Oil palm shell lightweight concrete as a ductile material

Crushed large oil palm shell (OPS) was used as a coarse aggregate in four different concrete mixtures. The stress–strain behavior and modulus of elasticity of OPS concrete were investigated and compared to granite normal weight concrete (NWC) and expanded clay lightweight concrete (LWC). The stress–strain curve of the OPS concrete showed that this type of LWC, in contrast to many types of structural LWC, is a ductile material. The highest E value of about 18.4 GPa was achieved in this study, which is significantly higher than previous studies. It was found that the E value of crushed OPS LWC was approximately 53% of the control NWC, which is approximately twice that of the uncrushed OPS concrete reported in the literature.

► High strength OPS LWC in contrast to most other LWACs is a ductile material.
► The 28-day modulus of elasticity of OPS concrete measured 18.4 GPa.
► Crushed OPS LWC is much more economical than original OPS concrete.