USE OF COCONUT SHELL AS A PARTIAL REPLACEMENT FOR AGGREGATE

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Infrastructure development across the world created demand for huge amount of
construction material. Concrete is premiere civil engineering material. Concrete
manufacturing involves cement, aggregate, water and admixture. Among all these ingredients,
aggregate forms the major parts. Resources for the aggregates are also exhausting very
rapidly. So there is a need to find alternative for the aggregate. In this project coconut shell is
used as a partial replacement for course aggregate. The behavior of concrete is studied by
partially replacing the aggregate with coconut shell which is a waste product. The
experimental work mainly concern with the study of mechanical properties like compressive
strength, split tensile strength and as well as flexural strength of concrete by partial
replacement of coarse aggregate by coconut shell. Tests will be carried out on cubes and
beams to study the mechanical properties of concrete using coconut shell and results will be
compared with normal concrete with natural aggregate.

Coconut is grown in more than 93 countries. India is the third largest having
cultivation on area of about 1.78 million hector. Annual production is about 7562 million nuts
with an average of 5295 nuts per hectors. The coconut industry in India accounts for over a
quarter of the world’s total coconut oil output and is set to grow further with the global
increase in demand. However, it is also the main contributor to the nation’s pollution problem
as a solid waste in the form of shells, which involves and an annual production of
approximately 3.18 million tones.

Coconut shell represents more than 60% of the domestic waste volume. Coconut shells
which present serious disposal problems of local environment are an abundantly available
agriculture waste from local coconut industries. These wastes can be used as potential
material or replacement material in construction industry. This will have double advantage of
reduction in the cost of construction material and also as a means of disposal of wastes. A part
from its use in production of fiber-roofing material, the other possibility of using coconut
shell as an aggregate in concrete production has not been given any serious attention.

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 USE OF COCONUT SHELL AS A PARTIAL REPLACEMENT FOR AGGREGATE

In developed countries, the construction industries have identified many artificial and
natural lightweight aggregate that have replaced conventional aggregate thereby reducing the
size of structural member. This has brought immerse change in the development of high rise
structures using light weight concrete. However, I n Asia the construction industry is yet to
utilize the advantage of light weight concrete in the construction of high rise structure.
Coconut shell are not commonly used in the construction industry but are obtained dumped as
agriculture waste.

Following a normal growth in population, the amount and type of waste materials
have increased accordingly. Many of the non-decaying waste materials will remain in the
environment for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. The non-decaying waste materials
cause a waste disposal crisis, thereby contributing to the environmental problems. However,
the environmental impact can be reduced by making more sustainable use of this waste. This
is known as the Waste Hierarchy. Its aim is to reduce, reuse, or recycle waste, the latter being
the preferred option of waste disposal. So in this project, coconut shell is being used as
construction material which helps to use one of the waste products and reduce solid waste to
some extent along with cost optimization of the one of the important construction element that
is the concrete.

Objectives of Study:

1. Use of waste material for preparing a concrete.

2. To prepare light weight concrete by using coconut shell as a replacement for coarse
aggregate

3. To find the economical solution for high cost construction material.

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Chapter 2

Literature Review
Following papers have been studied regarding our title of project.

1) Coconut Shell As a Partial Replacement for Coarse Aggregate.

( by Mr. Akhsay ShelkeandKalyani Ninghot)

In this paper it has been studied that the use of structural grade light weight concrete
reduce considerably the self-load of a structure and permit larger precast units to be handled.
The concrete with ground coconut shell was found to be durable in terms of its resistance in
water, acidic, alkaline and salty. Density of coconut shell is in the range of 550-650 kg/cum.
And these are within the specified limits for light weight aggregate. The characteristics
properties of concrete such as compressive strength, impact resistance, bond strength and split
tensile strength using the mix made by replacing coarse aggregate with crushed coconut shell
aggregate were reviewed in the present work.

The coconut shell being a hard and not easily degrade material if crushed to size of
sand can be potential material to substitute sand. At present, coconut shell has also been burnt
to produce charcoal and activated carbon for food and carbonated drink and filtering mineral
water use. The chemical composition of coconut shell is similar to wood. It contains 33.61%
cellulose, 36.51% lignin, and ash at 0.61%.

They found out the solution for reducing the high cost construction material and
preparing light weight concrete by using coconut shell as coarse aggregate. Coconut shell
exhibits more resistance against crushing, impact and abrasion, compared to crushed granite
aggregate. Coconut shell can be grouped under lightweight aggregate. Coconut shell is
compatible with the cement. The 28-day air-dry densities of coconut shell aggregate concrete
are less than 2000 kg/m3 and these are within the range of structural lightweight concrete.

It has been concluded that it increase the speed of construction, enhance green
construction environment we can use lightweight concrete. The possibility exists for the
partial replacement of coarse aggregate with coconut shell to produce lightweight concrete.
There is no need to treat the coconut shell before using it as an aggregate except for water
absorption. Coconut shell is compatible with the cement

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 USE OF COCONUT SHELL AS A PARTIAL REPLACEMENT FOR AGGREGATE

2)Light weeght Concrete Using Coconut Sells as Aggregate

(By Mr. K.Gunasekaran and Mr. P. Kumar) (2008)
Concrete is the widely used as number one structural material in the world today. The
demand to make this material lighter has been the subject of study that has challenged
scientists and engineers alike. The challenge in making a lightweight concrete is decreasing
the density while maintaining strength and without adversely affecting cost. Introducing new
aggregates into the mix design is a common way to lower a concrete’s density. Normal
concrete contains four components, cement, crushed stone, river sand and water. The crushed
stone and sand are the components that are usually replaced with lightweight aggregates.
Some of the lightweight aggregates used for lightweight concrete productions are pumice,
perlite, expanded clay or vermiculite, coal slag, sintered fly ash, rice husk, straw, sawdust,
cork granules, wheat husk, oil palm shell, and coconut shell.

Aggregates provide volume at low cost, comprising 66 percent to 78 percent of the

concrete. The fresh concrete properties such as density and slump and 28-day compressive
strength of a lightweight concrete made with coconut shell as coarse aggregate also presented.
The findings indicated that water absorption of the coconut shell aggregate was high about 24
% but the crushing value and impact value was comparable to that of other lightweight
aggregates. The average fresh concrete density and 28-day cube compressive strength of the
concrete using coconut shell aggregate were 1975 kg/m3 and19.1 N/mm2 respectively. It is
concluded that crushed coconut shells are suitable when it is used as substitute for
conventional aggregates in lightweight concrete production. The use of alternative aggregate
has become necessity for the construction industry because of the economic, environmental
and technological benefits derived from their use. This will have the double advantage of
reduction in the cost of construction material and also as a means of disposal of
wastes.Following are the tests and conclusions they have recorded.

The average moisture content and water absorption of the crushed coconut shell were found to
be 4.20 % and 24.00 % respectively. The CS aggregates have higher water absorption because
of higher porosity in its’ shell structure.

The aggregate impact value and aggregate crushing value of CS aggregates were much
lower compared to the crushed stone aggregate, which indicates that these aggregates have
good Absorbance to shock.The specific gravity under SSD condition of CS and crushed
granite was found to be 1.05 and 2.82 respectively.

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The fresh concrete density and 28-day hardened concrete density using coconut shell
were found to be in the range between 1975 -2110 kg/m3 and 1880 - 1930 kg/m3 respectively.
The 28-day compressive strength of the concrete using coconut shell aggregate was found to
be 19.1 N/mm2 under full water curing and it satisfies the requirement for structural
lightweight concrete. It should, however, further investigations are required before it can be
used as a building material.

3)Experimental Study on Partial Replacement of Cement With Coconut Shell In

Concrete

(By Vignette Kumar Natarajan)(2014)

Concrete is widely used as construction material for various types of structures due to
its durability. For a long time it was considered to be very durable material requiring a little or
no maintenance. Utilization of industrial soil waste or secondary materials has been
encouraged in construction field for the production of cement and concrete because it
contributes to reducing the consumption of natural resources. They have been successfully
used in the construction industry for partial or full replacement for fine and coarse aggregates.
The composition of World Cement Consumption in the year 2010 is 3,313 Million Metric
Tons. Among that 7.0% in India, 57.7% in China, 9.4% in Developed Countries, 25.9% in
Other Emerging. The composition of Coconut Production in India in the year 2009 is
10,894,000 tones. Traditional areas of coconut cultivation are the states of Kerala (45.22%),
Tamil Nadu (26.56%), Karnataka (10.85%) and Andhra Pradesh (8.93%).

These tests and properties are they checked Ordinary Portland Cement (53 Grade),
Fine Aggregate,Water, Coarse Aggregate, Coconut Shell Ash these materials are used in the
project work. Taking the tests on the cement like a setting time, soundness, fineness, strength,
compressive strength tensile strength and flexural These strengths can be affected by a
number of items including: water cement ratio, cement-fine aggregate ratio, type and grading
of fine aggregate, curing conditions, size and shape of specimen, loading conditions and age.

Many works have been devoted to use of other natural fillers in composites in the
recent past years and coconut shell filler is a potential candidate for the development of new
composites because they have high strength and modulus properties along with the added
advantage of high lignin content. The high lignin content makes the composites made with
these filler more weather resistant and hence more suitable for application as construction
materials. Coconut shell flour is also extensively used to make products like furnishing

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materials, Rope etc. The shells also absorb less moisture due to its low cellulose content the
report focuses on studying the effectiveness of coconut shell particles as a source of natural
material for reinforcing epoxy resins towards their flexural properties.

The name given to the operation of dividing a sample of aggregate into various
fractions, each consisting of particles of the same size. The sieve analysis is conducted to
determine the particle size distribution in a sample of aggregate, which we call gradation. The
aggregate used for making concrete are normally of the maximum size 80mm, 40mm, 20mm,
10mm, 4.75mm,2.36mm, 600micron, 300micron, 150micron and 75micron.In the IS and AST
standards, the sieve sizes are given in times of the number of openings per inch is equal to the
square of the number of sieves. In the IS460-1962, the sieves are designed by size of the
aperture in mm. results.

Test name 0% added 30% added

Setting time, Initial 65mins 326mins
Setting time, Final 83mins 442mins
Compressive strength 7days 13.78 6.45
14days 18.82 8.67
21days 34.22 13.11
4)Comparative Study Of Concrete Properties Using Coconut Shell And Palm Kernel
Shell As Coarse Aggregates .

(Mr. Olanipekun and O. Ata)(2007)

It was concluded that the cuss were more suitable as low strength giving lightweight
aggregate when used to replace common coarse aggregate in concrete production. The main
objective is to encourage the use of these seemingly waste products as construction materials
in low-cost housing .it is also expect to serve the purpose of encouraging housing develops in
investing in house construction incorporating these materials. Two nominal mix
ratios1:1:2and1:2:4 involving crushed, granular coconut and poses as substitutes for gravel in
gradation of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%and100% were used in each case. Test applied to the
sample

The physical properties-moisture content, water absorption capacity, durability,

density and specific gravity of the cost and pokes. The unit weight and the specific gravity of
the shells are 1738kg/co. And1.74 respectively, for cuss. The cuss can therefore be classified
as lightweight aggregates, the cuss having higher density and specific gravity. The hardness of
the cuss measured by the durability test using the Los Angeles abrasion method. The test

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results indicated high values of 98.6%.the production of concrete intended for floors and
pavements expected to be subject to heavy human traffic.

The results of the comparative cost analysis .the result showed that between 30% and
42% cost reduction could be achieved if concrete is produced with coconut and pokes coarse
aggregate however it is cheaper to produce concrete from pokes than coconut shell And
concluded that generally the compressive strength of the concrete decreased as the percentage
shell substitution increased. The CSC exhibited a higher compressive strength than PKSC
appears to be cheaper. It could reasonably be concluded that cuss would be more suitable than
pass when used as substitute for conventional aggregates in concrete production

5)Compression of Mechanical and Bond properties of oil palmkernel shell concrete with
normal weight concrete

(MR. Johnson Alengaram)(2008)

The compression of the ,mechanical and bond properties of grade 30 lightweight

concrete, namely oil palm kernel shell concrete with normal weight concrete of similar
strength is presented in this paper.

Testing of specimens

Workability and density tests: slump and flow table tests were used to measure the
workability of concrete.Mechanical properties tests: Cube compression test. The load was
applied at a constant rate of 0.25MPa/s on the specimen by a testing machine.

The Oil Palm Kernel Shell Concrete produced a density reduction of about 20% and
high workability compared to NWC. The reaction between silica fume and calcium hydroxide
that was liberated due to hydration of cement enhanced the compressive strength, thus
OPKSC produced compressive strength increase of up to 85% compared to previously
reported values. The modulus of elasticity of Oil Palm Kernel Shell Concrete was found
between 50-98% higher than the previously reported values. It can be concluded that the
addition of 105 silica fume.

6)The Mechanical and bond properties of coconut shell concrete

By (Mr. K. Gunsekaran And Mr. P. Kumar)(2011)

The properties of concrete using coconut shell as coarse aggregate were investigated is
an experimental study. Compressive, splitting tensile strength, impact resistance and bond
strength were measured and compared with the theoretical values as recommended by the

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standard. For the selected mix, two different water –cement ratio have been considered to
study the effect on the flexural were determined through pull –out test. Coconut shell concrete
can be classified under structural lightweight concrete.

Test applied to the sample are Flexural strength test, Splitting tensile strength test

The test results has been The flexural strength is usually 10-15% of compressive
strength.In concrete with conventional aggregate, the failure in tension occurs as a result of
breaking of bond between the matrix and the surface of the aggregate used or by fracture of
the concrete matrix itself.Compressive strength and flexural strength depend to some extent
on the physical strength of conventional aggregates.The splitting tensile strength of coconut
shell at 28 days is presented in the selected mixes.

It has been concluded that Coconut shell concrete has better workability because of the
smooth surface on one side of the shell and size of coconut shell used in this study. The 28
days in dry densities of concrete of the typical mixes ranged from 1930 kg/cub. M and these
are with range of structural light weight concrete of density less than 2000 kg/cu. M. The
experiment prove that coconut shell fulfill the requirements for us as light weight aggregate.

7) Experimental Study On Strength Characteristic On M 25Concrete With Partial

Replacement Of Cement With Coarse Aggregate With Coconut Shell.

By (Miss. R. nagalakshmi.)

Examine the strength characteristics such as compressive strength split tensile strength
and flexural strength of concrete mix are found for 7 days, 14 days, 28 days, 56 days of curing
period and result are analyzed and compared with the regular mix.

Test applied on the sample are Slump cone test and Compaction factor test

The results of tests are has been Slump and compaction factor test were tested when
the concrete in fresh state.The cubes, cylinder and beams were tested for compressive
strength, split tensile strength and flexural strength.These test carried out at the age of 7 days,
28 days and 56 days.

They has been Concluded that The Slump of the concrete increased as the percentage
of coconut slump increase and decrease in compression in with conventional concrete. The
compaction factor increased as percentage of coconut shell increases and increases in
compression with conventional concrete.The specific gravity of coconut shell is as compared
to the coarse aggregate and water absorption is high for coconut shell than coarse aggregate

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and hence the strength decreased in comparison with the conventional concrete. The specific
gravity of coconut shell is low as compared to the coarse aggregate and the water absorption
is high for coconut shell than coarse aggregate.

8)The Exploratory Study Of Periwinkle Shell As Coarse Aggregate In Concrete Works.

(Mr. A. P. AdewuyiAnd T. Adegoke)(2010)

Theses paper reports the exploratory a suitable of the periwinkle as partial or full
replacement for granite in concrete works. Physical and chemical properties of periwinkle
shells and crushed granite were determined and compared.

Properties of aggregate are Workability, compressive strength, Density of specimens,

Cost analysis.

Result and conclusion the test are The chemical properties of periwinkle shell were not
considered.Characteristic shape factor of the periwinkle shell used in the experiment.The
strength of periwinkle shell concrete is determined based on the properties of the shell and
various percentage replacement. Concrete having up to 50% periwinkle shells inclusion and
still be regarded as weight concrete.Saving of about 14.8% and 17.5% can be achieved by
adopting 35.4% and 42.5% periwinkle inclusion for 1:2:4 and 1:3:6 concrete mixes
respectively

9)TheBarley Husk And Coconut Shell Reinforced Polypropylene Composites: The Effect
Of Fiber Physical, Chemical And Surface Properties.

By (Mr. Andrzej and Mr. Abdullah)(2009)

The main objective of this research was to study the potential of grain by-product such as
barley husk & coconut shell as reinforcement for thermoplastic as an alternative or together
with wood fibers. Thermal degradation characteristics of those fibers were studied to
investigate the feasibility of these fibers to the processing point of view .the particle
morphology and particle size was investigation by scanning electron fibers as reinforcement.
The chemical composition and surface chemistry of those fibers were also determined to
evaluate its importance in determining the end –use properties of composites. Polypropylene
composites were fabricated using a high speed mixer followed by injection molding with
40% of fiber load. Tensile and chirpy impact strength of resulting composites were
investigated .There are fallowing property are below thermal property, physical properties,

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chemical content, elementary analysis, Fourier-transform processing,characterization of

composites.This study inspected the feasibility of utilizing of grain by –products such as
barley husk and coconut shell as alternative fillers for the following conclusion could be
drawn as barley husk and coconut shell. The following conclusion could be drawn as shell
are thermally stable at temperature as high as 235oC and195oC respectively, which compares
with soft wood fiber, which is thermally stable up to a temperature of 245 _C. Structural
materials(cellulose, starch) content in barley husk is 50% and in coconut shell is 34%. Both
fibers (coconut shell and barley husk) showed carbon rich on their surface in compared with
soft wood fiber .Coconut shell contained more inorganic compounds on the surfer ethane
barley husk. Barley husk reinforced composites showed 10%better tensile strength than soft
wood composites. Coconut shell and barley husk composites showed 80% and 40% better
elongation.

10)The Sustainable Management OfWaste Coconut Shells As Aggregates In Concrete

Mixture. By (Mr. .Tomas and Mr. Gairn) (2010)

This study focuses on generating product using agricultural waste as well develop an
alternative construction material that will lessen the social and environmental issues. It also
paved the way to the recognition of using coconut shells and Fiber as substitute for aggregates
in developing concrete hollow blocks. This paper presents the result on the Workability and
compressive strength of concrete containing various percentage of coconut shell content as
partial Aggregate replacement. Workability test and compressive strength test were conducted
in accordance to ASTM C136 and ASTM C137 respectively.

Results showed that replacement of appropriate coconut shell content able to produce
workable concrete with satisfactory strength. Integration of coconut shell enhanced the
strength of concrete making this early study found that addition of coconut shell as partial
aggregate replacement reduces the concrete workability owing to its shape and rougher
texture. However, it is interesting to note that replacement of natural coarse aggregate by
coconut shell resulted in the increase of compressive strength compared to conventional
concrete mixture. Nevertheless, integration of too much of coconut shell produces harsher
mix which causes difficulties to produce dense concrete thus disrupts the strength
performance

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11)Comparison On Pore Development Of Activated Carbon Produced From Palm Shell

And Coconut Shell.

By(Mr. Wan Daud and Mr .Wan Ali)

The various materials are used to produce activated carbon and some of the most
commonly used agriculture waste such as coconut shell. And using the methods for estimating
the type of pores present in a solid is by analyzing the isotherm curve. Are the main objective
of this research was to study the potential of grain by-product such as volume being
represented by pores of radius of less than 1 mm.

The graph of activation time versa burn off for both palm shell char and coconut shell
char .Both material exhibit an linear correction between activation time and burn-off the

gradient of the gradient of the curve represent the activated rate .The isotherm curves at
difference burn-off for palm-shell-based activated carbon property.

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Chapter 3

METHODOLOGY

1. Concrete will be prepared using Coconut Shell as a partial replacement of coarse

aggregate which will be studied and analyzed.
2. As per IS-456 2000 mix designs for M25 and M30 grade of concrete will be casted.
3. The Coconut Shell willbeused in percentage of 20%, 40% and 60% by weight of
coarse aggregate.
4. The mixture will be prepared and three standard cubes of 150*150*150 mm and beam
of dimensions 150*150*600 mm are casted for each mix grade.
5. After curing for 24hrs the samples will be demoulded and subjected to mechanical
properties such as compressive strength test,flexural strength and tensile split test for
7, 14 and 28 days.
6. The above test results will be compared with standard concrete of M25 and M30 and
also the cost comparison of the concrete replaced by Coconut Shell with standard
concrete will be done.

CASTING OF CONCRETE CUBES, CYLINDERS AND BEAMS

The test moulds are kept ready before preparing the mix. Tighten the bolts of the moulds
carefully because if bolts of themoulds are not kept tight the concrete slurry coming out of
themould when vibration takes place. Then moulds are cleaned andoiled on all contact
surfaces of the moulds and place the mouldson vibrating table. The concrete is filled into
moulds in layers andthen vibrated. The top surface of concrete is struck off level witha
trowel. The number and date of casting are put on the topsurface of the cubes, cylinders
and moulds.

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3.1 Cement
Cement must develop the appropriate strength. It must represent the appropriate rheological
behaviour. Generally same types of cements have quite different rheological and strength
characteristics, particularly when used in combination with admixtures and supplementary
cementing materials.

Sr.no. Parameter Test results

1 Normal Consistency 28%
2 Fineness of cement (%) 6
3 Specific Gravity 3.148
4 Initial setting time 70mins
5 Final setting time 300mins
6 Compressive strength of
cement at7days – 17N/mm2
28days - 22.8N/mm2

3.2 Fine aggregate

Fine aggregate normally consists of natural, crushed, or manufactured sand. Natural sand is
the usual component for normal weight concrete. In some cases, manufactured light weight
particles used for lightweight concrete and mortar. Themaximum grain size and size
distribution of the fine aggregate depends on the type of product being made.

Sr.no. Parameter Test results

1 Specific gravity 2.605
2 Fineness modulus 2.465
3 Bulk density(Kg/M3)
Loose 1488.89
Compacted 1600

3.3 Coarse aggregate

As coarse aggregates in concrete occupy 35 to 70% of the volume of the concrete. It may be
proper to categories the properties into two groups: exterior features (maximum size, particle
shape, textures) and interior quality (strength, density, porosity, hardness, elastic modulus,
chemical mineral composition etc.). Smaller sized aggregates produce higher concrete
strength. Particle shape and texture affect the workability of fresh concrete. The transition
zone between cement paste and coarse aggregates, rather than the properties of the coarse
aggregates itself. Usually an aggregate with specific gravity more than 2.55 and absorption
less than 1.5% (except for light weight aggregates) can be regarded as being of good quality.
Where aggregates strength is higher, concrete strength is also higher.

Sr.no. Parameter Test results

1 Specific gravity 2.75

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2 Fineness modulus 8.625

3 Water absorption (%) 0.15
4 Bulk density(Kg/M3)
Loose 1525.92
Compacted 1659.20

3.4 Coconut shell

The physical properties of coconut shell are shown below table.

S.no. Paramete Test results

r
1 Specific gravity 1.33
2 Water absorption (%) 25
3 Bulk density(Kg/M3)
Loose 592.59
Compacted 800

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CHAPTER 4
TESTS AND RESULTS
4.1 Slump cone test
The slump test is the most commonly used method. Consistency is a term very closely related
to workability. It is aterm which describes the state of fresh concrete. It is used for the
determination of the consistency of freshly mixed concrete, where the maximum size of the
aggregate does not exceed 38 mm. The slump test is suitable for slumps of medium to high
workability, slump in the range of 25 – 125 mm; the test fails to determine the difference in
workability in stiff mixes which have zero slumps, or for wet mixes that give a collapse
slump. It refers to the ease with which the concrete flows. It is used to indicate the degree of
wetness. Workability of concrete is mainly affected by consistency i.e. wetter mixes will be
more workable than drier mixes, but concrete of the same consistency may vary in
workability. It is also used to determine consistency between individual batches. The
apparatus used for conducting the slump test consists of slump cone or Abrams cone with
handles and foot pieces. The size of the slump cone is 20-cm diameter base, 10 cmdiameter
top and 30 cm height. Foot pieces can be fixed to the clamps on the base plate. The base plate
has lifting handle for easy transportation. One graduated steel tamping rod 16 mm diameter x
600 mm long rounded at one end graduated in mm. The internal surface of the mould is
thoroughly cleaned and free from moisture and adherence of any old set concrete before
commencing the test. The mould should be placed on smooth surface. Oil is applying on
internal surface of the mould and applies the smooth surface where the mould is placed. The
types of slump are as follows.
Collapse: In a collapse slumps the concrete collapses completely.
Shear: In a shear slump the top portion of the concrete shears offand slips sideways.
True: In a true slump the concrete simply subsides, keeping moreor less to shape

S.no Slump(mm)
.
1 Conventional mix 80
2 Mix 1 35
3 Mix 2 42
4 Mix 3 48
Compaction factor
1 Conventional mix 0.920
2 Mix 1 0.924
3 Mix 2 0.927
4 Mix 3 0.931
4.2 Compaction factor test
Compacting factor of fresh concrete is done to determine the workability of fresh concrete by
compacting factor test as per IS: 1199 – 1959. This test gives behavior of concrete under the
action of external forces. If measures the compatibility of concrete, by measuring the amount
of compaction. This test is suitable for mixes having medium and low workability’s i.e.
compaction factor in between 0.91 to 0.81, but is not suitable for concretes with very low
workability’s, thecompaction factor below 0.71. The apparatus, which is commercially
available, consist of a rigid frame that supports two conical hoppers vertically aligned above
each other and mounted above a cylinder. The top hopper is slightly larger than the bottom
hopper, while the cylinder is smaller in volume than both hoppers. To perform the test, the top
hopper is filled with concrete but not compacted. The door on the bottom of the top hopper is
opened and the concrete is allowed to drop into the lower hopper. Once all of the concrete has
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fallen from the top hopper, the door on the lower hopper is opened to allow the concrete to
fall to the bottom cylinder. A tamping rod can be used to force especially cohesive concretes
through the hoppers. The excess concrete is carefully struck off the top of the cylinder and the
mass of the concrete in the cylinder is recorded. This mass is compared to the mass of fully
compacted concrete in the same cylinder achieved with hand rodding or vibration. The
compaction factor is defined as the ratio of the mass of the concrete compacted in the
compaction factor apparatus to the mass of the fully compacted concrete. The standard test
apparatus, described above, is appropriate for maximum aggregate sizes of up to 20 mm. A
larger apparatus is available for concretes with maximum aggregate sizes of up to 40 mm. The
compaction factor test gives more information (that is, about compactability) than the slump
test. The test is a dynamictest and thus is more appropriate than static tests for
highlythixotropic concrete mixtures.

4.3 TESTS FOR CONCRETE

4.3.1 Test for Compressive strength of concrete cubes
To calculate the compressive strength of concrete cubesthe universal testing machine (UTM)
having capacity of 300tonnewas used. In this test the strength obtained in tonne. Themeasured
compressive strength of the specimen shall becalculated by dividing the maximum load
applied to the specimenduring the test by the cross sectional area calculated from
meandimensions of the section and shall be expressed to the nearestN/mm2.Out of many test
applied to the concrete, this is theutmost important which gives an idea about all the
characteristicsof concrete. By this single test one judge that whether Concretinghas been done
properly or not. For cube test two types ofspecimens either cubes of 15 cm X 15 cm X 15 cm
or 10cm X 10cm x 10 cm depending upon the size of aggregate are used. Formost of the
works cubical moulds of size 15 cm x 15cm x 15 cmare commonly used. These specimens are
tested by compressiontesting machine after 7 days curing, 14 days curing, 28 dayscuring and
56 days curing. Load should be applied gradually atthe rate of 140 kg/cm2 per minute till the
Specimens fails. Load at
the failure divided by area of specimen gives the compressivestrength of concrete.

Calculations:
Compressive strength = Maximum load/ Area= P/A

Compressive strength test results

Particulars 7days 14days 28days 56days
Conventional 25.04 28.74 33.33 35.41
10%CS 23.11 26.78 30.78 32.11
20%CS and 21.74 24.78 28.11 30.33
30%CS and 19.74 23.03 26.59 28.78

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 USE OF COCONUT SHELL AS A PARTIAL REPLACEMENT FOR AGGREGATE

4.3.2 Test for Split tensile strength of concretecylinders

As we know that the concrete is weak in tension.Tensile strength is one of the basic and
important properties of theconcrete. The concrete is not usually expected to resist the
directtension because of its low tensile strength and brittle nature.However, the determination
of tensile strength of concrete isnecessary to determine the load at which the concrete
membersmay crack. The cracking is a form of tension failure. Theusefulness of the splitting
cube test for assessing the tensilestrength of concrete in the laboratory is widely accepted
andthe usefulness of the above test for control purposes in thefield is under investigation. The
standard has been preparedwith a view to unifying the testing procedure for this type oftest for
tensile strength of concrete. The load at which splittingof specimen takes place shall then be
recorded. The universaltesting machine (UTM) having capacity of 150tonne was used forthe
splitting tensile strength of the concrete cylinders.
Calculations:
The split tensile strength of the specimen calculated from thefollowing formula
Tsp = (2P/ (πdL))
Where
P= maximum load in tonne
L= length of the specimen
d= diameter of width of the specimen
Final values are adopted from using standard deviation.
Split Tensile Strength (N/mm2)
7days 14days 28days 56days
Conventional 2.310 2.68 3.39 3.58
10%CS 2.130 2.48 3.16 3.30
20%CS 1.98 2.33 2.94 3.08
30%CS 1.80 2.17 2.76 2.89
4.3.3 Test for Flexural strength of concrete beams
For this test the beams of dimension100mmX100mmX500mm were casted. Flexural strength,
alsoknown as modulus of rupture, bend strength, or fracture strength,[dubious – discuss]
amechanical parameter for brittle material, isdefined as a material's ability to resist
deformation under load.The transverse bending test is most frequently employed, inwhich a
rod specimen having either a circular or rectangularcross-section is bent until fracture using a
three point flexural testtechnique. The flexural strength represents the highest
stressexperienced within the material at its moment of rupture. Thebeam tests are found to be
dependable to measure flexuralstrength.The value of the modulus of rupture depends on
thedimensions of the beam and manner of loading. In thisinvestigation, to find the flexural
strength by using third pointloading. In symmetrical two points loading the critical crack
mayappear at any section not strong enough to resist the stress with inthe middle third, where
the banding moment is maximum.Flexural modulus of rupture is about 10 to 20 percent
ofcompressive strength depending on the type, size and volume ofcoarse aggregate used.
Calculations:
Fb= PL/ bd2
Where
b= width in cm of specimen
d= depth in cm of specimen at point of failure
L= length in cm of specimen on which specimen was supported
P= maximum load in kg applied to specimen
Final values are adopted using standard deviations.

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 USE OF COCONUT SHELL AS A PARTIAL REPLACEMENT FOR AGGREGATE

Flexural Strength (N/mm2)

7day 14day 28day 56days
s s s
Conventiona 7.1 7.67 8.67 8.83
l
10%CS 6.38 6.8 7.9 8.3
6
20%CS 5.78 6.35 7.17 7.7
8
30%CS 5.33 5.78 6.78 7.13

4.4RESULTS
The mix proportion for M25 is 1: 1.18: 2.86 and W/Cratio of 0.44 was casted. Slump and
compaction factor tests weretested when the concrete in fresh state. The cubes, cylinders
andbeams were tested for compressive strength, split tensile strengthand flexural strength.
These tests were carried out at the age of 7days, 14 days, 28 days and 56 days.

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 USE OF COCONUT SHELL AS A PARTIAL REPLACEMENT FOR AGGREGATE

CHAPTER 5
CONCLUSIONS

The following conclusions can be drawn from the experimentalinvestigation carried out
1. The slump of the concrete increased as the percentage ofcoconut shell increases and
decrease in comparison withthe conventional concrete.
2. The compaction factor increased as the percentage ofcoconut shell increases and increased
in comparisonwith the conventional concrete.
3. The specific gravity of coconut shell is low as comparedto the coarse aggregate and the
water absorption is highfor coconut shell than coarse aggregate and hence thestrength
decreased in comparison with the conventionalconcrete.
4. The slump of the concrete increased as the percentage ofcoconut shell increases and
decrease in comparison withthe conventional concrete.
5. The compaction factor increased as the percentage ofcoconut shell increases and increased
in comparisonwith the conventional concrete.
6. The specific gravity of coconut shell is low as comparedto the coarse aggregate and the
water absorption is highfor coconut shell than coarse aggregate and hence thestrength
decreased in comparison with the conventionalconcrete.
7. 20% of cement replaced with fly ash and 10%, 20%,30% of coarse aggregate replaced with
coconut shellresulted that the compressive strength is reduced when compared with the
conventional concrete.
8. The compressive strength of the concrete reduced withincreasing percentage of the coconut
shell replacement.
9. The cube compressive strength of concrete at the age of
7 days resulted in marginal reduction with 10% and20% replacement of coarse aggregate with
coconutshell.
10. The Split Tensile strength at 7days was reduced by 8%with 20% replacement of fly ash
and the 10%replacement of coarse aggregate with coconut shellwhen compared with
conventional concrete.
11. The strength of concrete decreased as the percentage ofreplacement of the conventional
material increased
12. The reduction in compression strength is less incomparison with the split tensile strength
with thereplacement of conventional material.
13. The split tensile strength at the 7 and 14 days for allpercentage replacements of
conventional material ismarginal.
14. The reduction in Flexural Strength of all percentagereplacements at the age of 56days is
less whencompared with early strength of the concrete.
15. The decrease in strength percentage of compressive splittensile and flexural strengths
varies from each coconutshell replacement.
16. The decrease in strength percentage of flexural strengthfor 10% replacement at the age of
56 days is marginal(5%) and it is less when compared to other ages andother replacements.
17. The compressive strength, split tensile strength andflexural strength decreased with the
percentagereplacement of coconut shell increases at the ages 7days, 14 days, 28 days and 56
days.
18. The compressive split tensile and flexural Strength withpercentage replacement of cement
and coarse aggregatesdecreased is very less and hence can be used for lessimportant work
utilizing the waste material which isproduced in large quantities.

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 USE OF COCONUT SHELL AS A PARTIAL REPLACEMENT FOR AGGREGATE

5.1 FURTHER SCOPE OF WORK

1. The study can be carried out with varying percentagereplacement of the material for
specific low costhousing applications.
2. The engineering properties like water absorption,reduction in weight of concrete and study
on economicaspects can be carried out.
3. The effect of temperature on the concrete developed canbe studied.
4. The study can be extended to assess the durabilityaspects of the concrete with varying
replacementproportions.

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 USE OF COCONUT SHELL AS A PARTIAL REPLACEMENT FOR AGGREGATE

CHAPTER 6

REFERENCES

1. E. A. Olanipekun, K. O. Olusola ,and O. Atia, “Comparative study between palm

kernel shell and coconut shell as coarse aggregate”, Journal of Engineering and
Applied Science, Asian Research Publishing Network. Japan, 2005.

2. U. O. Kabiru, and A. Saleh, “Exploratory study of coconut shell as coarse aggregate

in concrete”, Journal of engineering and applied sciences, Vol. 2, December 2010.

3. K. Gunasekaran, and P. S. Kumar, “Lightweight Concrete using Coconut Shells as

Aggregate”, Proceedings, International Conference on "Innovations in Building
Materials, Structural Designs and Construction Practices (IBMSDCP-2008), 15-17
May 2008, pp.375-382.

4. K. Gunasekaran, “Utilization of Coconut Shell as Coarse Aggregate in the

Development of Lightweight Concrete”, PhD Thesis, Department of Civil
Engineering, SRM University, Kattankulathur, 2011.

5. C. B. Gopal, and K. B. Ranjan, “Effect of Coconut Shell Aggregate on Normal

Strength Concrete”, International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology, Vol.
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6. Y. Amarnath, and C. Ramachandrudu, “Properties of Concrete with Coconut Shells as

Aggregate Replacement”, International Journal of Engineering Inventions, Volume 1,
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U. Johnson Alengaram, Baig Abdullah Al Muhit, and Mohd Zamin bin Jumaat, “Utilization of
oil palm kernel shell as lightweight aggregate in concrete”, Construction and Building
Materials, Volume 38, January 2013, Pages 161-172

Dept. of CivilEngg., Sanjay Ghodawat Group of Institutions, Atigre, Kolhapur. Page 22