Coconut husk fiber as an admixture in concrete hollow block

Thesis (Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering) -- University of Rizal System-Morong.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: This study aimed to develop an effective mixture of cement and sand in the production of Concrete Hollow Block so that it can be used in actual application. A concrete block is primarily used as building material in the construction of wall sand it's one of several precast concrete products used in construction. Most concrete blocks have one or more hollow cavities, and their side may be cast smooth or with a design, in use concrete blocks are stacked one at a time and held together with fresh concrete mortar to form the desired length and height of the wall. The raw materials that were used in the study were coconut husk fiber. Husk fibers from coconut husk and cement were used as the main materials in producing a concrete hollow blocks. The researchers used the experimental and developmental research methods as the most appropriate methods in analyzing the effectiveness of the product. The researchers followed the process of the concrete hollow blocks based on the standard of the manufacturers, and was analyzed by different types of test derive from the ASTM C140 /140 -14. ASTM C140 or popularly known as standard test method. This method was used by the researchers for sampling and testing concrete masonry and related units. This tests dimension tolerance, water absorption and compressive strength. With respect to Dimension Tolerance Test the two samples together with the commercial hollow block yielded an interpretation of satisfactory. With respect to Water Absorption the two samples got an average of 6.03% and 16.46% which were higher than the water absorption result of the ordinary concrete hollow block which has a percentage of 3.56%. With respect to compressive strength the sample with 0.25kg of CHF got a strength of 377psi, which was higher than the sample with 0.75kg CHF which got a strength of 261psi. but still the compressive strength of the original mixture was higher than the two samples. Based on the findings the following conclusions were obtained. The dimension of the two samples passed the standard dimension requirements by the manufacturers. Also, the two samples cannot be used in the construction since it absorbed large amount of water and failed the compressive strength test. So still the original mixture was better than the samples which has 0.2 and 0.75kg of CHF. Based on the findings and conclusions, the researchers recommended that it would be much better to use the lesser weight of admixture then increase the weight of cement to achieve the passing rate of ultimate compressive strength of concrete hollow blocks. Also, look for other raw materials that can be added to the mixture of husk, fiber and cement to increase its compressive strength and lower its water absorption. Future researchers may conduct similar study to improve the hollow block mixture using Coconut Husk Fiber.