Chapter 3

Methodology
Main Objective
This study focuses on generating product that will make use of agricultural waste
and to develop an alternative construction material that will lessen the environmental issues. And
that is where the idea of using waste coconut shell as fine aggregates arises. The main purpose of
this study is to examine the compressive strength of Concrete Hollow Blocks with waste coconut
shells as a replacement for conventional fine aggregates.

Production Process
Design Mixture

Mixing

0% replacement

25% replacement

50% replacement

75% replacement

Molding

Molding

Molding

Molding

Curing

Curing

Curing

Curing

Testing

Testing

Testing

Testing

Trial 1

Trial 1

Trial 1

Trial 1

Trial 2

Trial 2

Trial 2

Trial 2

Trial 3

Trial 3

Trial 3

Trial 3

Preparation of Materials

Coconut Shells

Portland Cement

Water

Cleaning

Drying

Crushing

Sieving

Curing

14 days

28 days

Testing

Testing

Trial 1

Trial 1

Trial 2

Trial 2

Trial 3

Trial 3

Sand

Design Mixture

Collecting and researching for materials to be used fall on this first step of production. The
materials gathered were processed to remove foreign materials then placed in a container and
sealed to preserved and retain its natural conditions in order to achieve an accurate data for the
experiment. The required amounts of aggregates, cement, coconut shell and fiber are measured to
obtain the proper amounts of each material. Aggregates should be replaced by 25%, 50% and
75% of coconut shells. Crushed coconut shells passing though 12mm and quarry sand are used as
fine aggregates.

Mixing

Mixing is essential for the production of uniform, high-quality concrete. In this experiment,
concrete hollow block sample is done by mixing crushed coconut shell and fiber, sand and
cement.

Molding

The mixed materials were going to place into molds to form its shape. The molds consist of an
outer mold box containing several mold liners. The liners determine the outer shape of the block
and the inner shape of the block cavities. The size of the molds that would be use is 40cm
(length) X 20 cm (width) X 4 in (thickness).

Curing

Care must be taken to properly cure concrete, to achieve best strength and hardness. Improper
curing can cause scaling, reduced strength, poor abrasion resistance and cracking. During these

periods of 14 and 28 days concrete must be kept under controlled temperature and humid
atmosphere. The samples were kept in the storage area to avoid disturbances of the specimen.

Testing

Concrete is tested to ensure the strength and quality of the material. There are a dozen different
laboratory test methods for concrete such as compressive strength test. The test will be done on a
UTM (Univeral Testing Machine).
For 14 days:
% Replacement
Of
Aggregates

Samples

Load(kN)

Average

Compressive
Strength(Psi)

Average

Load(kN)

Average

Compressive
Strength(Psi)

Average

Trial 1
0%
Trial 2
Trial 3
Trial 1
25%
Trial 2
Trial 3
Trial 1
50%
Trial 2
Trial 3
Trial 1
75%
Trial 2
Trial 3

For 28 days:
% Replacement
Of
Aggregates

Samples

Trial 1
0%
Trial 2
Trial 3
Trial 1
25%
Trial 2
Trial 3
Trial 1
50%
Trial 2
Trial 3
Trial 1
75%
Trial 2
Trial 3

Materials Used
Concrete Hollow Blocks (CHB)
CHB is primarily used as a building material for the construction of walls. Most concrete
blocks are used as a back-up material or for cavity wall construction. They are also used for
foundation walls, exterior walls, partition walls or basement walls. The concrete commonly used
to make concrete blocks is a mixture of powdered Portland cement, water, sand and gravel. This
produces a light gray block with a fine surface texture and a high compressive strength. A typical
concrete block weighs about 38-43 lb (17.2-19.5 kg). The hollow block sizes in the Philippines
would be the subsequent: 40cm (length) X 20 cm (width) X 4 in (thickness) and 40cm (length) X
20 cm (width) X 5 in (thickness).
Compositions of CHB

Cement
Cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens as the cement dries and also reacts

with carbon dioxide in the air dependently, and can bind other materials together. Portland
cement is the most common type of cement in general usage. It is a basic ingredient of concrete,
mortar and plaster. Portland cement and similar materials are made by heating limestone (a
source of calcium) with clay and grinding the product (called clinker) with a source of sulfate
(most commonly gypsum).

Water
Combining water with a cementitious material forms a cement paste by the process of

hydration. The cement paste glues the aggregates together, fills voids within it, and makes it
flow more freely.

Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of fine mineral particles.

It is a naturally occurring, finely divided rock. Sand comprises particles or granules, ranging in
diameter from 0.0625 to 2 millimeters. An individual particle in this range is termed as sand grai.
The next smaller size class in geology is silt; particles smaller than 0.0635 mm down to 0.004
mm in diameter; the next larger size class above sand is gravel, with particles ranging from 2 mm
up to 64 mm. sand feels gritty when rubbed between the fingers.
Coconut shells
Coconut shell is an abundantly available agricultural waste from local coconut industries.
In developing countries where abundant agricultural and industrial wastes are discharged, these

wastes can be used as potential material or replacement material in the construction industry.
This will have the double advantage of reduction in the cost of construction material and also as
a means of disposal of wastes.

Results
For 14 days:
% Replacement
Of
Aggregates

Samples

Load(kN)

Trial 1

20.9

Trial 2

16.0

Trial 3
Trial 1

22.8
96.9

Trial 2

94.3

Trial 3
Trial 1

98.3
121.9

Trial 2

115.7

Trial 3
Trial 1

124.5
121.9

Trial 2

102.6

Trial 3

126.3

Average

Compressive
Strength(Psi)

Average

78

0%
19.9

59

74

85
355

25%
96.5

349

354.7

360
493

50%
120.7

449

481.7

503
447

75%
116.9

389
463

433

For 28 days:
% Replacement
Of
Aggregates

Samples

Load(kN)

Average

Compressive
Strength(Psi)

Trial 1

30.5

110

Trial 2

25.9

94

Trial 3
Trial 1

112.2

406

Trial 2

136.6

495

Trial 3
Trial 1

154.3

539

Trial 2

135.0

489

Trial 3
Trial 1

105.0

380

Trial 2

122.7

445

Average

0%

25%

50%

75%

Trial 3

Costing

% Replacement
Of
Fine Aggregates

Cost of components in CHB

Cement

Fine
Aggregates

0%

10

25%

Cost
Reduction

50

Fine
Aggregates
w/ CS
-

Total Cost

60

10

37.5

47.5

12.5

50%

10

25

35

25

75%

10

12.5

22.5

37.5