High Strength Lightweight Concrete Research Articles

Effect of Graphene Oxide on the Mechanical Properties and Durability of High-Strength Lightweight Concrete Containing Shale Ceramsite.

An effective pathway to achieve the sustainable development of resources and environmental protection is to utilize shale ceramsite (SC), which is processed from shale spoil to produce high-strength lightweight concrete (HSLWC). Furthermore, the urgent demand for better performance of HSLWC has stimulated active research on graphene oxide (GO) in strengthening mechanical properties and durability. This study was an effort to investigate the effect of different contents of GO on HSLWC manufactured from SC. For this purpose, six mixtures containing GO in the range of 0-0.08% (by weight of cement) were systematically designed to test the mechanical properties (compressive strength, flexural strength, and splitting tensile strength), durability (chloride penetration resistance, freezing-thawing resistance, and sulfate attack resistance), and microstructure. The experimental results showed that the optimum amount of 0.05% GO can maximize the compressive strength, flexural strength, and splitting tensile strength by 20.1%, 34.3%, and 24.2%, respectively, and exhibited excellent chloride penetration resistance, freezing-thawing resistance, and sulfate attack resistance. Note that when the addition of GO was relatively high, the performance improvement in HSLWC as attenuated instead. Therefore, based on the comprehensive analysis of microstructure, the optimal addition level of GO to achieve the best mechanical properties and durability of HSLWC is considered to be 0.05%. These findings can provide a new method for the use of SC in engineering.

Sustainable high-strength lightweight concrete with pumice stone and sugar molasses

AbstractThe building sector benefits from high-strength lightweight concrete (HSLWC) in various aspects, particularly in reducing the structure’s dead load. Incorporating waste materials into HSLWC encourages sustainable practices, reduces their environmental effect, and decreases product’s costs. This research focuses on producing sustainable HSLWC using a pumice stone and additive materials such as sugar molasses, silica fume, and high-range water reduction. The physical and mechanical properties and structural efficiency were investigated. The results demonstrate that the inclusion of additive material is the primary factor controlling the properties of the concrete. Also, using pumice stone instead of gravel in high-strength concrete significantly reduced weight and increased thermal insulation by 19.31 and 43.55%, respectively. Furthermore, the addition of steel fibers in HSLWC improved the compressive strength, tensile strength, ductility, and structural efficiency.

Variability of Lightweight Aggregate Source: Effect on the Development of High Strength Lightweight SCC Matrix Blended with Normal Weight Aggregate

Structural lightweight concrete is a valuable alternative to normal weight concrete. Concrete prepared with coarse lightweight aggregate provides reduction of a structure self-weight and better structural performance in regions prone to seismic activities. However, variability of the coarse lightweight aggregate affects production and properties of the concrete. In addition, availability of the aggregate influences the long-term use and stability in the construction industry. Lightweight aggregate is imported from Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, UK, and Greece to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and has been used in structural and non-structural applications. This paper presents the development of a self-consolidating high strength lightweight concrete (SCHSLWC) matrix with available materials in UAE. Specific gravity, unit weight, gradation, particles’ shape and absorption were used during the development and selection of aggregates source. In addition, percentage of normal weight aggregate that could be used to improve the matrix was optimized. Results of the experimental investigation showed that self-consolidating concrete mixes with more than 50 MPa cube compressive strength could be produced with aggregates having specific gravity factors in the range of 1.15 to 1.4. Additionally, up to 12% per volume of the coarse lightweight aggregate could be replaced by normal weight coarse aggregate while maintaining a unit weight less than 2000 kg/m3.

Experimental Study Light Weight Concrete Using LECA, Silica Fumes, and Limestone as Aggregates

Abstract: This dissertation determines the mix proportions of high-strength lightweight concrete, which uses expanded aggregate clay to decrease the weight of the concrete (LECA). Mineral and chemical admixtures have been used to reduce porosity and enhance strength in order to create light weight concrete. With that some percentage of silica fumes is added to enhance the properties of concrete and to make workability stable. On the specimens, specific gravity, compressive, indirect tensile, and flexural strengths were determined. By exposing certain specimens to air, the impact of curing on compressive strength was studied The findings indicate that by including Leca, a lightweight concrete with a dry density of 1,600– 1,960 kg/m3 and a compressive strength of 35–66 MPa may be produced, based on cube specimens with a 150mm side length. When used with lightweight particles, limestone significantly improved the mechanical characteristics of concrete.

Thermal, mechanical and microstructural properties of sustainable concrete incorporating Phase change materials

Over the past two decades, there has been a significant increase in Buildings’ energy consumption. This rise led to a noticeable leap in operating costs. Subsequently, a need to find novel ways to lower the energy demand in buildings was crucial. Advances in material technology have proven that incorporating phase change materials (PCM) into concrete is one of the ways to tackle energy consumption problems. Depending on the temperature that PCM is exposed to, energy can be absorbed and released easily. This study introduces a set of experiments adopting different quantities of microencapsulated paraffin wax; 1%, 3%, 5%, 7%, and 10% incorporated into normal strength concrete (NSC), high strength concrete (HSC), normal lightweight concrete (LWC) and high strength lightweight concrete (HSLWC). Hence, fresh, hardened, and thermal properties of produced concrete were explored. The hardened properties comprise both strength and sorptivity tests. Additionally, microstructure analysis was investigated. Concrete thermal performance was identified by both thermal conductivity (K-Value) and analyzing the heat transfer rate. The results showed that increasing PCM amount led to reducing the thermal conductivity and increasing heat capacity, which in turn enhanced concrete thermal performance. However, the microstructural analysis showed that many capsules are damaged during the mixing process, releasing their paraffin wax filling into the surrounding matrix, which consequently causes a significant reduction in strength. Anyhow, the prevention of PCM leakage during mixing and improving ITZ in concrete were both achieved using HSC.

Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of High-Strength Lightweight Concrete Incorporating Graphene Oxide.

The increasing demand for high-strength lightweight concrete (HSLWC) with excellent mechanical properties has inspired the development of nanomaterials in fundamentally solving brittleness and cracking. This work investigated the effects of graphene oxide (GO) on the mechanical properties and microstructure of HSLWC, including the workability, density, compressive strength in different curing regimes, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, modulus of elasticity and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Six groups of mixtures were mixed with GO aqueous solution at a dosage of 0.00%, 0.02%, 0.04%, 0.05%, 0.06%, and 0.08% by weight of cement, respectively, and dispersed by ultrasound for 30 min. The test results showed that adding a low volume of GO to the specimens could slightly increase the density, rationally reduce the slump, and significantly improve the mechanical properties. The maximum increase in compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, modulus of elasticity and flexural strength of HSLWC with GO at 28 days was by 24%, 17%, 15%, 20%, respectively, as compared with HSLWC without GO. Simultaneously, the SEM results showed that GO could not only fill nano-scale pores, but also regulate the formation and growth of flower-like crystals, which was an important factor for the further improvement of properties. The research results provided a potential new pathway to improve the mechanical properties of HSLWC.

Ductility Enhancement of Sustainable Fibrous-Reinforced High-Strength Lightweight Concrete.

To limit the cross-sectional size of concrete structures, high-strength, lightweight concrete is preferred for the design and construction of structural elements. However, the main drawback of high-strength, lightweight concrete is its brittleness over normal-weight concrete. The ductility of concrete is a crucial factor, which plays an important role when the concrete structures are subjected to extreme situations, such as earthquakes and wind. This study aims to improve the ductility of high-strength, lightweight concrete by incorporating steel fibers. The palm oil clinker (POC)-based, high-strength, lightweight concrete specimens reinforced with steel fibers were prepared and their ductility was systematically examined. POC was used as aggregates and supplementary cementitious materials. Steel fibers from 0–1.50% (by volume), with an increment of 0.5%, were used in the concrete mix. Compression ductility, displacement ductility and energy ductility were used as indicators to evaluate the enhancement of ductility. Moreover, the compressive strength, flexural strength, stress-strain behavior, modulus of elasticity, load-displacement characteristics, energy absorption capacity and deformability of the concrete samples were investigated. The compression ductility, displacement ductility and energy ductility indexes were found to be increased by up to 472%, 140% and 568% compared to the control specimens (concrete with 0% steel fibers), respectively. Moreover, the deformability and energy absorption capacity of the concrete were increased by up to 566% and 125%, respectively. Therefore, POC-based, high-strength, fibrous, lightweight concrete could perform better than conventional concrete under extreme loading conditions as it showed significantly higher ductility.

Cyclic Behavior of High-Strength Lightweight Concrete Exterior Beam-Column Connections Reinforced with GFRP

Using lightweight reinforced concrete beams with glass fiber bars (GFRP) is one approach for achieving the requirement seismic design idea of “strong-columns weak-beams”. Twelve full-scale normal-strength concrete (NC with fc` = 32 MPa) and high-strength lightweight concrete (HSLWC with fc` = 42, 49 and 52 MPa) exterior beam-column joints have been tested under cyclic loadings. The beams were reinforced with conventional steel bars (CS) and GFRP using steel fibers (SF). The experimental joint shear force was compared with that estimated by some international codes such as the American Concrete Institute (ACI-19), the Egyptian code (ECP-07), and the New Zealand Code (NZS-06). Nonlinear finite element analysis (ABAQUS) was carried out. In the present study, three main parameters were explored (1) HSLWC, (2) GFRP ratios equal to 0.70%, 1.03% and 1.37%, (3) SF ratios equal to 0.0%, 0.75% and 1.50%. The findings of the experiment revealed that increasing the concrete strength from NC with conventional steel bars to high-strength lightweight concrete HSLWC (fc` = 42 MPa) with the same ratio of GFRP bars enhanced the first cracking load by about 25%. Increasing the SF ratio to 1.50% enhanced the failure load by 18–24% when compared with non-fiber specimens. The predicted joint shear strength estimated using the equations of the ACI 318-19 and ECP-07 are conservative for HSLWC exterior beam-column connection reinforced with GFRP bars but the predicted joint shear strength by using the equations of the NZS-07 is on the borderline for some cases. The finite element program ABAQUS can be used successfully to forecast the behavior of HSLWC beam-column connections reinforced with GFRP under seismic loadings.

Effect of Pumice Stone and Sugar Molasses on the Behavior of Reinforced Concrete One-Way Ribbed Slabs

The world is currently heading towards sustainability by reducing the amount of concrete, thus reducing the total unit weight. Moreover, design construction requires materials with a higher strength-to-weight ratio. Ribbed slabs and lightweight concrete (LWC) are considered two leading sustainability facilities. This research developed an experimental study to evaluate the effects of concrete type, steel reinforcement ratio, the geometry of ribs, voiding ratio, and slab type on the structural behavior of one-way ribbed slabs. Eight of the one-way slabs were constructed using pumice stone and by-product material sugar molasses (SM), and one slab was constructed using gravel and SM. These slabs were tested under a static two-point load and simply supported until failure. The results showed that using SM with pumice stone instead of gravel led to high strength-lightweight concrete (HSLWC), with a cylinder compressive strength of 42.2 MPa and a density of 1943 kg/m3, which meets the requirements of HSLWC codes. Using HSLWC instead of high-strength normal-weight concrete (HSNWC) decreased the thermal conductivity by 43.55% and the unit weight by 19.31%. Moreover, the ultimate strength of the HSLWC one-way ribbed slab decreased by 17.70%. Overcoming this strength reduction necessitated increasing the steel reinforcement ratio of the ribs from 0.28 to 0.44% in the HSLWC ribbed slab. Changing the number of ribs at the same amount of HSLWC showed a minor effect on the strength capacity of slabs but showed an economic benefit. However, increasing the rib width to reduce the voiding ratio from 44 to 40% resulted in a greater improvement in structural efficiency (SE) of one-way ribbed slab than reducing it from 44 to 33%. Consequently, the optimum rib width was 120 mm. Moreover, using a ribbed slab instead of a solid slab of HSLWC at the same amount of concrete increased the ultimate strength by 130.37%, decreased deflection by 3.99%, and improved SE by 126.46%. Furthermore, experimental results of ultimate load were compared with the ACI 318-19 code design equation. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2022-08-02-011 Full Text: PDF

Effect of Fe2+/Fe3+ on high-strength ceramsite prepared by sintering geopolymers using iron ore tailings

Iron ore tailings (IOTs) and coal gasification slag (CGS) were used to prepare novel ceramsites via high-temperature sintering. The IOTs were activated by NaOH to form a geopolymer that was sintered at 650 °C, 850 °C, and 1050 °C to obtain ceramsites. The formation of the geopolymer was confirmed by the characteristic peaks of Si–O–T (T = Si, Al) in the Fourier transform infrared spectra. X-ray diffractograms showed that Fe 3+ participated in the geopolymerization reaction, whereas Fe 2+ did not; hence the effect of the Fe 2+ /Fe 3+ ratio was investigated. This ratio increased with increasing sintering temperature, thereby facilitating nucleation within the sample. The mullite–pyroxene network that formed upon sintering at 1050 °C improved the strength of the prepared ceramsite and its structure became more compact. Specifically, the cylinder compressive strength increased from 10.5 to 35.5 MPa after sintering at 1050 °C. Overall, this method of preparing high-strength ceramsites from IOTs and CGS can be used for the preparation of high-strength lightweight concrete. • Compressive strength of ceramsite tripled after alkali-activated pretreatment. • Fe 3+ ions participated in the geopolymerisation reaction; Fe 2+ ions had no effect. • Fe 2+ /Fe 3+ ratio had a notable effect on the internal crystallization of ceramsite. • Mullite pyroxene network structure enhanced the strength of ceramsites.

Performance of surface modification on bio-based aggregate for high strength lightweight concrete

The utilization of wastes in concrete as bio-based aggregate can alleviate disposal issues as well as preserve precious natural resources. This research highlights the wet grout binder derived from different water-cement ratios (0.65, 0.85, 1.05, and 1.25) in modifying the surface of lightweight bio-based coarse aggregate (LWBCA). In this research, the strength properties of lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC) mixed with modified LWBCA were evaluated. The outcomes showed that through the replacement of non-treated bio-based aggregate with that of pre-treated grout coating bio-based aggregate, the density of the samples slightly increased. The results indicated that the slump value of the treated LWBCA showed a significant enhancement by almost 45% at 10 min for treated dura oil palm shell at 0.65 water-cement ratios (TDOPS/0.65), as compared to the non-treated bio-based aggregate. In addition, the strength of the TDOPS/0.65 mix shows more appropriate quality enhancement of pre-treated LWBCA when compared to non-treated, and correspondingly the strength properties of the concrete, particularly the significant increment of compressive strength and elastic modulus were recorded at 21% and 31%, respectively. Based on the water absorption test assessment, the LWBCA concrete indicated that good concrete was obtained for all the mixes. Therefore, a new technique of surface modification on bio-based aggregate has shown to be a highly suggested method, which performs as one of the most promising solutions to enhance the interfacial bonding strength. Thus, treatment improves the bio-aggregates to a level without scarifying the quality of the LWAC and substantially mitigating the environmental impact in concrete.

Численный анализ поведения изгибаемых железобетонных балок, изготовленных из легкого высокопрочного бетона, с разным коэффициентом армирования

Lightweight high-strength concrete structures are currently spreading, primarily in civil engineering and bridge construction. High-strength lightweight aggregate concrete has advantages over heavyweight concrete when used in structures that must have high strength and buoyancy due to lower density and high enough strength. In this regard, it seems appropriate to use lightweight high-strength concrete in hydraulic engineering construction in offshore oil platforms and dry dock gate. In the presented work, computational studies of the stress-strain state of reinforced concrete beam structures made of light high-strength concrete have been carried out. To model the behavior of reinforced concrete beams made of lightweight high-strength concrete, spatial finite-element models have been developed. Researches were performed in the software «ANSYS». The developed models are verified by data of full-scale tests of beams with two reinforcement coefficients: 0.036 and 0.015. The performed studies allowed making a conclusion about the difference in behavior and destruction of beams at two reinforcement coefficients.

Static and Dynamic Behavior of High-strength Lightweight Reinforced Concrete One-way Ribbed Slabs

Nowadays, reducing the self-weight of structures and vibration problems is the primary goal for design requirements in most civil constructions. Two-point loading and harmonic loading tests were conducted to examine the strength and serviceability of high-strength reinforced concrete one-way ribbed slabs. Six slabs were cast and tested. The behavior of cracking, deflection, and vibration was investigated. The experimental results showed that using high strength-lightweight concrete (HSLWC) instead of high strength-normal weight concrete (HSNWC) in constructed one-way ribbed slab led to a decrease in the density by 19.31%, the strength by 17.70%, and ultimate deflection by 17.33%. Although the addition of steel fibers to HSLWC led to an increase in the density of concrete its addition enhances the load-deflection relationship and ultimate load for slab specimen which reduced the reduction in strength by 14.49%. Furthermore, ductility index, stiffness, and toughness index for ribbed slab specimens with steel fibers showed better behavior than those without steel fibers. The HSNWC gave a negative impact on the vibration of the one-way ribbed slab at both operation frequencies (25 and 50) Hz, while using HSLWC with and without steel fibers, led to reducing the vibration effect by (30.11and 30.68) % and (15.26 and 20.25) % at 25Hz and 50Hz, respectively.

Fabrication and properties of high-performance microporous gravel using waste materials

This work addresses the production of high-strength micro-porous aggregate from metallurgical plant glass waste. The proposed technology enables for a wider range of raw materials to be used in the production of porous aggregates for lightweight concretes.According to the findings, granulated slags from metallurgical industries, which are a by-product of process, can be used as a fundamental beginning raw material for creating an artificial porous aggregate. The expansion intervals of a mass based on acid and basic slags of metallurgical industries are estimated based on the findings of the investigations. It has been figured out how to make a high-strength porous aggregate with predefined physico-mechanical properties. The main physico-mechanical characteristics of the produced aggregate have been studied. It has been found that the obtained artificial porous aggregate meets the requirements of the acting standard GOST 9757–90 “Gravel, Crushed Stone and Sand, Artificial Porous” by its physico-mechanical characteristics. It is revealed that the strength of the obtained aggregate 1.8–2.2 times exceeds that of the well-known aggregate- keramzit gravel. With the use of porous sand lightweight concrete of class B7.5-B40 by strength with density of 1100–1600 kg/m3 has been produced on the base of the obtained gravel and by using dense sand and plasticizing additives high-strength lightweight concrete of class B25-B50 with density of 1500–1800 kg/m3 has been manufactured.

Flexural behaviour and design of hollow flange cold-formed steel beam filled with lightweight normal and lightweight high strength concrete

A comprehensive investigation of the flexural behaviour of concrete-infilled hollow flange cold formed steel (CF-HFCFS) beams with lightweight normal and lightweight high strength concrete is presented in this paper. These are new generation of complex members, and their enhanced structural capacity is governed by inter-related parameters including composite action. However, the knowledge surrounding the flexural performance of lightweight concrete infilled hollow flange cold formed steel (HFCFS) beam is limited. This work aims to study the influence of key parameters on flexural behaviour of CF-HFCFS through numerical analysis and is followed by developing a simplified design approach. A non-linear finite element (FE) model of HFCFS beams with and without lightweight concrete infill was developed. The developed FE model was validated against the experimental results available in the literature. The validated model was subsequently used to conduct a parametric study. The parametric study also included the HFCFS beams without concrete infill for comparison purposes. It was found that the concrete infill contributes to up to 55% of flexural capacity enhancement compared to the bare HFCFS beams. The suitability of the existing design approach available in the literature for the concrete infilled structural steel tubes under flexure was assessed and modifications are proposed. In addition, using the numerically derived data, a novel simplified design approach was developed based on the capacity improvement factor method to estimate the moment capacity. The developed equations have shown to be accurate in estimating the moment capacity of concrete infilled hollow flange beams.

Cyclic behavior of high strength lightweight concrete slab-edge column connections with and without openings

In this study, the seismic behavior of nine full-scale slab-edge column connections with and without openings constructed from Normal-Strength Concrete (NSC with fc` = 28 MPa) and High-Strength Lightweight Concrete (HSLWC with fc` = 49 MPa) is investigated experimentally and analytically. The nine specimens included five specimens from NSC and four specimens from HSLWC. The punching strength provisions used by international codes, such as the International Building Code (International Code Council 2021), the American Concrete Institute (ACI Committee 318 2019), the New Zealand Code (New Zealand Standard NZS 3101: Part 1 2006), the Japan Society of Civil Engineering (JSCE 2007), and the Eurocode 2 (Eurocode 2 2008), are investigated when applied to HSLWC slab-edge column connections with openings. The most significant factors to consider are the effect of using HSLWC, the location and size of the openings. The investigation was widened by performing a nonlinear finite element analysis with the computer application ABAQUS. According to the test results, the punching shear strength estimated using the equations of the (International Code Council 2021), (ACI Committee 318 2019), (New Zealand Standard NZS 3101: Part 1 2006), and (Eurocode 2 2008) is safe for HSLWC. For both NSC and HSLWC, the punching shear strength estimated using the JSCE-2007 is either on the borderline or unsafe. The ultimate punching load of HSLWC with fc` = 49 MPa is increased by about 72% than that of NSC with fc` = 28 MPa for slab-edge column connections without openings and by approximately 81% for connections with opening size equals to one-eighth of the column strip width and positioned next to the face of the column. The finite element program ABAQUS can be used successfully to forecast the behavior of normal strength concrete and high strength lightweight concrete slab-edge column connections under seismic loadings, both with and without opening.

Investigation of structural characteristics of palm oil clinker based high-strength lightweight concrete comprising steel fibers

The application of waste materials in the concrete composite is a great contribution to preserving natural resources and enhancing sustainable greener development in the construction industry. This study used Palm Oil Clinker (POC) and steel fibers to manufacture high-strength lightweight concrete (HSLWC). The POC is basically a byproduct of a palm oil industry, which was utilized as coarse aggregates and supplementary cementitious materials in the concrete. The noteworthy brittleness and lower tensile strain and strength of HSLWC were overcome by adding hooked end steel fibers. A total of six different concrete mixes by varying the volume of hooked end steel fibers, e.g., 0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.0 and 1.50% of the total volume of the concrete were prepared. The HSLWC with 0% steel fibers was used as a reference. The physical and mechanical characteristics of the HSLWC, such as workability, density, compressive and splitting tensile strength, modulus of rupture (MOR), modulus of elasticity (MOE), stress–strain characteristics along with UPV, sorptivity and water absorption test were conducted. Compared to the reference specimen, the HSLWC increased the compressive and tensile strength, MOR, and MOE by 19%, 172%, 176% and 40%, respectively. Besides, the HSLWC exhibited ductility and had enough energy absorption capacity before failure.

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON DRYING SHRINKAGE OF STRUCTURAL LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE USING FLY ASH CENOSPHERES

This paper presents an experimental investigation of drying shrinkage of high-strength lightweight concrete (HSLWC) using fly ash cenospheres (FAC) as an aggregate to substitute fine sand with a designed density from 1200 to 1700 kg/m3 and a desired compressive strength from 30 to 80 MPa. Drying shrinkage for six months of FAC HSLWC was investigated considering the effect of various factors. These factors include the fine sand replacement with FAC contents of 0, 20, 30, 40 % by vol. of the concrete mixture, the binder content of 750 to 950 kg/m3, the water to binder ratio of 0.35 to 0.6, the shrinkage reducing admixture (SRA) content of 0, 2, 3 %wt. of binder, and the polypropylene fiber (PP) content of 0, 0.3, and 0.5 % by vol. of the concrete mixture. The experimental results show that the incorporation of FAC content compensated drying shrinkage of HSLWC, and the 182-day drying shrinkage of FAC HSLWC was lower than that of the reference sample without FAC. Besides, the addition of SRA and PP fiber was found effective in reducing the shrinkage of FAC HSLWC.

Study on the Influence of the Pre-Wetting Time of Ceramsite and the Floating Beads Content on the Property of Lightweight High-Strength Concrete

The influence of different ceramsite pre-wetting time and the floating beads content on the properties of lightweight high-strength concrete was studied in this paper. The results showed that as the pre-wetting time increased, the absorption rate of ceramsite continued to increase, reaching a saturated state at 12 h with 36.14% water absorption rate; the concrete slump/expansion degree is increased significantly, and the growth rate decreased gradually, and the improvement was not obvious after 12 h; the 7 d strength of concrete saw an obvious downturn, and the strength dropped by 10.4% at 12 h, after which the decline was basically stable; the 28 d strength, 28 d strength growth rate and 7 d-28 d strength growth rate all showed a steady upward trend, which reached 61.18 MPa, 12.4% and 29.73% respectively at 12 h, and the growth rate was basically stable afterwards; as the floating beads content increased, the concrete dry density, slump/expansion degree, 7 d and 28 d strength all showed a significant decline trend.

Study on Mechanical Properties of Fiber Reinforced High Strength Light Weight Concrete

Concrete, one of the most universally accepted construction material, exhibits higher values of compressive strength, but the same cannot be said in terms of its tensile strength. This is the prime explanation for the setback of this construction material, to be used in place of achieving a higher tensile strength. Different endeavors have been made to improve the overall tensile strength of concrete by using diverse materials. These materials were used either as a form of replacement of its main constituents, or simply as an addition to the other constituents. Out of all such materials, the use of different types of fibers, added a definite proportion of tensile strength without actually altering the configuration of the concrete blocks to a larger extent. Also, in some cases the density of the concrete is a one of the influencing parameters in structural elements and this study is based on the optimization of fibers as a replacement of the Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) along with the use of different industrial waste by products i.e., mineral admixtures and also the light weight aggregates in order to reduce the self weight of the concrete. In this study, an attempt will be made to investigate the mechanical properties of M60 grade high strength fiber reinforced light weight aggregate concrete.