Study of calcium-silicate composite lightened by waste expanded perlite

Abstract

The term calcium-silicate composite can be recalled several basic building materials. The most common representatives are lime-silicate bricks and autoclaved aerated concrete. It is any material based on the reaction of lime and siliceous raw material. In this paper, attention is paid to composites based on autoclaved aerated concrete production technology. Possibilities of lightening the composite utilizing waste expanded perlite as a secondary raw material were investigated without the use of aluminium powder, which is commonly used in aerated concrete technology. Replacements of 10%, 30%, 50%, and 100% waste expanded perlite for sand were used. Based on physico-mechanical properties, and with the assessment of the microstructure, it has been found that up to 50% of the replacement of waste expanded perlite results in a lightening of the composite while increasing the compressive strength.