EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF COCONUT SHELL AS PARTIAL REPLACEMENT OF COARSE AGGREGATE AND ADDING STEEL FIBRE IN CONCRETE

Concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials in the world Lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC) is an important and versatile material in modern construction. It has gained popularity due to its lower density and superior thermal insulation properties many architects, engineers, and contractors recognize the inherent economies and advantages offered by this material, as evidenced by the many impressive light weight concrete (LWC) structures found throughout the world. Lightweight concrete has strengths comparable to normal concrete; yet is typically 25–35% lighter .Structural LWC offers design flexibility and cost savings due to selfweight reduction, improved seismic structural response, and lower foundation costs. This coconut shell can be crushed and used as a coarse aggregate in the production of LWC. Coconut Shell Concrete (CSC) could be used in rural areas and places where coconut is abundant and may also be used where the conventional aggregates are costly. And also adding a steel fibre of certain amount for increasing the strength in concrete and by improve its crack resistance, ductility, energy absorption and impact resistance characteristics. An attempt has been made to examine the suitability of partial replacing 10%, 20% and 30% of coconut shell as for coarse aggregate in concrete of grade M20 and also adding a steel fiber at a certain amount in the concrete. The results found were comparable with that of conventional mix.