Investigations on concrete mechanical properties with partial replacement of maida and coconut shell in concrete

The waste materials from industries create environmental issues, and as a result, the government put certain restrictions to stop these exploitations. Also, the cost of building materials is rising day by day, and it becomes essential to find out a new source for aggregates and cement. This experimental study investigates the effects of using waste material to replace cement and conventional aggregates partially. Coconut shell is selected as a partial replacement for coarse aggregate, and Maida is a partial replacement for cement. Coconut shell utilization is cost-effective and eco-friendly as well as coconut shells and Maida are lightweight materials, thus producing lightweight concrete. In this work, coarse aggregate is replaced by 5 % and 10 % of coconut shell, and cement is replaced by 5 % of Maida. The compressive strength and split tensile strength were evaluated at 7, 14, and 28 days of curing. According to the research, the addition of maida and coconut shells decreased the compressive strength of the concrete when compared to conventional concrete. However, after 28 days of curing, the strength of the concrete containing maida and coconut shell is more significant than 25 MPa (for which it is designed). The addition of 20% coconut shell raised the split tensile strength of the concrete substantially. Thus, Maida and coconut shells are acknowledged as appropriate resources for cement and coarse aggregate in concrete, respectively.