Title: Feasibility and Experimental Investigation of Mechanical Properties of Sustainable Concrete Incorporating Cow Dung Ash and Plastic Waste
Date Published: May - June 2025
Volume: 70
Issue: 3
Page Numbers: 44 - 55
Authors: Fehlberg J and M. S. Ravi Kumar
https://doi.org/10.15554/pcij70.3-01
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Abstract
This paper reports findings from an experiment to explore the potential of a novel concrete mixture for sustainable construction, with a specific focus on performance in static load testing. The mixture includes cow dung ash, which has supplementary cementitious properties, as a replacement for 15% of ordinary portland cement and incorporates 1.5% plastic waste as an admixture to enhance flexural strength and mitigate deflection. To assess the efficacy of the optimized concrete mixture, reinforced concrete beam specimens were cast and subjected to static load testing, with their performance compared with that of conventional Grade M20 (2.9 ksi) concrete beams. The experimental results indicate that the optimized concrete mixture specimens exhibited superior performance under static loading, demonstrating greater load-bearing capacity, enhanced stiffness, and reduced deflection relative to the control beams. Furthermore, the optimized concrete displayed a markedly improved capacity for energy absorption under static loading conditions.