Philippine E-Journals

Chicken Feathers as Substitute for Fine Aggregates in Concrete

Gil P. Manginsay | Ruth Guinita Cabahug

 

Abstract:

An experimental investigation aimed to determine the viability of chicken feathers as substitute for fine aggregates for concrete was conducted. Chicken feathers collected from slaughter houses (waste material) were utilized after previous studies conducted revealed that chicken feathers posses good durability and resistance to degradation because of the extensive cross-linking and strong covalent bonding within its structure. In the investigation conducted, the chicken feathers content ranged from 5% to 50% of the total volume of fine aggregates. The aggregate-cement ratio was 1:6. Cement was held constant with varying water-cement ratio in every mixture. Specimens were grouped according to their number of days of curing as follows; 7, 14, and 28 days. The results affirmed that the compressive strengths of the specimens are inversely proportional to the level of feathers that were added. The specimen with 5% feathers, cured in 28 days, yielded a compressive strength of 12.61 Mpa. This value met the Type S mortar cement of ASTM C270-91 standard specification that covers mortars for use in the construction of non-reinforced and reinforced unit structures. The rest of the compressive strength results of the specimens satisfied the minimum compressive strengths of the Types N and O mortar cement of ASTM C270-91 standard, which are 5.2 and 2.4 MPa respectively.