Strength Characteristics of Crab Shell Powder and Silica Fume Based Concrete - A Comparison of M35 and M70 Grade Concrete

Abstract

The main goal of this research project is to address the use of waste materials in order to promote the environmental friendliness of concrete. Marine shells are a byproduct of dead sea organisms found in hydrological habitats. Crab shells, snail shells, oyster shells, and conch shells are commonly utilised in studies to substitute cement. The influence of adding waste material such as Crab Shell Powder as 0%, 27%, 30%, and 33% replacement by mass of cement on setting time, flow of concrete, density, air content, compressive strength, split tensile strength, and flexural strength was studied till the age of 90 days. The results show that better crab shell powder use increases setting time and concrete flow while decreasing density. Sea shells can be recycled by utilising them as a replacement for cement in concrete. In addition, silica fume is employed as a ternary mineral in crab shell concrete. The amount of silica fume used as a cement replacement is held constant at 5% by weight of cement, and crab shell is utilised as a cement replacement at rates of 27%, 30%, and 33%. To determine mechanical qualities, all concrete mixes are tested against flexural, split tensile, and compressive strengths, as well as a quick chloride penetration test to determine durability. The comparitive study results revealed that the 30% replacement of crab shell had higher mechanical characteristics strength values in both M35 and M70 grade concrete. An increase in the amount of crab shell provided increased resistance to the flow of chloride ions in concrete