ABSTRACT

The research involves the physical characterization of periwinkle-rice composite as coarse aggregate for livestock housing. Characterization of the rice husk, periwinkle shells and the blend were determined. The percentage replacement was 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% and the mix adopted was 1:2:4 for the first treatment and 1:2:3 for the second treatment. The finess modulus of sand is 2.46 and 2.79 for rice husk. The coefficient of uniformity of sand is 7.2 and that of rice husk is 8.2. The coefficient of curvature for sand is 1 .42 and that of rice husk is 1 .62. For well graded sands the finess modulus is within the range 1< C< 3; Cu? 6 and 1< Cc< 3; Cu ? 4 for gravel ; this suit in for the particle size required for making concrete; the specific gravity of rice husk is 1.05, and the bulk density uncompacted and compacted are 0.12 and 0.l3glcm3 respectively. The bulk density of periwinkle shell uncompacted and compacted are 0.68 and 0.78 g/cm3. With the above values the aggregates can be subjected to hardening test for light weight construction. From the slump test, the periwinkle-rice composite is not workable because the cubes gave a harsh mix. From this study, it can be concluded that characterization of waste materials like periwinkle shell and rice husk can be used as replacement for granite in farm structure construction works especially in places where granite is in short supply and periwinkle shells are readily available.