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Microstructure of Structural Lightweight Concrete Incorporating Coconut Shell as a Partial Replacement of Brick Aggregate and Its Influence on Compressive Strength

Author

Listed:
  • Hamidul Bari

    (Department of Civil Engineering, Dhaka University of Engineering & Technology (DUET), Gazipur 1707, Bangladesh)

  • Md. Safiuddin

    (Centre for Construction and Engineering Technologies, Angelo DelZotto School of Construction Management, George Brown College, 146 Kendal Avenue, Toronto, ON M5T 2T9, Canada
    Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON M5B2K3, Canada
    Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, ON N9B 3P4, Canada)

  • Md. Abdus Salam

    (Department of Civil Engineering, Dhaka University of Engineering & Technology (DUET), Gazipur 1707, Bangladesh)

Abstract

In this study, coconut shell aggregate (CSA) was used in brick aggregate concrete (BAC) to produce structural lightweight concrete. Various BACs containing CSA (CSBACs) were prepared based on the volumetric mix ratio of 1:1.5:3 (cement:fine aggregate:coarse aggregate). CSA was used substituting 0−15% of brick aggregate (BA) by weight. The concrete mixes were designed based on the weight-based water to cement (w/c) ratios of 0.45, 0.50, and 0.55. All the freshly mixed concretes were tested for their workability with respect to slump. In addition, the freshly mixed concretes made with the w/c ratio of 0.50 were examined for their wet density and air content. The hardened concretes were tested for their dry density, compressive strength, and microstructural characteristics (e.g., microcrack, micropore, fissure). The microstructure of CSBACs was investigated by a scanning electron microscope (SEM). In addition, the fissure width between the cement paste and CSA was measured from the SEM images using “ImageJ” software. The correlation between the compressive strength and fissure width of CSBAC was also examined. Test results showed that the air content of CSBACs including 5–15% CSA was higher than that of the control concrete (0% CSA). In addition, the density and compressive strength of concrete decreased with the increased CSA content. Above all, the most interesting finding of this study was the presence of fissures in the interfacial transition zone between the cement paste and CSA of CSBAC. The fissure width gradually increased with the increase in CSA content and thus decreased the compressive strength of concrete. However, the fissure width decreased with the increased curing age of concrete and therefore the compressive strength of CSBAC was enhanced at later ages. Moreover, a good correlation between the compressive strength and fissure width of CSBAC was observed in this study.

Suggested Citation

  • Hamidul Bari & Md. Safiuddin & Md. Abdus Salam, 2021. "Microstructure of Structural Lightweight Concrete Incorporating Coconut Shell as a Partial Replacement of Brick Aggregate and Its Influence on Compressive Strength," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-20, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:13:p:7157-:d:582334
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Akram M. Mhaya & Shahiron Shahidan & Hassan Amer Algaifi & Sharifah Salwa Mohd Zuki & Omrane Benjeddou & Mohd Haziman Wan Ibrahim & Ghasan Fahim Huseien, 2022. "Thermal Conductivity of Coconut Shell-Incorporated Concrete: A Systematic Assessment via Theory and Experiment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-19, December.
    2. Ahmed M. Ebid & Ahmed Farouk Deifalla & Hisham A. Mahdi, 2022. "Evaluating Shear Strength of Light-Weight and Normal-Weight Concretes through Artificial Intelligence," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-49, October.

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