Abstract:
Coconut shell concrete beams containing coconut shell ash are a feasible alternative to traditional reinforced
concrete beams in structural applications. Coconut shells in reinforced concrete beams are essential in
earthquake-prone areas because of their ductility properties, which contribute to enhancing earthquake resistance. This research investigates the flexure, ductility, shear, and cracking behavior of reinforced concrete beams
made from the incorporation of a minimum quantity of untreated coconut shell particles (CSP) at 5% substitution
of coarse aggregate (CA) modified with coconut shell ash (CSA) at 10% substitution of Ordinary Portland cement
(OPC). Two beams were evaluated for flexural, strain, ductility, and cracking behavior. In contrast, the other two
were evaluated for flexural, shear, strain, ductility, and cracking behavior by repositioning the loading point to
the distance of 200 mm close to the support. In comparison to control beams evaluated for flexural, shear, strain,
ductility, and cracking behavior, the ductility ratio of concrete beams with 10% CSA and 5% CSP improved by
8.8%. The ductile improvement was observed with a 17.3% decrease in flexural load. The shear capacity of
reinforced concrete beams with 10% CSA and 5% CSP improved compared to the reference literature in the
study. Finally, it was discovered that combining 10% CSA and 5% CSP in reinforced concrete beams can improve
ductility without significantly reducing ultimate failure load.
