Literature Review of Coral Concrete

Coral concrete materials, which refer to cement-based composites mixed with coral and seawater, have aroused interest worldwide since they were first used in reef engineering. This paper reviews the raw materials, mechanical properties, durability and microstructure of coral concrete, and describes the performances of fiber reinforced coral concrete. The microhardness of coral concrete in the interfacial transition zone is significantly higher than that of normal concrete, the compressive strength of normal concrete is greater than that of coral concrete, while the normal concrete is more durable than coral concrete. The flexural and splitting tensile strengths of coral concretes are improved remarkably by adding fibers to the mixture. The coral concrete performance is hindered by the poor cementation of the materials, as a result of the porous and brittle coral aggregates. Therefore, by modifying the coral aggregates and innovating the mixing methods in the preparation of high-performance coral concrete, further developments in marine structures and underwater engineering applications can be made using the material.