COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE CONTAINING PERIWINKLE

Abstract

This research tends to compare the workability and compressive strength of granite against periwinkle and palm kernel shells as coarse aggregates in concrete production. Specific objective is to determine the workability of local substitute for granite using periwinkle and palm kernel shell as coarse aggregate, and to compare the compressive strengths of periwinkle and palm kernel shells with granite based concrete using different concrete mixes. The One-hundred and eight cubes produced were tested for workability and compressive strength. Data sourced from fieldwork was used. It was discovered that workability of concrete with granite as coarse aggregate is lower than that of periwinkle shells and palm kernel shells independent of the mix ratios. Which means that the water absorption rate for periwinkle and palm kernel shells was found to be much higher compared with that of granite. Similarly, maximum compressive strength of 35.20 N/mm² was gotten from crushed concrete with mix ratio of 1:1½:3; it shows 155.07% more than the mix periwinkle shell aggregate and 214% more than the mix palm kernel shell aggregate. At the age of 28 days, there was 60.79% and 67.61% decrease in compressive strength for concrete mixes periwinkle and palm kernel shell in comparison to control specimen granite (35.20N/mm²). This shows a greater reduction when granite was fully replaced with periwinkle and palm kernel shell. The study therefore concludes that granite cannot be completely substituted with periwinkle shells and palm kernel shells as coarse aggregates in concrete except for light weight construction works

Keywords: Compressive strength, Workability, Periwinkle shell and Palm Kernel Shell