Properties of Lightweight Controlled Low-Strength Materials Using Construction Waste and EPS for Oil and Gas Pipelines

Abstract

Due to its particularity and importance, long-distance oil and gas pipelines need to be well protected from damage by backfill materials. In this study, construction waste and expanded polystyrene (EPS) were used to replace conventional fine aggregate, and ethylene vinyl acetate-resin (EVA) was used to modify the surface of EPS to prepare lightweight controlled low strength materials (CLSM). Lightweight CLSM was tested in mechanics and physics and its microstructure was studied using microscopic analysis methods. The results revealed that the surface modification of EPS by EVA could greatly improve the compatibility of EPS with inorganic cementitious materials and prepare CLSM with a fluidity greater than 200 mm. EPS and cement content in cementitious materials play an important role in the development of material strength. When the volume ratio of EPS to construction waste was 2, and the content of cement in the cementitious materials was 35%, CLSM’s unconfined compressive strength at 28 days was only 0.48 MPa. In order to obtain the lightweight CLSM that meets the mechanical properties, the EPS content should not be too large. It can be concluded from the microscopic analysis that the increase of EPS content will lead to poor pore uniformity of the specimen, forming a loose mesh structure of defects, which is not conducive to the development of strength. In this study, EPS and construction waste are used to provide a green idea for preparing lightweight controlled low strength materials, which provides a reference for the backfill protection of the material in oil and gas pipelines in the future.