Fiber-reinforcement high-strength concrete made with expanded perlite powder

Abstract

During the expansion process of natural perlite, a large amount of fine fraction of expanded perlite is unavoidably produced. These particles of expanded perlite powder (EPP) have a very low bulk density which caused some difficulty in storage and disposing. This paper investigates the effects of EPP on the properties of high-strength concrete (HSC). For this purpose, different HSC mixtures were designed and produced at two different series made with 0 and 0.5% polypropylene (PP) fibers in which EPP was used at 0-15%. The properties of HSC were investigated for compressive strength, UPV, and initial and final absorption. Variations in the mass and crushing load of HSC specimens were also evaluated after exposure to 5% H2SO4 solution. Results show that it is possible to develop HSC with 28-days compressive strength higher than 64.3 MPa by incorporating up to 15% of EPP. In addition, strong UPV-compressive strength correlation had been achieved for non-fibrous HSC mixtures containing EPP. Absorption characteristic of HSC mixtures showed all specimens can classify as “good” concrete quality. Furthermore, 0.5% PP fibers inclusion can minimize the detrimental effects of 5% H2SO4 solution attack on the mass loss values of HSC specimens containing 0-15% EPP to some extent.