Experimental studies on light weight concrete using gib & coconut shell in concrete

Abstract

Lightweight concrete is composed up of lightweight aggregates such as shale, clay, or slate, which give its distinctive low density. LWC is becoming more popular for building the slim-line foundations, and it's proving to be a viable alternative to the ordinary concrete. Lightweight concrete can be classified by its unit weight or density, which normally ranges from 320 to 1920 kg/m3. Glazed Iso Ball (GIB) claims to be one of the lightest aggregates, which has a density ranging from 100 to 250 kg/m3. This whitish or light grey substance weighs about a tenth of the weight of sand or gravel. The specially processed Glazed Iso Ball is made up of larger particles that can be used instead of (or) in addition to sand or gravel in lightweight concrete, fire retardant plaster, or insulating concrete. Coconut shell is a byproduct obtained from the agricultural and industrial processes. These coconut shell wastes face issues with disposal and management which have resulted in major pollution concerns. The coconut shells can be used in place of natural coarse aggregate. The influence of replacing natural coarse aggregate with coconut shell at 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30% by weight on the compressive strength of M-30 grade concrete was studied. Coconut shell concrete's compressive strength was evaluated for seven, fourteen, and twenty-eight days. It was identified that the compressive strength of coconut shell concrete deteriorated as the percentage substitution of coconut shell increased after conducting several experiments on the concrete. According to the findings from the study, coconut shell can be partially replaced in place of coarse aggregate and it can be used to develop lightweight concrete. In this research work four tests (Compressive Strength, Sulphate attack, Chemical Attack, and Chloride attack) have been carried out. The test results showed that the specimens have a maximum compressive strength of 36 N/mm2 and minimum compressive strength of 32 N/mm2. The sulphate attack study showed a decline in compressive strength of 8%, Chloride attack showed a decline in compressive strength of 10%. The chemical attack showed a decline in the compressive strength of 30%.