Alternative Construction Materials Research Articles

Utilize BIM Technology for Achiveing Sustainable Passengers Terminal in Baghdad International Airport

The construction of airport infrastructures usually consumes huge amount of energy. In fact, the airport buildings are among the largest energy consumers entities due to their huge size and special operation pattern as well as their unique configuration that facilitate the large number of accommodated passengers. Despite the local energy shortage in Iraq in the last two decades, there is a quite scarce number of researches that deal with sustainable airport buildings. The aim of this research is to analyze the terminal building in Baghdad International Airport in order to find out the best set of modifications that result in an optimal energy consumption and least carbon dioxide emissions. The analysis was conducted by the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology and the associated programs such as; Auto desk Revit 2021 and Auto desk Insight 360, in order to determine the optimal strategies by which the most applicable alternative construction materials and procedures are considered in order to obtain an environmentally and economically sustainable airport terminal buildings. By applying this analysis on Nineveh terminal building in Baghdad International Airport revealed that many alternatives are capable of making tangible reduction in the Energy Use Intensity (EUI). Such reductions are noticed when altering, in the optimum manner, the windows configurations in terms of size, glazing type, and shadings. The alteration of construction materials for walls and roofs also reduces the EUI. It was also found out that the change in lighting control systems and lighting efficiency may reduce EUI. But the major impact could be resulted when altering the Heating/Ventilating/ Air conditioning Systems (HVAC) in the optimum manner which reduces the EUI by 67.15kw/m2/year, and the proper use of photovoltaic panels which provides a sustainable electricity and reduces EUI by 57.08 kWh/m2/year. Accordingly; in the quest of the best procedure to develop a sustainable terminal building, it is highly recommended to alter the HVAC systems and the utilization of the photovoltaic panels on rooftops.

Assessing Strength of Plastic Paving Blocks for Construction of Non-Motorised Transport Facilities.

Walking remains the oldest and most common mode of transport making up a portion if not most or all our daily commute. However, infrastructure developments in our urban areas have a bias towards motorised transport leading to pedestrians and cyclists being the most affected in road incidents. Increasing non-motorised transport facilities in our urban centres would increase levels of walkability, reduce the number of crashes involving non-motorised transport users, reduce traffic congestion, noise and air pollution making them sustainable and more liveable. Three hundred million tonnes of plastic waste are produced annually in the world with Kenya contributing 407,506 tonnes. The waste produced shall continue to increase with increasing population, urbanisation and development. The non-biodegradability of plastic makes proper disposal of plastic waste a menace and due to widespread littering, plastic waste has become a common sight in our urban and rural areas. The conventional materials used for the construction of walkways and cycle lanes, asphalt and concrete are most ideal for the motorised transport pavements. Plastic paving blocks can be affordable, readily available and environmentally friendly making a suitable alternate construction material if adopted. This study assessed the strength of plastic paving blocks for use in the construction of walkways and cycle lanes; by undertaking a tensile strength test according to SANS 1058:2021 on samples provided by Corec Kenya. The samples satisfied all of the strength specifications and from this it can be recommended that the plastic paving blocks can be used on low traffic pavements such as walkways and cycle lanes.

Sustainable Solutions with Geosynthetics and Alternative Construction Materials—A Review

Geosynthetics have proven to provide sustainable solutions for geotechnical and geoenvironmental problems when used with natural materials. Therefore, the expected benefits to the environment when geosynthetics are associated with unconventional or alternative construction materials will be even greater. This paper addresses the use of geosynthetics with wasted materials in different applications. The potential uses of alternative materials such as wasted tires, construction and demolition wastes, and plastic bottles are presented and discussed considering results from laboratory and field tests. Combinations of geosynthetics and alternative construction materials applied to reinforced soil structures, drainage systems for landfills, barriers, and stabilisation of embankments on soft grounds are discussed. The results show the feasibility of such combinations, and that they are beneficial to the environment and in line with the increasing trend towards a circular economy and sustainable development.

Dredged Dam Raw Sediments Geotechnical Characterization for Beneficial Use in Road Construction

The present research work aims to evaluate the feasibility of reusing raw dredged sediments from the Dam of Fergoug (northwestern Algeria) as an alternative material for road construction. These sediments were added to volcanic tuff from the quarry located near the village of Sidi Ali Cherif, in the town of Sig (northwestern Algeria), with contents of 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25% by total weight of tuff. To achieve this goal, sediments were extracted from Fergoug dam and an experimental program was carried out to study the possibility of valorizing these sediments to be used in road construction. The soils were subjected to a series of physical and chemical tests. Their physical properties, including the Atterberg limits, specific gravity, grain size distribution, and organic content were determined according to standard methods. Then, their chemical properties, including pH, elementary chemical composition using the X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and mineralogical composition identified by X-ray diffraction, were obtained by means of standard methods. The first experimental results from the tested formulations demonstrated the feasibility of reusing the valorized dredged sediments in road construction. Afterwards, the modified Proctor and ICBR tests were carried out, and the results obtained turned out to be quite satisfactory.

Transformation of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum to β-CaSO4·0.5H2O whiskers using facile water treatment

A novel way for transformation of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum, an industrial by-product to β-CaSO4·0.5H2O whiskers is investigated for calcium sulfate rich alternative construction material. As the consumption of gypsum products is increasing in construction industry and limited amount of natural gypsum is available, herein facile water treatment is used to generate fine tubular particles by recrystallization and growth of β-CaSO4·0.5H2O without any chemical for the first time. Remarkable properties of FGD gypsum are characterized with mean particle size of 42.875–48.759 µm, bulk density of 1.08–1.21 g/cm3 and specific gravity of 3.06–3.35. XRD, FTIR, WD-XRF, FESEM-EDS and HR-TEM analysis confirm the composition and morphology of the synthesized material. XRD pattern of treated FGD gypsum confirms the presence of highly crystalline β-CaSO4·0.5H2O. FESEM micrographs confirm the micro-needle type morphology with very high aspect ratio of 25:1.Results showed that magnetic stirring improves the removal efficacy of impurities. This study will open the perspective for development of FGD gypsum whiskers with very high aspect ratio and will pave the way for future investigation for a green alternate of natural gypsum for construction applications.

Development and evaluation of a novel geopolymer based on basalt rock waste and ground granulated blast furnace slag

ABSTRACT Increase in industrial and construction activities has led to an enormous rise in waste generation and its hazardous impacts on the environment. Quarrying of rocks and manufacturing of artificial sands for civil engineering projects leads to the dumping of rock waste dust, which is a source of landfill problems. Further, excessive energy requirements for cement manufacturing, higher greenhouse gas emissions and rapid depletion of natural resources have focused the research towards the development of environment friendly and sustainable materials such as geopolymers. In this paper, a novel geopolymer has been developed from industrial wastes such as basalt rock fines considering partial replacement with ground granulated blast furnace slag up to 30%. After a detailed mix-design investigation, the optimum molarity (M) of the sodium hydroxide solution was found to be 8 M whereas the optimum ratio (R) of sodium silicate to sodium hydroxide solution as 0.75. Unconfined compressive strength evaluation showed 7-day strengths up to 34 MPa, comparable to geopolymers based on conventional precursor materials. The scanning electron microscopy imaging of the specimens revealed a dense geopolymer gel formation resulting in a homogeneous microstructure. As a result, this innovative material produced can be used as an alternative, sustainable and cost-effective construction material.

A comparative study on the comminution behavior of diorite rocks

In this article factors that affect the comminution behavior of heterogeneous diorite rocks obtained from two quarry locations in Botswana were investigated. Diorite rocks are in great abundance in Botswana and they are increasingly viewed as a relatively inexpensive and reliable alternative construction material to sustain the infrastructure growth in Botswana. The diorite rock samples collected from both the Central and North-Eastern districts were studied for structural similarities and mineral composition. These two are the main factors that influence material hardness, fracture toughness and particle size distribution (PSD) following breakage, which are important material properties in construction applications (Barry & James, 2016). The aim of the investigation was to comminute and compare the behavior of the rock sample types, under similar experimental conditions in a laboratory jaw crusher as well as in a planetary ball mill. The product PSD was used to theoretically determine and compare power requirements. The experimental results show that the diorite rock sample collected from the central region required 41.58 KWht-1 while the one collected from the north-eastern region required 38.33KWht-1 to fragment from a particle feed in the -50 + 40 mm size range to a product in the -11.2 + 6.3 mm size range, which is a typical construction aggregate size range. The diorite sample collected from the central district was largely characterized by amorphous phase constituents and high silicate/quartz content (12.4%) while the north-eastern diorite was characterized by a high crystalline phase percentage and lower silicate/quartz composition (6.94%). The experimental results show that inherent diorite rock properties play a significant role in determining cost of production and product application in the quarry industry of Botswana.

Evaluating long term properties of concrete using waste beverage glass

In the world, a large volume of glass (beverage, soda-lime, Toughened, float and mirror glass, etc.) is produced for utilizing in the production and manufacturing of versatile articles for harnessing in diverse activities. Out of this huge quantity of glass, a little is recycled and the rest is dumped in open lands. The study aims to produce concrete products that are environment-friendly and it also enlightens the waste glass’s enhanced utilization and its application. Therefore, researchers are growing interest in using glass waste as alternative cement and aggregate construction materials. Therefore, this study characterized the replacement made for cement with the waste beverage glass for various replacements, this characterization was achieved by the produced concrete’s durability properties analysis. For the substitution to cement, different ratios have been adopted by weight 0 to 40 % at 5% intervals. The influence on the mechanical (compression, flexural, and abrasion), water absorption and density, permeability, and strength loss characterization of waste glass concrete are assessed. The substitution dosages provided to the concrete of the glass perform an active role for the concrete characteristics. The experimental investigation reveals some major effects for such beverage glass waste powder replacements that it lowers the density and absorption of water. The reaction of glass waste powder and the hydroxides of calcium ie (Ca(OH)2) is the main reason behind the refinement of the voids, this produces the C-S-H gel termed as hydrates of calcium silicate, and this phenomenon leads to the decrement in the porosity; such reactions are pozzolanic reactions. However, the sulfate resistance of the concrete with an amount of waste glass is higher in terms of compressive strength when the sample is kept in exposer for 90 days.

Production of Light Weight Blocks Using Rice Husk

Affordable housing has remained a major challenge in Nigeria, as housing costs have continued to rise beyond the reach of the low income population. This paper explores the use of waste products like rice husk as alternative materials for housing construction. Rice husk is abundant as a waste product in areas where rice is processed commercially in Southeast Nigeria. The aim of the study is to create rice husk blocks that are cheap, lightweight, and appropriate for use in low income housing construction. The study was conducted through experimentation in the Building Technology workshop of Federal Polytechnic Nekede. A series of trial mixes were done involving a wide range of materials and mix proportions. Rice husk, Portland cement, and cassava starch, were found to be the most appropriate components for the blocks. The blocks produced were of good appearance, and lightweight. Five samples of solid core blocks measuring 150x150x150mm were tested in Strength of Materials laboratory of the Federal University of Technology Owerri. The average compressive strength of the blocks was 0.26N/mm2, which is below the Nigerian Industrial Standard NIS 87:2007. The blocks produced were considered appropriate for use as non-load bearing partitions and not structural walls. The result of the study is promising because the rice husk blocks help address the waste management problem in affected areas, and could also be an important component of a potentially useful material. This paper recommends further research in the area of improving the strength of the blocks, to make them usable as structural components in low rise buildings.

The state of solid waste management for sustainable development in India: Current state and future potential

India now produces the largest garbage globally, which is projected to grow further by 2050 unless immediate action to be taken. During industrial, mining, municipal, agricultural and other activities, significant solid waste volumes are produced yearly. To protect the environment, different trash is recycled and used in value-added applications. In recent years, advancements in solid waste management have led in the creation of alternative construction materials that may be used to replace traditional building materials such as bricks and blocks; tiles and aggregate; ceramics; cement; lime; soils; wood and paint. It is essential to fully document all of the chemical, physical, technical, thermal, mineralogical, and morphologic properties of these waste materials. As a result, the effort should inspire entrepreneurs and building agencies to create new products and methods that utilise all of these wastes as raw materials for secondary industries, thus reducing greenhouse gases and global warming.The objective of this research is to demonstrate the manner in which non-hazardous and hazardous solid wastes are processed, as well as the capacity for recycling. Also, this research studies India's solid waste management problems and proposes possible solutions. Attempts are being made to recycle different waste materials and utilise them in value-added applications to preserve the environment. In order to do this, the study's objective is to conduct a thorough investigation of India's present supply and demand of non-hazardous and hazardous solid wastes, and the possibility of recycling and environmental impact.

Characterization of graphite-epoxy composite electrodes for free electrochemical detection of adenine and guanine in DNA

Graphite-epoxy composites (GECs) are alternative construction materials for electro­chemical sensors. For these materials, the electron transfer rate constant of some redox reaction depends additionally on the stoichiometric relationship between the insulating and conducting phases of the composite. In this work, the influence of dif­fe­rent ratios of araldite/hardener/graphite on the electrochemical properties of GEC electrodes is evaluated for the simultaneous determination of adenine and guanine in the single chain DNA, using the square wave voltammetry technique. Six GEC electro­des were prepared with different ratios of components, and electrochemically charac­terized by cyclic voltammetry in the presence of ferri/ferrocyanide redox couple as a redox probe. GEC electrodes that showed the best electrochemical responses of redox probe were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and used for the simul­taneous determination of free adenine and guanine in a solution, and DNA oligonu­cle­otides. The best results were obtained for GEC electrodes containing twice higher volu­me of araldite resin with respect to the hardener. TGA analysis revealed presence of 15-26 % of resin for these GEC electrodes. The obtained results revealed potential appl­ication of these GEC electrodes as DNA sensors based on the oxidation signal of guanine.

Investigation on thermal properties of rice husk ash-blended palm kernel shell concrete

The contribution of buildings to climate change as a result of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions necessitates the use of agro-industrial by-products as alternative construction materials. The present study examines the thermal properties of Rice husk ash-blended Palm Kernel Shell Concrete (RHA-blended PKSC). Three control concrete mixes with mix ratios of 1:1½:3, 1:2:4 and 1:3:6 using water-to-cement (w/c) ratios of 0.5, 0.6 and 0.7, respectively were made with cement, river sand and granite. For each mix ratio with the respective w/c ratio, five concrete mixes containing RHA fixed at 15% as replacement for cement and PKS at 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100% as replacement for crushed granite were produced. The oven-dry density, compressive strength and thermal properties (thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, volumetric heat capacity and thermal resistivity) were determined. The results showed that the oven-dry density and compressive strength of concrete declined with increasing PKS content. Nevertheless, the compressive strength increased with curing age and the gain in strength of RHA-blended PKSC were higher than the control at the later age. The thermal conductivity and diffusivity decreased with increasing PKS contents but increase with curing age while volumetric heat capacity and thermal resistivity increased as PKS content increases but decreased with curing age. In addition, concrete with 1:3:6 mix ratio exhibited the lowest thermal conductivity and diffusivity but higher volumetric heat capacity and thermal resistivity than those with 1:1½:3, 1:2:4 mix ratios. RHA-blended PKSC with 40% PKS and 15% RHA for 1:1½:3 mix ratio attained the compressive strength and thermal conductivity values recommended for lightweight aggregate concrete which is suitable for structural and insulation purposes. It was concluded that the combined use of PKS and RHA as raw materials in concrete is effective in improving concrete's thermal and insulation properties.

Utilization of granite powder and glass powder in reactive powder concrete: assessment of strength and long-term durability properties

This paper aims to assess the mechanical and long-term durability performance of reactive powder concrete (RPC) containing granite powder (GrP) as cement replacement and waste glass powder (GP) as quartz sand replacement. The workability and mechanical behaviour of RPC containing various proportions of GrP and GP are assessed for different water/binder (w/b) ratios (0.3, 0.35, 0.4, and 0.45). The water resistance and tightness of RPC are measured by monitoring the electrical resistivity, water absorption, sorptivity, and chloride migration over a one-year period. Results reveal that substitution of GrP and GP at optimum levels of 15% and 30% respectively enhances the performance of RPC with the achievement of satisfiable workability at a 0.35 w/b ratio. A significant increase in the resistance towards chloride penetration and electrical resistivity was also observed with increasing ages. Thus, glass powder and granite powder can be considered as alternative construction materials providing economical and ecological efficiency.

Assessment of Workability and Compressive Strength of Rice Husk Ash-Blended Palm Kernel Shell Concrete

The evaluation of agro-industrial by-products as alternative construction materials is becoming more significant as the demand for environmentally friendly construction materials increases. In this study, the workability and compressive strength of concrete produced by combining Palm Kernel Shell (PKS) and Rice Husk Ash (RHA) was investigated. Concrete mixes using a fixed content of 15% RHA as replacement for cement and 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100% PKS as replacement for crushed granite by volume with the mix ratios of 1:1½:3, 1:2:4 and 1:3:6 were produced. The water-to-cement ratios of 0.5, 0.6 and 0.7 were used for the respective mix ratios. Concrete without PKS and RHA served as control mix. The fresh concrete workability was evaluated through slump test. The concrete hardened properties determined were the density and compressive strength. The results indicated that the workability and density of PKSC were lower than control concrete, and they decreased as the PKS content in each mix ratio was increased. The compressive strength of concrete at 90 days decreased from 27.8-13.1 N/mm2, 23.8-8.9 N/mm2and 20.6-7.6 for 1:1½:3, 1:2:4 and 1:3:6, respectively as the substitution level of PKS increased from 0-100%. However, the compressive strength of concrete increased with curing age and the gain in strength of concrete containing RHA and PKSC were higher than the control at the later age. The concrete containing 15% RHA with up to 40% PKS for 1:1½:3 and 20% PKS for 1:2:4 mix ratios satisfied the minimum strength requirements for structural lightweight aggregate concrete (SLWAC) stipulated by the relevant standards. It can be concluded that the addition of 15% RHA is effective in improving the strength properties of PKSC for eco-friendly SLWAC production..

Optimum utilization of ceramic tile waste for enhancing concrete properties

The use of ceramic products (tiles, electrical insulators, sanitary fitting, etc.) in building and structural construction is increasing day by day. Generation of ceramic waste is increased globally due to the fragile nature of ceramic it easily breaks during processing, transportation, and installation. Therefore, researchers are growing interest in using ceramic waste as alternative aggregate materials for construction. While other ceramic product wastes such as sanitary wares and electrical insulators have been extensively investigated, not many findings are available on ceramic wall and floor tiles wastes. Thus, the current study focuses on the mechanical (compression, tensile, flexural, and abrasion) and permeability characterization of waste ceramic wall and floor tiles aggregate concrete. Ceramic tiles were used as crushed coarse aggregate in concrete as a replacement for natural aggregates by the replacement level of 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% 20%, and 25%. From the results, it has been observed that ceramic waste enhances the performance of concrete at a certain level of replacement. Ceramic waste has the potential to use in concrete structures at a certain level of replacement to achieve desirable properties.

Earth as construction material in the circular economy context: practitioner perspectives on barriers to overcome.

The need for a vast quantity of new buildings to address the increase in population and living standards is opposed to the need for tackling global warming and the decline in biodiversity. To overcome this twofold challenge, there is a need to move towards a more circular economy by widely using a combination of alternative low-carbon construction materials, alternative technologies and practices. Soils or earth were widely used by builders before World War II, as a primary resource to manufacture materials and structures of vernacular architecture. Centuries of empirical practices have led to a variety of techniques to implement earth, known as rammed earth, cob and adobe masonry among others. Earth refers to local soil with a variable composition but at least containing a small percentage of clay that would simply solidify by drying without any baking. This paper discusses why and how earth naturally embeds high-tech properties for sustainable construction. Then the potential of earth to contribute to addressing the global challenge of modern architecture and the need to re-think building practices is also explored. The current obstacles against the development of earthen architecture are examined through a survey of current earth building practitioners in Western Europe. A literature review revealed that, surprisingly, only technical barriers are being addressed by the scientific community; two-thirds of the actual barriers identified by the interviewees are not within the technical field and are almost entirely neglected in the scientific literature, which may explain why earthen architecture is still a niche market despite embodying all the attributes of the best construction material to tackle the current climate and economic crisis. This article is part of the theme issue 'The role of soils in delivering Nature's Contributions to People'.

Strength and durability of roller compacted concrete with different types and addition rates of polypropylene fibers

Roller compacted concrete (RCC) is a relatively new alternative construction material that can be used in road and dam constructions by allowing rapid use after production and the use of conventional building materials in production. RCC, which can be produced with low water/cement ratio, is one of the rigid road pavement types and shows similarity to flexible road pavements with the production technique. Different types of fibers such as steel and polypropylene (PP) are used in concrete roads with the aim of preventing cracks, reducing the pavement thickness and increasing the permissible joint gap. In this study, flexural strength, compressive strength, unit weight, water absorption, ultrasonic pulse velocity, modulus of elasticity and freeze-thaw resistance were determined in roller compacted concretes produced by using two different polypropylene-based fibers. In RCC design, fiber addition was insufficient to improve concrete properties in terms of strength and durability. It has been observed that there was a 14.4% reduction in compressive strength with 0.20% fiber inclusion, and a 46.8% reduction in compressive strength with 0.50% fiber inclusion. Polypropylene fiber inclusion increased the water absorption percentages and decreased the specific weights of fiber reinforced roller compacted concretes. However, roller compacted concretes produced with PP-fiber exhibited a good performance under freeze-thaw attack.

Ternary Blended Geo-Polymer Concrete – A Review

The manufacturing of ordinary Portland cement produces carbon di oxide which is responsible for global warming. Geopolymer concrete in the field of construction leads to economic sustainability and reduces adverse effects on environment. Geopolymers are inorganic polymers obtained from chemical reaction between an alkaline activator’s solution and an alumina-silicate material without using cement. Alkali activators are Homogeneous mixture consisting of two (NaOH and Na2SO3) or more chemicals in different proportions are highly corrosive and difficult to handle. There are still some limitations with respect to the alkaline activators in geopolymer concrete. To overcome ordinary portland cement, many wastes materials such as Silica-fume, GGBS, fly ash etc. have been used in recent studies to create eco-friendly cements by geo-polymerization reactions. Geopolymers are economic & good alternative construction material in making concrete This review paper briefly explains on previous literatures, properties, materials of geopolymer concrete, testing and practical applications of geopolymer concrete.

Ways of reduction of environmental risks of slag heaps of metallurgical enterprises, Ukraine

The purpose of this work is a quantitative assessment of the level of reduction of environmental risks of slag heaps of metallurgical enterprises with the use of metallurgical slag as an alternative road construction material.Methods. Quantitative analysis of the emergence of the risk of environmental hazard is carried out in accordance with the "Methodology for determining the risks and their adopted levels for the declaration of safety of objects of high danger", which determines the procedure for conducting a hazard analysis and risk assessment of high-risk objects, which is carried out through the definition of the probability of undesirable consequences of accidents on based scripts for their emergence and development. For the risk assessment, a logical-probabilistic hazard response scheme in the form of a "failure tree" is constructed and analyzed, which is a form of an ordered graphical representation of the logical-probabilistic connection of random events that results in an undesirable result. The calculation of road surface design with alternative road-building materials is carried out in accordance with the VBN V.2.3-218-186-2004 "Construction of vehicles. Non-rigid type of road clothes" taking into account the requirements of the GBN V.2.3-218-007: 2012 "Environmental requirements for highways Designing".Results. To determine the main causes of environmental hazards in the dumps of metallurgical combines and the nature of their impact on the environment, a tree of problems has been constructed that allows us to determine the main causes of a high level of environmental hazard and the emergence of hazardous situations, namely, the large volumes of metallurgical waste stored on the territory of dumps. For the dumps around the steel mills in Mariupol a "tree of failure" was built and the probability of occurrence of an ecologically dangerous situation or an accident which is connected with places of storage of metallurgical deposits of PJSC "Azovstal Iron and Steel Works" and PJSC "Mariupol Iron and Steel Works named after Ilyich" is calculated. The risk of the risk of storing slags in the dumps of metallurgical combines of the occurrence of the main event is 0.636. The main environmental hazards are the amount of slag and slag dust in the dump area. Design of road clothing with the use of metallurgical slags. The content of metallurgical slag in the proposed designs of the DO reaches 25 ... 32%. The use of metallurgical slags, which are low-toxic waste, that is, waste of Class IV hazard, in road construction will reduce the level of existing environmental risk, provided the metallurgical slags of consumer properties.Scientific novelty. As a result of the performed research, an effective approach to reduce the environmental risks of slag heats of steel mills was identified through the use of large volumes of slag as an alternative road construction material. The design of road clothing for the construction of roads of different categories and the level of reduction of the ecological risk of the dump impact on the environment and health of the population of the region are determined.Practical significance. The practical application of the proposed approach was made for slag heaps of the metallurgical combines of Mariupol (Ukraine). The level of ecological safety of the region by reducing the amount of metallurgical slags can be increased by 27-30%, which will allow the company to obtain a total ecological and economic effect in the amount of 1.22 million UAH.

Analysis of Coconut Shell Concrete in the Sandwich Beam using ANSYS

SCS consists of a layer of unreinforced concrete core, sandwiched between two relatively thin steel plates with novel enhanced C-channel connectors. Compared to C-channel connectors, ECs directly link the two external steel faceplates. The cost of traditional materials used in the concrete is the major factor which increases the cost of constructions, so it is necessary to research for alternative construction materials. In this project, the concrete core is used as the coconut shell concrete. Coconut Shell is a waste, generated by industrial and agricultural processes, and has created disposal and management problems that pose serious issues of environmental pollution. The first objective is to analyze the composite properties at 0%, 10%, 20% and 30% of coconut shell in the sandwich beam using rules of mixture . The Rules of Mixture is an analytical equations that are used to calculate the composite properties of the material. Then analyze the effect of coconut shell sandwich beam in ANSYS software. Also compare the conventional sandwich beam and coconut shell sandwich beam. Analyze the strength and decaying of coconut shell sandwich beam using ANSYS.