Development of Lightweight Concrete Using Saudi Scoria Aggregate - A Preliminary Study

Abstract

Widening of eco-friendly materials is a critical concern in the Kingdom and all over the world. The growth of concrete demand is rapidly increasing in the construction industry. The global market is seeking more in the development of non-traditional, sustainable and economical concrete such as lightweight concrete (LWC). In order to keep up with the rising demand of concrete, new environmentally friendly resources must be available to produce lightweight concrete. Local waste materials such as Scoria rock (SR) are largely available in Saudi Arabia and can be found in the western region. The LWC may be considered as a potential replacement of normal weight concrete (NWC) as it might reduce the dead load of the structure which will result in less volume of structural elements and most importantly its foundations. This eventually will cause in reduction of construction cost. The main objective of this study is to develop sustainable and environmentally friendly construction material using local waste by identifying compatible lightweight concrete waste materials and develop mix proportions and evaluate various aspects depending on the compressive strength of LWC. The properties such as bulk density, absorption, specific gravity etc. of the Scoria light weight aggregate have been investigated. Lower bulk density and specific gravity of the lightweight aggregate than normal weight aggregate proves it potential for using in lightweight concrete development with reasonable workability. The proposed 28-day LWC strength was comparable to NWC registering 35 MPa as well as 10% reduction in unit weight. The LWC material is set to hit the construction industry market and draw attention to be widely employed in the Middle eastern region and KSA at large.