INVESTIGATION OF USING PAPERCRETE MATERIAL

The concrete we use today has the one main ingredient and that is aggregate. Approximately 75% of the total for any concrete mix is covered by aggregate. The strength of the concrete mostly depends on the quality of aggregates than on other factors. The aim of this paper is to find the proper strength and durability characteristics of structural concrete by using paper as a coarse aggregate, which will give us better and proper understanding of the properties of concrete having paper as an ingredient.Papercrete is made up of cement and waste paper. The people have been utilizing papercretefor a decade now by not even having proper knowledge about the structural properties. Although, the properties of papercrete varies with paper mixing ratio[1]. Accordingly, different mixing ratios were used in this study to understand the mechanical properties of each mix. To obtain proper results, many laboratory tests were performed. The detailed strength and durability related tests such as compressive strength test of cubes, flexural strength of beam were carried out for experimental investigation. It was found out that papercrete could be properly used for low load bearing structures and for aesthetics only.