Elucidation of Microstructural and Mechanical Properties of Coconut Husk Mortar as a Sustainable Building Material for Ferrocement

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to use coconut husk to produce mortar for ferrocement. Mortar mix proportions are selected per ACI codes’ recommendation and the WRD Handbook. Four types of mortars: Cement and River Sand mortar (CSM), Cement, River Sand and Steel fibre mortar (CSSFM), Cement and Coconut Husk mortar (CCHM), and Cement, River Sand (60%), Coconut Husk (40%), and Steel fibre mortar (CSCHSFM) are used for this study Microstructural studies like SEM, EDX, XRD, and FTIR analysis on cement mortar constituents and mortar mixes are studied and reported. At 3, 7, and 28 days tests of hardened mortar, such as compressive, split tensile, flexural strength, and impact strength resistance, were studied. Test results revealed that the coconut husk is innovative and sustainable and could be an alternative fine aggregate that can be utilized in place of river sand, which in turn can be used for mortar production. Since it has a lesser density which proves to be an advantage for developing lightweight mortar, it can be used for ferrocement applications.

Experimental investigation on mechanical behavior of geopolymer light weight concrete

“…River sand, which was accessible nearby and it is cleaned, was utilized as fine aggregate (FA). The used sand must match the requirements of IS Grade Zone-II from the 383 (1970) [18] and pass through for a 4.75 mm sieve. Sand that was used in the cementitious materials made for the current study met the aforementioned requirements and was free of silt and clay.…”

“…In this work, the characteristics of geopolymer concrete at 4 distinct molarities-8M, 10M, 12M, and 16M-were determined for both the fresh and hardened states. Sodium silicate is often referred to as water glass or soluble glass [18][19][20]. It is a concrete accelerator.…”