Compressive and Tensile Strength Performance of Chicken Feather Reinforced Concrete Incorporating Milled Palm-Kernel Shell as Partial Replacement for Fine Aggregate

Abstract

Environmental pollution is presently a global scourge. The incorporation of waste materials in concrete production does not only turn waste into wealth but also proffer solution to pollution of all kind. This study evaluates the compressive and tensile strength properties of chicken feather fibre (CFF) reinforced concrete containing Milled Palm Kernel Shell (MPKS) as fine aggregate partial replacement. Chicken feather and MPKS were obtained and processed. Samples of concrete were cast by varying the percentage of the CFF which ranges from 0.25% to 1.25% at an interval of 0.25% with constant addition of 10% MPKS as fine aggregate replacement. Slump test was conducted on the fresh concrete samples, compressive strength and splitting tensile strength tests were also conducted on the hardened concrete. The results show that the gradation curve and specific gravity for both sand and MPKS satisfy the standard specification. Both the compressive strength and splitting tensile strength decreases with the increase in the fibre percentage. Sample with 0% CFF fibre content has the highest values of 36 N/mm2 and 3.2 N/mm2 for compressive and splitting tensile strength respectively. However, sample A1 with 0.25% CFF inclusion and 10% FKPMS display good compressive and splitting tensile strength of 32 N/mm2 and 3.0 N/mm2 respectively, which meet the target standard strength of M25 concrete. This shows that both CFF and FMPKS can be judiciously utilized in green concrete production, thereby turning waste into wealth.