PREPARATIONOFLIGHTWEIGHTCONCRETEBRICKSUSINGCOCONUT SHELLFLYASH

Abstract

In this project, efforts have been made to study the behaviour of fly ash bricks by taking different proportions of fly ash, cement, lime, gypsum and sand. Three types of fly ash bricks in the different percentage of cement such as 3%, 5% and without cement are designed and then various tests such as compressive strength test, water absorption test, efflorescence, weight test, structural test were performed in order to have comparison with conventional bricks. In the experimental study it is found that the compressive strength of fly ash brick containing 5% cement is 152.1 kg/cm2 which is more than that of class I conventional bricks by 40% approximately. Effort has been made by making different proportions of ingredients having composition of fly ash, coconut charcoal cement, lime, gypsum, and sand. The need to conserve traditional natural resources that are facing contraction have obliged engineers to look for alternative materials. The production of conventional building materials consumes a lot of thermal and electrical energy and in turn pollutes air, water, and land. Disposal of solid waste generated from agricultural and industrial production activity is the other serious problem in fast developing countries like India. The accumulation of wastes is not only a burden to the industry, but also affects the environment adversely. Therefore, development of new technologies to recycle and convert waste materials into reusable materials is severally important for the protection of the environment and sustainable development of the society. Reuse of such wastes as a sustainable construction material appears to be a workable solution not only to the pollution problem, but also to the problem of the landfill and high cost of building materials. Fast Growth of population, increasing urbanization, and the rising standard of living due to technological innovations have contributed to an increase in the Quantity and variety of solid wastes generated by industrial, mining, domestic, and agricultural activity This work has investigated the potential use of used coconut charcoal as a concrete material. The use coconut charcoal were used as fine concrete aggregate. In the laboratory test, conventional fine aggregate was replaced at 100% replacement level. A total of 18 cubes were cast, cured and tested. The strength development of the concrete mixes containing coconut charcoal and fly ash aggregates was compared to that of conventional concrete with sand as fine aggregate. The result showed a reduction in compressive strength of the concrete but still falls within limits of lightweight concrete. This paper recommends that coconut charcoal can be used for producing concrete where a lighter weight concrete is required and a reduction of dead load of structure is desired.