Coral Concrete: Overview, Composition and its Behavior in Environment

Abstract

The worldwide interest in coral concrete stems from its use in reef engineering, where it is a composite material made by combining saltwater and coral. This analysis examines the components, mechanical characteristics, and durability of coral concrete. The micro hardness of the interfacial transition zone in coral concrete is significantly greater than that of normal concrete. However, it is found that the coral concrete has less compressive strength than standard concrete hence, the durability of standard concrete is also longer than this concrete. However, the addition of fibres to coral concrete improves the splitting tensile strength and flexural strength significantly. Inadequate cementation of the components hinders the performance of coral concrete because of the porous and brittle nature of coral aggregates. Further investigations can be carried out for underwater engineering applications and sea constructions by selecting appropriate coral aggregate type and developing mix design procedure to produce the high-strength coral concrete.