MUMBAI, India, Aug. 10 -- Intellectual Property India has published a patent application (202641086874 A) filed by Mepco Schlenk Engineering College on July 16, 2026, for Utilization Of Corn Cob Ash And Copper Slag In The Production Of Sustainable Concrete Paver Blocks.
Inventors include Mr. J. Ram Prashath; Dr. N. Arunachelam; Mr. P. V. Vijayabaala; Mr. S. R. Solai Amuthan; and Mr. N. Karthick.
The application for the patent was published on July 31, 2026, under issue no. 31/2026.
Abstract: AABBSSTTRRAACCTT OF THE INVENTION This study investigates the viability of using agricultural and industrial by-products as partial replacements for conventional materials in concrete paving blocks. Specifically, the research evaluates the substitution of cement with Corn Cob Ash (CCA) and sand with Copper Slag (CS). The performance of a standard control mix (0% CCA, 0% CS) was compared against three experimental mix designs with increasing substitution levels: 5% CCA / 20% CS, 10% CCA / 40% CS, and 15% CCA / 60% CS. In terms of Compressive strength, 5% CCA / 20% CS attained the maximum of 33.50 MPa. 10% CCA, 40% CS specimen had the least water absorption of 2.50%. To assess the structural durability of the mixes specimens were subjected to rig444,o rous impact and abrasion resistance testing Durin4g4, the impact test, the control mix demonstrated the lowest energy absorption capacity, sustaining a first crack at 101.76 Joules (J) and reaching ultimate failure almost immediately at 142.48 J. This indicates that standard unreinforced pavers lack the capacity to arrest crack propagation. The optimum structural performance was observed in the 10% CCA / 40% CS mix, which required 15 blows to initiate the first crack and 21 blows for ultimate failure, effectively absorbing a total impact energy of 427.43 J. Increasing the substitution beyond this optimum level to 15% CCA / 60% CS resulted in a notable decline in impact resistance, with total energy absorption dropping to 366.30 J. Abrasion resistance testing yielded parallel conclusions. The 10% CCA / 40% CS mix exhibited the highest wear resistance, recording a minimal wear depth of 0.375 mm. This enhanced resistance is directly attributed to the 40% copper slag substitution, which provides sufficient roughness to the specimen. Conversely, the control mix showed a higher wear depth of 0.904 mm and the excessive 15% CCA / 60% CS mix resulted in an increased wear depth of 0.674 mm compared to the optimal mix. Ultimately, all tested mixes successfully satisfied the ACI 544.2R criteria for standard pedestrian and light traffic pavers, which require an impact energy absorption of approximately 100 J to 200 J. Furthermore, all mixes met the Indian Standards (IS 15658:2006 / IS 1237) maximum wear depth limits for both medium/general duty (3.5 mm) and heavy duty (2.0 mm) applications. The findings conclusively demonstrate that the 10% CCA and 40% CS combination is the optimum mix design, offering significantly higher performance and durability than traditional paving materials
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