Fibre Reinforced Lightweight Composite Reinforced with Geogrid for Wall Panels

Abstract

Lightweight concrete is preferred in construction practices nowadays due to the wide range of advantages it offers when compared to conventional concrete. It is also termed as an energy efficient construction material due to its low thermal conductivity which facilitates the thermal comfort in buildings. Geogrids are potential reinforcements that are used to improve the strength characteristics of soil in retaining walls and pavements. This paper is focused on developing a lightweight composite for wall panels which comprises of a fibre reinforced aerated concrete reinforced with geogrids. Material characterization has been done using central composite design to achieve a lightweight concrete with density of 1730 kg/m3, compressive strength of 17.9 MPa and flexural strength of 2.7 MPa. The optimised mix ratio was used to cast the wall panels size 1m x 0.5m width x 15 cm thick and testing was done on the wall panels using a reaction frame. The experimental investigations show that this combination of composite material can be potentially used as load bearing walls in precast construction.