DOI : https://doi.org/10.18517/ijaseit.15.3.13144

Flexural and Shear Behavior of Reinforced Sustainable Concrete Beams Incorporating Waste Walnut Shells as Lightweight Aggregate

Omar Shamal Farhan (1), Sheelan Mahmoud Hama (2), Omer K. Fayadh (3)
(1) Department of Architecture, Al-Nahrain University, Baghdad, Iraq
(2) Department of Civil Engineering, University of Anbar, Ramadi, Iraq
(3) Department of Architecture, Al-Nahrain University, Baghdad, Iraq
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O. S. Farhan, S. M. Hama, and O. K. Fayadh, “Flexural and Shear Behavior of Reinforced Sustainable Concrete Beams Incorporating Waste Walnut Shells as Lightweight Aggregate ”, Int. J. Adv. Sci. Eng. Inf. Technol., vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 952–959, Jun. 2025.
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Several investigations have been conducted on the application of walnut shells as aggregates; however, these investigations have primarily focused on mechanical properties and have not evaluated the impact of using walnut shells as aggregates on the flexural or shear behavior of R.C. beams to determine whether the resulting concrete is appropriate for structural use. Thus, the impact of using walnut shells (WSs) as coarse aggregate in place of aggregate on the flexural and shear behavior of beams was investigated in this work. In this work, the performance of reinforced concrete beams with 5%, 10%, and 15% by volume of walnut shell aggregate (WSA) substituted for natural coarse aggregate is examined. The toughness, ductility, stiffness, and compressive strength of the concrete specimens were assessed experimentally. According to the results, the compressive strength decreased gradually as the WSA concentration increased, ranging from 30 MPa for the control mix to 21 MPa at a 15% replacement level. Notable gains in toughness and ductility were noted despite this decrease. With a moderate improvement in toughness of up to 16.7% and the most significant increase in ductility of up to 117%, beams containing 5% WSA demonstrated higher energy absorption and post-yield deformation capability. WSA did, however, also result in a reduction of early stiffness, especially at lower replacement amounts. Overall, the results show that, at optimal replacement levels (≤10%), walnut shell aggregate can improve the ductility and toughness of concrete while preserving a respectable compressive strength. For lightweight concrete applications, WSA provides an environmentally responsible and sustainable substitute that complements current initiatives for resource-efficient building techniques.

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