LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE

SHAROOK S(16025)
ARAVIND NR(16004)
INTRODUCTION
• One of the disadvantages of conventional concrete is the high self
weight of concrete.
• Density of the normal concrete is in the order of 2200 to 2600 kg/m3.
• The density of lightweight concrete varies from 300 to 1850 kg/m3.
• Advantages of having low density:
Reduction of dead load
Faster construction
lowers moving and handling costs.
Low thermal concuctivity
METHODS OF PRODUCING LW CONCRETE
Basically there is only one method for making concrete light i.e., by the
inclusion of air in concrete. This is achieved in actual practice by three
different ways:
1. By replacing the usual mineral aggregate by cellular porous or
lightweight aggregate.
2. By introducing gas or air bubbles in mortar. This is known as aerated
concrete.
3. By omitting sand fraction from the aggregate. This is called ‘no-
fines’ concrete.
 LIGHTWEIGHT AGGREGATES
ARTIFICIAL LW AGGREGATES
NATURAL LW AGGREGATES
Artificial cinders
Pumice
Coke breeze
Diatomite Foamed slag
Scoria Bloated clay
Expanded shale and slate
Volcanic cinders
Sintered fly ash
Saw dust
Exfoliated vermiculite
Rice husk Expanded perlite
Thermocol beads
Pumice
• Pumice is one of the oldest kinds of lightweight
aggregates which has been even used in Roman
structures(Pantheon)
• Rock of volcanic origin which is light and yet
strong enough to be used as lightweight aggregate.
Diatomite
• This is a hydrated amorphous silica derived from the remains of
microscopic aquatic plants called diatoms.
• Density of 450kg/m3
• Diatomite or earth can be sintered to make artificial lightweight
aggregates.
Saw Dust
• Mix is of the ratio of 1 : 2 to 1 : 3 i.e., cement to saw dust by volume.
• Saw dust concrete has been used in the manufacture of precast
concrete products, jointless flooring and roofing tiles.
Bloated Clay
• When certain glass and shale are heated they expand or bloat to many
times their original volume on account of the formation of gas within
the mass.
• CBRI has also developed a process technique for the manufacture of
bloated clay for structural use.
Foamed Slag
• The molten slag is rapidly agitated with a limited amount of water and
the steam and gas produced are made to get entrapped in the mass.
• In Mysore, Iron and Steel Works at Bhadravati large quantity of
foamed slag is being manufactured.
• Industries have come up near the steel mills to manufacture ready-
made building blocks and partition wall panels.
Expanded Perlite
• A light cellular material with density of about 30 to 240 kg/m3.
• Crushed carefully to various sizes and used in concrete.
• Due to its very low density this is also used for insulation purposes.
Sintered fly ash
• The fly ash is mixed with limited amount of water and is first made into
pellets and then sintered at a temperature of 1000° to 1200°C.
• Sold in UK by the trade name “Lytag”. It has high strength/density ratio
and relatively low drying shrinkage.
Exfoliated Vermiculite
• The fully exfoliated vermiculite which may have expanded even as
much as 30 times will have a density of only 60 to 130 kg/m3.
• Very low density and hence very low strength.
• Used for roof and floor screeds or for the manufacture of blocks, slabs
and tiles which are used for sound insulation and heat insulation.
 LIGHTWEIGHT AGGREGATE CONCRETE
• By using expanded perlite or vermiculite, a concrete of density as low
as 300 Kg/m3 can be produced, and by the use of expanded slag,
sintered fly ash, bloated clay etc., a concrete of density 1600 kg/m3
can be obtained.
• Strength of lightweight concrete depends on the density of concrete.
Less porous aggregate which is heavier in weight produces stronger
concrete particularly with higher cement content.
• The strength of the light-weight concrete may also vary from about
0.3 N/mm2 to 40 N/mm2.
• A cement content of 200 kg/m3 to about 500 kg/m3 may be used.
Structural Light Weight Concrete
• A concrete which combines strength and lightness.
• Light in weight and sufficiently strong to be used in conjunction with
steel reinforcement.
• Structural light-weight aggregate concrete is a concrete having 28 day
compressive strength more than 17 MPa and 28 day air dried unit
weight not exceeding 1850 kg/m3.
• The concrete may consist entirely of light-weight aggregates or
combination of light weight and normal-weight aggregates.
Aerated Concrete
• Aerated concrete is made by introducing air or gas into a slurry
composed of Portland cement and finely crushed siliceous filler so that
when the mix hardens a uniformly cellular structure is formed.
• There are several ways in which aerated concrete can be
manufactured:
1. By the formation of gas by chemical reaction within the mass during
liquid or plastic state.
2. By mixing preformed stable foam with the slurry.
3. By using finely powdered metal (usually aluminium powder) with the
slurry and made to react with the calcium hydroxide liberated during
the hydration process, to give out large quantity of hydrogen gas.
This hydrogen gas gives the cellular structure.
• Aerated concrete is made in the density range from 300 kg/m3 to
about 800 kg/m3.
• Lower density grades are used for insulation purposes
• Medium density grades are used for the manufacture of building
blocks or load bearing walls
• Higher density grades are used in the manufacture of prefabricated
structural members in conjunction with steel reinforcement.
No-fines Concrete
• No-fines concrete is a kind of concrete from which the fine aggregate
fraction has been omitted.
• This concrete is made up of only coarse aggregate, cement and water.
• Very often only single sized coarse aggregate, of size passing through 20
mm retained on 10 mm is used.
• No-fines concrete is becoming popular because of some of the advantages
it possesses over the conventional concrete.
• The single sized aggregates make a good no-fines concrete, which in
addition to having large voids and hence light in weight, also offers
architecturally attractive look.
• No-fines concrete is generally made with the mix ratio from 1 : 6 to 1 : 10
• The drying shrinkage of no-fines concrete is considerably lower than
that of conventional concrete.
• It is used in large scale for load bearing cast in-situ external walls for
single storey and multi-storeyed buildings.
• Because of rough texture, it gives a good base for plastering.
• Unlike the conventional concrete, in which strength is primarily
controlled by the w/c ratio, the strength of no-fines concrete is
dependent on the w/c ratio, aggregate cement ratio and unit weight of
concrete.
• No-fines concrete, when conventional aggregates are used, may show
a density of about 1600 to 1900 kg/m3
CASE STUDY: WELLINGTON STADIUM
DETAILS
• New Zealand’s first purpose-built modern stadium
• Completed in the year 1999
• Seating capacity: 40,000
• Contractor: Fletcher construction Ltd.
Factors favouring LWC construction
• Poor foundation Condition
• Severe Earthquake forces
• Durability
• Space utilisation
• Crane capacity
• Reduced sitework
• Innovative spirit
Construction
• Expanded shale aggregate imported from California was use for
producing lightweight concrete
• Precast construction
• Density of concrete: 1845kg/m3
• Average cube strength: 44MPa
• An innovative seismic damping system was used to ensure that the
structure is not subjected to high ductility demands
REFERENCES
• CONCRETE TECHNOLOGY by MS SHETTY
• Cement and Concrete Association, An Introduction to Light-weight
concrete, Vol. 4, 1970.
• K.S. Ushane, K.J.P. Kumar and C. Kavitha, “Investigation of no-fines
concrete in building blocks”, IJSCR, Vol. 3, No. 4, November 2014.
• Leonard M.C. “New Zealand’s first use of high strength lightweight
precast concrete”