Browsing by Author "Gadekari, R.S."

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Experimental Studies on the Suitability of Coconut Shell as a Filler Material in Concrete Cubes
(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH info@springer-sbm.com, 2021) Gadekari, R.S.; Kolathayar, S.; Chitrachedu, R.K.
Globally, the consumption of concrete is raising high. The production of cement raises the carbon footprint and causes depletion of non-renewable resources. Researchers are formulating new technologies to save the resources, energy for the next generations, to reduce disposal problems and to make the product or structure economical. For this purpose, recycled waste and treated natural materials, etc., are used as a substitute for cement, aggregates, or reinforcement. This paper presents studies conducted to analyze the performance of a coconut shell as a filler. The material used in the present study was naturally available, cost-free, and non-toxic material. The strength performance of different concrete cube specimens with coconut shells in their different orientations was assessed by conducting compressive strength tests. From the results, the effective position and orientation of the shell in the concrete cube were found out. Â© 2021, Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
Experimental Studies to Evaluate Performance of Coconut Shell Mat as Cellular Confinement in Sandy Soils
(Springer, 2025) Gadekari, R.S.; Kolathayar, S.; Sreekeshava, K.S.
This study investigates the use of coconut shells as a sustainable reinforcement material to enhance the bearing capacity of sandy soil. Laboratory model tests were conducted to assess the performance of coconut shell-reinforced sand as a foundation medium. Different shell arrangement patterns were analyzed and compared with the performance of HDPE geocells. The results indicate that coconut shell reinforcement substantially increases soil bearing capacity, from 218 kPa in unreinforced sand beds to 414.5 kPa with coconut shell mat reinforcement. Coconut shell mats present a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to commercial geocells. However, their limited durability in untreated form confines their application to short-term uses, emphasizing the necessity for proper treatment to support long-term applications. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Indian Geotechnical Society 2025.
Model Footing Tests and Analytical Studies on Clayey Soil Bed Reinforced with Coconut Shell Mat
(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2022) Kolathayar, S.; Gadekari, R.S.
The cellular confinement systems are becoming popular in ground improvement because of their efficiency in improving the bearing capacity of soil due to the lateral confinement effect. The commercially available geocells are made from polymer materials and they are costly. This study presents the performance evaluation of coconut shell mat as a cellular confinement system in clayey soil. It is the first of its kind application of coconut shells for soil reinforcement through a lateral confinement mechanism. This soil reinforcement system using coconut shells is termed “Geococoshell” by the authors. A series of model plate load tests were conducted on unreinforced soil, soil reinforced with High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) geocells, and soil reinforced with coconut shell mats to evaluate the performance of coconut shell mat reinforced soil bed. The results of the experiments showed that coconut shells reinforced clayey soil improved bearing capacity up to 1.5 times compared to HDPE geocell reinforced clayey bed. The effect of different patterns of placing coconut shell mat was also studied and discussed in the paper. The analytical studies have been conducted considering the reinforcement mechanisms of coconut shell mat embedded in the soil bed. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.