests. The main objective is to encourage the use of these waste products as construction materials in low-cost housing Aggregate is a major ingredient for making concrete, occupying almost 70-80% part of concrete. Conventionally crushed rocks are used as coarse aggregate and river sand as fine aggregate. Both are naturally available materials. Due to the speedy growth of construction works, conventional aggregate sources are exhaust very fast leading to a significant increase in the cost of construction. For sustainable development, these materials should be used wisely and alternative materials need to be searched to replace regular aggregate. A large number of studies have been done to search for alternative materials for the production of concrete. At the same time due to fast industrialization, production of waste material is increasing day by day. Its disposal has become a real problem. It can be concluded that the ideal amount of coconut shell replacement for coarse aggregate for M20 Concrete is 10% -20%. Key Words: Concrete Mix, Coconut shell, Low cost housing, Flexural strength, Compressive strength, Design mix, Replacement of Course Aggregate.