Civil Engineering Practice Research Articles

Numerical Modeling of Two Adjacent Interacting URM Structures

Masonry structures in addition to their long heritage are still widely used in civil engineering practice. It should be emphasized that a lot of research has already been done on the seismic behavior of masonry structures. However, due to the nature of such a problem, its complexity and seriousness, the development of numerical models and their connection with experimental tests are always important. This is particularly significant considering their vulnerability to the action of horizontal forces generated during seismic excitations. In recent decades, many researchers have tried to capture the behavior of unreinforced masonry (URM) structures or reinforced concrete (RC) frames with masonry infills exposed to earthquakes, using different approaches. This paper tackles numerical modeling based on the finite element method (FEM) for the estimation of the dynamic response of two adjacent interacting URM units, subjected to shaking table motions. Geometrical and material properties of the specimen are provided by the Horizon 2020 project SERA-AIMS (The Seismology and Earthquake Engineering Research Infrastructure Alliance for Europe – Seismic Testing of Adjacent Interacting Masonry Structures). The analyses of dynamic performance were executed in SAP2000 software. Obtained results on the numerical model provide useful guidelines for modeling the nonlinear seismic behavior of masonry buildings.

The choice of the control displacement in pushover analysis of bridges: a case study

Seismic assessment of existing bridges requires consideration of the structural inelastic behaviour. Non-linear static methods (i.e., pushover) have become a standard tool in civil engineering practice for the analysis of various structural typologies, including bridges, due to simplicity compared to non-linear dynamic analysis. Nevertheless, the extensions of the applicability of pushover methods to bridges seem to show peculiar relevant questions. This work presents a case study of non-linear static analyses of an existing reinforced concrete (RC) highway beam bridge. Among the numerous proposals available, traditional pushover analysis has been chosen as the analysis method. The simply supported beams bridge has a total length of around 706 m, with 16 spans of 43 m each; the simple deck is made of reinforced concrete beams pinned over the multiple stem piers, whose height varies regularly from 11 m to 5.5 m. Non-linear behaviour of bearing devices, soil-abutment interaction system and expansion joints (closure) have been accounted for. The analysis has been performed in both longitudinal and transverse directions, subjecting the structure to the following load distributions: (i) constant along the deck and (ii) one that considers the contribution of the modes according to the response spectrum analysis. The case study seems to confirm the importance of the reference point selection in the bridge seismic assessment via pushover method. The pushover has been compared with the results of dynamic non-linear analysis.

Analysis of Differences Between Levelling Networks in the County of Hajdú-Bihar

The height determination of control and detail points is essential during the process of planning and manufacturing in the practice of civil engineering. Planning maps are drawn for the former, while the intended plan is set out on the ground during manufacturing, and after the manufacturing the completed installation is mapped. Using the same reference system in all three steps, both horizontally and vertically, is recommended even though in some cases it is unavoidable to change from one reference level to another. Regardless of the fact that both refer to the mean sea level of the Baltic Sea, this can create difficulties, since the difference between the EOMA and Bendefy networks used in Hungary shows varying values depending on the geographical location. The aim of the analysis is to determine a constant difference regarding the analysed settlements based on the common points of the networks.

Unsupervised structural damage assessment method based on response correlations

Structural damage assessment for civil engineering structures has become an important research topic and has gained much attention for decades in the field of structural health monitoring (SHM). Current unsupervised structural damage assessment methods can achieve damage detection for practical civil engineering structures. However, these methods cannot fully mine the response correlations among sensors, thus are difficult to localize damage in practical engineering applications. Therefore, this study proposes an unsupervised structural damage assessment method with bidirectional long short-term memory (BiLSTM) networks to establish the response correlations among sensors. Numerical studies of a beam-like bridge model, an experimental study of Yellow Frame, and an in-field study of Yonghe Bridge were conducted to validate the accuracy and reliability of the proposed approach. The results show that unsupervised structural damage identification and localization can be achieved even in the case of sparse sensor deployment due to the fact that the response correlations among sensors can be well extracted. The proposed approach can be applied to damage identification of practical engineering structures under operational and ambient excitations and can automatically provide damage location warnings to ensure structural health and prevent catastrophic events.

Developing Structural and Civil Engineering (SCE) Curriculum in sub-Sahara African Nations on the Foundation of the Developed Nations, in Training, Practices and Technology – Nigeria as Case Study

The training and practice of structural and civil engineering (SCE) education in developing nations, especially the sub-Sahara African nations, are not as robust and dynamic when compared to what are operating in the developed Nations of the World. Available resources in the public domain show strong evidence of a sustained fundamental link of SCE training and practice of the developed nations to the classical training of the ancient Caesar’s Rome. This paper looks into the training and practice of structural and civil engineering about 2000 years ago in the imperial Caesar’s Rome. The data used were collected from the information available from the public domain. The results showed that: (i) the curriculum for SCE education was very wide and deep and it is in partnership with the State (ii) the training together with the attendant skill development program/schemes began early at Roman home, (iii) SCE is deeply connected to Latin and Greek languages, and (iv) a heavy dependence on classical philosophical studies existed. It is thus concluded that the curriculum for SCE engineering in developing nations be tied to these foundations.

Teaching practice of civil engineering in higher education from the perspective of ideological and political education

In today's higher education, the ideological and political education has become the key path to cultivate students' comprehensive quality, and the teaching practice of civil engineering major is particularly important under this background. From the perspective of ideological and political education, this paper deeply discusses the teaching strategies of civil engineering majors in colleges and universities. It will focus on how to penetrate ideological and political elements while imparting professional knowledge, and cultivate students' social responsibility, ethical concepts and innovative spirit. Through the strategic analysis of course design, practice planning and faculty construction, it aims to provide a feasible ideological and political path for the teaching of civil engineering major, so that students can become technical professionals and have more social responsibility and humanistic care.

The divergent perspectives of civil engineers and architects in historic building restoration: A comparative analysis

This article delves into the distinctive viewpoints held by civil engineers and architects during the process of restoring historic buildings. The restoration of heritage structures involves complex decisions and multidisciplinary collaboration, where professionals from varying backgrounds contribute their expertise. Notably, architects and civil engineers approach restoration with different lenses, stemming from their unique educational backgrounds, professional experiences, role expectations and many various other factors. These divergent perspectives may significantly impact the overall restoration process, influencing design choices, material selection, structural interventions, and project outcomes. To shed light on this phenomenon, this study employs a comprehensive methodology. The research incorporates a meticulous literature review to elucidate existing knowledge on the subject. Subsequently, a structured questionnaire is administered to a diverse pool of practicing civil engineers and architects, aiming to capture their distinct viewpoints and perceptions regarding historic building restoration. The survey is carefully designed to explore a spectrum of factors, including project goals, design approach, project involvement, decision-making processes, and challenges. the collected data, comparing and contrasting the responses of civil engineers and architects were also presented in this research. The analysis uncovers nuanced variations in how these professionals prioritize different aspects of restoration, from historical authenticity and aesthetic considerations to structural stability and feasibility. The implications of these divergent perspectives are critically evaluated, emphasizing how they influence project outcomes and the holistic restoration process. Furthermore, the article addresses the potential benefits of bridging these perspectives, fostering enhanced interdisciplinary communication and collaboration. This article provides a comprehensive understanding of the distinct viewpoints that civil engineers and architects bring to historic building restoration. By recognizing these disparities and their implications, the restoration field can work toward more effective integration of expertise, contributing to more informed decision-making and successful restoration projects that balance both functional and aesthetic considerations.

Simplified approach for modeling standard PVB at large deformations and long-term loading

Recently, the numerical simulation of the residual load-bearing capacity of laminated glass (LG) is an often discussed but not sufficiently solved problem in structural glass design yet. According to CEN/TS 19100:2021 (2021a), and CEN/TS 19100:2021 (2021b), the design in the Post Fracture Limit State (PFLS) is possible experimentally and numerically. Experimental verification requires large-scale component tests, which are often costly and time-consuming. The resource-saving numerical approach is to be preferred. However, at the moment, there is no sound numerical model capable of representing the complex load-bearing mechanisms of broken laminated glass (LG) in civil engineering practice. These mechanisms are the finite-strain response of the interlayer, the contact between glass fragments or shards themselves, and the bond between glass and interlayer. Delamination governs the latter one mainly. This work focuses on the experimental, mechanical, and numerical characterization of the finite-strain behavior of polymeric laminated glass interlayers at long load durations by the example of standard single-layer Polyvinylbutyral (PVB). Based on that, it introduces an approach enabling the simplified numerical simulation of LSG interlayers. The considerations rely on experiments and thermodynamic considerations.

Non-Gaussian buffeting analysis of large structures by means of a Proper Orthogonal Decomposition

Proper Orthogonal Decomposition is implemented in a Bispectral Stochastic Analysis of large MDOF structures. Although Higher Order Stochastic Analysis has been introduced few decades ago, its establishment has found place only in a theoretical way, or applied to very small systems. Its heavy computational cost as well as resource consumption burden has let it aside for practical civil engineering applications. Nevertheless, in wind engineering, the community is increasingly considering the importance of non-Gaussian nature of wind induced vibrations. This is of interest for the extreme value analysis, for which many theoretical and empirical models exist for non-Gaussian random processes. In this context, a (bi-)spectral approach is realized in a 2-D frequency space where the bispectrum is computed then the 3rd statistical moment is obtained by means of a twofold integration. These operations are quite heavy as soon as the dimension of the problem increases. A novel algorithm implementation is proposed. It hinges on (i) the use of Proper Orthogonal Decomposition and the (ii) development of an optimized numerical method. The proposed algorithmic arrangement minimizes the number of operations, and consequently saves time and memory, while conserving precision in estimating 3rd order statistical moments of structural responses.

Mechanical behavior of the sustainable square spiral stirrup-confined recycled aggregate concrete filled steel tubular columns under compression

Owing to the inherited structural defects of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC), such as deficiencies in durability and mechanical properties, its further applications in modernized civil engineering practices are significantly limited. To this end, this study aims to achieve the sustainable application of RAC and improve its mechanical properties by infilling it into the steel tube to form the recycled aggregate concrete filled steel tubular columns (RA-CFST columns). Numerous studies have indicated that embedding steel spiral stirrups inside the steel tube is helpful in improving the ultimate strength (Nu) and ductility of square CFST columns. Thus, this paper designed several square RA-CFST columns confined by high-strength steel (HSS) spiral stirrups (HSS-RA-CFST columns) and their concentric and eccentric compression behavior were experimentally studied. The test specimens were divided into two different parts, including (i) axial compression and (ii) eccentric compression test specimens. For the former, 16 columns were designed, including 4 traditional non-confined RA-CFST columns, 4 normal-strength steel (NSS) spiral-confined RA-CFST columns (NSS-RA-CFST columns), and 8 HSS-RA-CFST columns. For the latter, 8 specimens were prepared, including 2 non-confined and 6 HSS-RA-CFST columns. Effects of the critical test parameters, such as the steel tube thickness, steel spiral pitch, replacement ratio of recycled aggregate (RA) to natural aggregate (NA), and eccentricity ratio on the compression behavior of the specimens were examined. Subsequently, the failure modes, load-deflection responses, strain distributions, ductility, and the composite confinement mechanism of the columns were comprehensively studied. Finally, this paper also suggested the improved design models in predicting the Nu of the spiral-confined CFST columns (i.e., NSS-RA-CFST and HSS-RA-CFST columns), and the effectiveness and accuracy of the recommended design models were validated by using the experimental results acquired from this study and those studies collected from the literature. This study could serve as the experimental and theoretical references for the mechanical properties and determination of the Nu for the spiral confined-RA-CFST columns under both the concentric and eccentric compression.

Numerical analysis of pile group, piled raft, and footing using finite element software PLAXIS 2D and GEO5

Foundation plays a vital role in weight transfer from the superstructure to substructure. However, foundation characteristics such as pile group, piled raft, and footing remain unfolded due to their highly non-linear behaviour in different soil types. Bibliography analysis using VOSvierwer algorithm supported the significance of the research. Hence, this study investigates the load-bearing capacity of different types of foundations, including footings, pile groups, and piled rafts, by analyzing experimental data using finite element tools such as PLAXIS 2D and GEO5. The analysis involves examining the impact of various factors such as the influence of surcharge and the effect of different soil types on the load-bearing capabilities of the different types of foundation. For footing, parametric investigations using PLAXIS 2D are conducted to explore deformational changes. Pile groups are analyzed using GEO5 to assess their factor of safety (FOS.) and settling under various criteria, such as pile length and soil type. The study also provides insight into selecting the right type of foundation for civil engineering practice. Findings showed that different soil types have varying deformational behaviours under high loads with sandy soil having less horizontal deformation than clayey soil. Also, it was observed that increasing the pile thickness by 50% resulted in a reduction of 13.88% in settlement and an improvement of 16.66% in the FOS. In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of professionalism, exceptional talent, and outstanding decision-making when assessing the load-bearing capabilities of various foundation types for building structures.

Analyses of Box Bridge and Comparison of Structural Behavior using 3D Finite Element and Typical 1D Line Models

Abstract: In civil engineering practice, 1D modeling (also called line modeling) is often the most common method of modeling used for the analyses of structures. It is easy to create the model and saves time without loss of significant accuracy in the results. However, these line models are ideally not a true representation of the behavior of the structure as they are overly simplified versions. Though this simplification leads to quick modeling and reduces analyses-design cycle time, this oversimplification can lead to inaccuracies and over- design that can impact the economy of construction in repeat projects. Also, in the current era of precast modular construction, it would be prudent to analyze a structure as precisely as it can be so that optimal solution is achieved before designing as standard member that can be reused across an array of projects. In this study an effort is made to model a box bridge structure to analyze and compare the behavior of the bridge under railway vehicular train loading. A Road under Bridge (RUB) of 25m barrel length is considered and analysis is carried out by creating two models subjected to IRS vehicular rail axle loading using STAAD.PRO commercial software. A comparison of flexural forces in the culvert structure is made between results of 1D line model versus 3D box finite element model. It was found that flexure at the critical sections of the box based on line model analysis are much higher than those from 3D finite element analysis. In this particular example, a 14% excess of flexural reinforcement and a 40% excess shear reinforcement are required if we design the structure based on line model of analysis. Thus it is inferred that a design based on line model analysis can be overly conservative and uneconomical. It is suggested that detailed 3D finite element analysis be performed for the design of modular and reusable members especially for precast construction and engineering.

The colonizers, the developmental state, and uneven geography of development: Reclamation of South Korea's tidal flats, 1900s-1980s

South Korea's tidal flats, called getbol, are muddy and grayish coastal wetlands under the tidal influence that constitute the predominant landform of South Korea's west and southwest coasts. Today, getbol is appreciated for its biological and geological diversity, for which it recently earned UNESCO's World Heritage status. Yet, throughout the 20th century, more than 50% of getbol areas were lost due to coastal reclamation, a civil engineering practice of enclosing and filling in getbol. This paper closely examines the history of getbol from the 1900s to the 1980s. While being messy and complex, the history shows a tendency for reclamation to have evolved from small to large in terms of scale and from private-led to state-led initiatives. In popular imaginations, the reclamation of getbol is thought to have been driven top-down by governing authorities, particularly by the “developmental state” that roughly governed from the 1960s through the 1980s. While this explanation aligns with the general trend, this paper highlights that the state did not act solely upon its own will but responded to the desires of those that the state had to satisfy to gain political legitimacy. Ultimately, within the context of South Korea's uneven geography of development, this paper argues that the reclamation of getbol transitioned from a project for the entire nation to a project for the rural populations and the agricultural sector, which lagged behind the country's tantalizing economic growth.

OVERVIEW OF STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING EDUCATION REQUIRED FOR THE UNDERSTANDING OF VITRUVIUS’S TEN BOOKS ON ARCHITECTURE

The contents of many books, prima facie, can be known by their title. But within the context of the present day grammatical construction and images formed in the mind through some words, Vitruvius’s “Ten Books on Architecture”, written in 1st century, does not fall into this category. Apparently, the over 2000 year’s gap in knowledge and usage of precepts as well as educational attainment that formed the basis for the writing constituted unfamiliar background and terrain for the 21st century researchers and academia. Consequently many civil engineering developmental resources for research activities contained in the book, especially on concrete and structural materials, remain hidden from many researchers. The purpose of this work is to identify the depths of instructional and educational attainment, both in learning and practice that formed the background for writing and thus, for the understanding of the book, especially for engineers in the developing Nations. To accomplish this work, the Roman society of the time and her educational systems were studied from materials available from the public domain. Analysis of the materials obtained showed that a wide-range and multi-faceted education through learning and practice, were required to operate in the construction industry at the time; and that all construction work, including military and machine construction were termed Architecture and under the control of the Head of the Government. It is also concluded that this learning, now parceled into different disciplines, is available in the public domain for the understanding and application of precepts in the Ten Books on Architecture for a robust structural and civil engineering practice

Flexural stiffness and structural behavior of alkali-activated metakaolin faced with cement-based beams

In this work, the authors intend to experimentally analyze the viability of using geopolymers, in particular, by means of alkali-activated metakaolin as a binder in the construction of beams. For this, an experimental procedure will be used, where 15 reinforced beams will be tested. Of these, 10 are built using two geopolymers whose binders are made up of two different metakaolins (white metakaolin supplied by MetaMax and brick-colored metakaolin supplied by Argeco) and the remaining 5 beams will be built with Ordinary Portland Cement mortar. The beams (b = 100 mm x h = 150 mm x L = 1500 mm) were built in groups of 3, with identical reinforcement (reinforcement ratios of 0.38%, 0.57%, 0.75%, 1.01% and 1.34%). They have the particularity of having dimensions smaller than the ones in the practice of Civil Engineering. The beams were tested under 4-point load scheme until failure were carried out. This scheme allowed the evaluation of the necessary parameters to proceed with the evaluation of the structural behavior of the beams, namely in terms of the elastic phase, the development of cracking and plastification, including ultimate strength, ductility and beam failure.It can be concluded that beams constructed with metakaolin offer a viable alternative to cement beams, exhibiting comparable structural behavior and often displaying equivalent or higher strength values. For instance, in relation to yielding loads, white metakaolin beams exhibit an average reduction of approximately 10%, while brick-colored metakaolin beams show similar values (with a non-significant reduction of 1.5%). Notably, metakaolin beams demonstrate distinctive behavior compared to cement beams concerning cracking loads, showcasing an average reduction of approximately 45%. In terms of elastic flexibility under bending, metakaolin beams also exhibit discernible differences in comparison to cement beams. The average deflection at the yield point is 30% higher for white metakaolin beams and 13% higher for brick-colored metakaolin beams.

Chloride diffusion modeling of concrete using tree‐based forest models

AbstractReinforced concrete structures can experience various harsh environments during their service life, among which chloride ion exposure, especially in marine environments, can cause the durability reduction and deterioration of concrete structures. Artificial intelligence (AI)‐based modeling of the non‐steady‐state apparent chloride diffusion coefficient (DC) of concrete for a long exposure time using the experimental field results can assist in identifying the influential factors and better estimating the service life of a concrete structure. In this study, two novel extensions of ensemble AI algorithms, including genetic programming forest (GPF) and linear genetic programming forest (LGPF) algorithms, were proposed to model the DC of concrete. The experimental field data were gathered from the literature. Different structures of the proposed ensemble methods were developed and examined, and the best‐developed model was selected for further analysis, including sensitivity analysis and parametric study. In addition, the random forest (RF) method was used as the control ensemble technique to have a comparison. The results show that the best LGPF model possesses superior performance than the best‐developed GPF and RF models. In addition, the results show that silica fume‐to‐binder ratio, exposure time, and exposure conditions have the most significant impacts on the DC of concrete. This study contributes to the civil engineering practice by developing a new tool to model the DC of concrete that facilitates the durability assessment of concrete structures.

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF A SMALL-SCALE MAGNETORHEOLOGICAL DAMPER FOR CIVIL ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS

Magnetorheological dampers (MRDs) are devices that adjust their damping properties in response to an external magnetic field. Large-scale MRDs have been successfully used as vibration control devices in structures. This study focuses on modelling and optimizing an MRD using COMSOL Multiphysics. Various parameters, such as coil turns and current, are optimized to achieve the maximum flux value in the MRD. The simulation yielded a maximum magnetic flux of 0,44 T with 500 coil turns. Based on the optimized MRD parameters, a numerical equation is then used to calculate the total damping force. The maximum numerical and experimental damping forces corresponding to a 2,0 A current were 989,39 and 1004,63 N, respectively. The numerical damping force is then compared to the experimental results to validate the accuracy of the model. The MRD is integrated into a scaled-down reinforced concrete frame and subjected to a cyclic loading test for performance evaluation. The results show that the MR dampers improve the performance of the frame structure, increasing its load-carrying capacity and energy dissipation by 19,45 % and 20,43 %, respectively. The findings of the study provide valuable insights into the behaviour of MRDs and their optimization using numerical simulations, as well as highlight the importance of experimental validation for accurate prediction of the performance of MRDs in practical civil engineering applications.

Optimization of deposition process for a productive and cohesive bio-CaCO3 to repair concrete existing cracks.

Microbial-induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) is being investigated to repair concrete cracks because of its good durability and compatibility with cementitious matrix. However, during the in-situ application, the repairing often lasts weeks, even months. And the strength regain is quite low. The repairing time is largely determined by the CaCO3 yield, and the strength regain after the repair is closely related to the cohesion and bonding strength of CaCO3 itself. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to obtain an efficient precipitation of bio-CaCO3 with both high yield and good cohesion to improve the in-situ repairing efficiency. Firstly, the most influential factors on urease activity were screened and the precipitation kinetics were detailly investigated. The results show that the CaCO3 with the largest yield and cohesion was obtained when the bacterial concentration was 107 cells/mL and the concentration of urea and calcium was both 0.5 M at 20 °C. This weight loss of bio-CaCO3 was 9.24% under ultrasonic attack. Secondly, two models were established to quantify or semi-quantify the relationship between the most influential factors and the yield and cohesion of precipitates, respectively. The results showed the order of contribution for bio-CaCO3 precipitation was calcium ions concentration > bacterial concentration > urea concentration > temperature > initial pH. According to these models, the required yield and cohesion of CaCO3 by engineering could be obtained by adjusting affecting factors. Models were proposed for guiding the application of MICP in practical engineering. KEY POINTS: • Screened the most affecting factors on urease activity and investigated the precipitation kinetics. • Obtained optimal conditions of bio-CaCO. • Established two models in order to give some guidance for practical civil engineering.

Comparative Analyses of Selected Neural Networks for Prediction of Sustainable Cementitious Composite Subsurface Tensile Strength

The article assesses comparative analyses of some selected machine-learning algorithms for the estimation of the subsurface tensile strength of cementitious composites containing waste granite powder. Any addition of material to cementitious composites causes their properties to differ; therefore, there is always a need to prepare a precise model for estimating these properties’ values. In this research, such a model of prediction of the subsurface tensile strength has been carried out by using a hybrid approach of using a nondestructive method and neural networks. Moreover, various topologies of neural networks have been evaluated with different learning algorithms and number of hidden layers. It has been proven by the very satisfactory results of the performance parameters that such an approach might be used in practice. The errors values (MAPE, NRMSE, and MAE) of this model range from 10 to 12%, which, in the case of civil engineering practice, proves that this model is sufficient for being used. This novel approach can be a reasonable alternative for evaluating the properties of spacious cementitious composite elements where there is a need to analyse not only the compressive strength but also its subsurface tensile strength.

Density and Strength Performance of Cellular Concrete Blended with Bentonite Clay and Polypropylene Fiber

Cellular concrete (known as foamed concrete) is a lightweight building material with low densities ranging from 900 kg/m3 to 1900 kg/m3, which can have potential applications in civil engineering practices. However, it is very weak in withstanding tensile loads which leads to cracks during shrinkage in the drying stage. Therefore, six different groups of cellular concrete are prepared for a possible application in grouting underneath the foundations to achieve a minimum compressive strength of 2000 psi (13.79 MPa) as per ASTM C476, and for soil nail grout with a minimum compressive strength of 3000 psi (20.86 MPa) as per ASTM C109 at 28 days. Furthermore, these mixtures are undergoing laboratory testing for pushout (using steel cylinders with varied diamters and thickneses) and pullout tests as the subsequent part of this project. All groups contain 0.34 water-to-cement ratio, same size and amounts of sands and superplasticizer (SP). The first group included four control mixes without bentonite and polypropylene fiber (PPF) additives with varied foam content (C1-F1,F2,F3,F4). The remaining groups consist of 17 different mixes blended with either one or both additives. The content effect of foam agent, bentonite clay, and PPF as additives on the density and compressive and flexural strengths of cellular concrete are investigated in this study. The results revealed that the introduction of bentonite and/or PPF in cellular concrete mixtures increased the density and strength. The results revealed that low dry densities (less than 1900 kg/m3) of blended cellular concrete mixtures can reach high compressive strength of 24.37 MPa with 4.74 MPa flexural strength that make them feasible for geotechnical and structural engineering applications.