Experimental investigations on the physical and mechanical properties of a lightweight concrete using oil palm shell as coarse aggregate

Oil palm shell is an interesting organic material that can be used as aggregate for concrete. It can help mitigate the environmental problems caused by the concrete industry. We intend to contribute to the knowledge of OPS (oil palm shells) concrete studying the physical mechanic and thermal behavior. Then, this paper presents the results of investigations carried out on the effects of replacing by volume, CGA (crushed granite aggregate) in concrete with OPS. Then, the dry density, apparent porosity, water absorption, electrical resistivity, thermal parameters, flexural strength, compressive strength and static elastic modulus are investigated. Microscopic analysis with an SEM (scanning electron microscopic) is also conducted. The results show that replacing crushed granite aggregate by OPS, increases the apparent porosity of concrete. This makes the concrete lighter and the concrete mechanical strengths lower. SEM analysis indicates that these decreases may be the consequence of a bad bond existing between the cement paste and OPS aggregate. Though, the compressive strength of OPS concrete which is 28 days old is acceptable for structural concrete. OPS concrete is more ductile and has a better thermal behavior compared to CGA concrete. (Résumé d'auteur