Coconut Fiber Reinforced Concrete by Complete Replacement of Sand with Over-Burden Soil

Abstract

Substantiation is widely accepted in the new era of construction. Even though the construction industry is rapidly growing noticeably in the form of tools and materials, the cost of construction has reached saturation point along with the deteriorative impact on the environment. This has led to the embrace of natural fibers like coconut fiber, jute fibers, hemp fibers, flax, etc., in reinforcing concrete. Coconut fiber is quite feasible as a tensile-strengthening material in concrete. This is an effective method for the disposal of coconut waste from mattress industries which reduces the waste disposal and decreases the load on existing landfills. Natural fibers are ecologically acceptable and can reduce global carbon quite effectively. Along with coconut fiber, overburdened soil (OB soil) is also used which is left as waste of Mine deposits. A complete replacement of sand in concrete with OB soil is done to reduce the cost of the material as well as to increase the usage of wastes to bring the best version of the material as an outcome. This experimental investigation mainly focuses on analyzing the strength variation of coconut fiber at varying fiber contents and comparing it with conventional concrete. Various strength tests are done at varying percentages (1%, 3%, and 5% by the weight of cement) of coconut fiber.