The structural behaviour of sustainable concrete that incorporate use of agro-industrial waste and recyclable construction materials

Abstract

This study emphasizes a sustainable approach on alternative green construction techniques that make use of agro-industrial waste and recyclable construction materials to overcome the greenhouse gas emissions and to protect the consumptions of natural resources. In this research experimental study is carried out to evaluate the structural characteristics of self-compacting concrete (SCC) by utilizing ground coal bottom ash (GCBA) as a cement substitute, coir fibre (CF) as a filler with self-consolidating precast concrete beam (PS-B). To determine the fresh state and hardened state properties, a concrete mix design with compressive strength of 45 MPa based on Eurocode-2 guidelines was carried out with different percentages of GCBA and CF. The outcomes revealed that the workability of SCC mix increases up to 10% addition and decreases between 10% and 20% with the incorporation of GCBA. However, it increased significantly by addition of 10% GCBA and 0.5% CF. In addition, the modulus of elasticity, compressive strength, and split tensile strength of SCC were improved substantially with addition of 10% GCBA and 0.5% CF. Lastly, the flexural capacity against four-point bending test in terms of load-deflection behaviour of PS-B was considerably increased by 62.96% by incorporating 0.5% CF - 10% GCBA- compared to the other shell beams, and observed the least deflection.