USE OF STRUCTURAL LIGHTWEIGHT AGGREGATE CONCRETE:

ILLUSTRATED BY EXAMPLES

M.MOULI, F.BENAICHE, Pr. A. BELAIDI, M. CHEGGAG, H. BENZAAMA


Department of Civil Engineering, ENSET Oran, Algeria

BP 1523 EL M`NAOUER, Dept. OI Civil Engineering, ENSET Oran, ALGERIA
moulimohamedyahoo.Ir


RESUME:
Lightweight concrete can be produced with a density range oI 300-2000 Kg/m
3
, corresponding cube
strengths Irom approximately 1 to over 60 MPa and thermal conductivities oI 0.2 to 1.0 W/mK.
The principal techniques used Ior producing lightweight concrete can be summarised as Iollows:
1) Omitting the Iiner Iraction oI normal weight aggregate to create air-Iilled voids. The resulting
material is known as no-Iines concrete`.
2) Including bubbles oI gas in a cement paste or mortar matrix to Iorm a cellular structure
containing approx 30-50 voids. This is known as aerated concrete`.
3) Replacing, either wholly or partially, natural aggregates in a concrete mix with aggregates
containing a large proportion oI voids (known as lightweight aggregates). Such concretes are
usually reIerred to as lightweight aggregate concretes.
This paper deals only with the latter group oI concretes and looks at the use oI structural lightweight
aggregate concrete in constructions. It examines the diIIerent structural applications in the world.

1) INTRODUCTION:
In concrete construction, selI-weight represents a very large proportion oI the total load on the
structure, and there are clearly considerable advantages in reducing the density oI concrete. One oI the
ways to reduce the mass or dead weight oI a structure is the use oI lightweight aggregate in concrete to
get lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC).
The beneIit oI lightweight aggregate in concrete as structural material has been
recognized as Iar back as Roman days. In the second century AD, the Romans built the 44m
diameter dome oI the Pantheon in Rome using natural pumice aggregate. The modern
lightweight industry dates back to 1917 when S. T. Hayde developed a process Ior expanded
shale and clay to Iorm hard lightweight material called Haydite, suitable Ior making concrete
oI substantial strength and low density (ACI, 1979). Since that date lightweight concrete has
been used in many civil engineering applications as a very convenient alternative to
conventional concrete.
Many authors in their investigations reported that LWC has its obvious advantages oI
higher strength/weight ratio, better tensile strength, lower coeIIicient oI thermal expansion,
and superior heat and sound insulation characteristic due to air void in lightweight aggregate.
Furthermore, with lighter concrete, the Iormwork need withstand a lower pressure than
would be the case with ordinary concrete, and also the total weight oI materials to be handled
is reduced with a consequent increase in productivity.
More studies, reported that the reduction in dead weight oI a construction by the use oI
lightweight aggregate in concrete could result in a decrease in cross section oI columns,
beams, plates and Ioundations and construction costs.
And Iinally, the reduced weight may make LWC preIerable Ior structures in seismic zones,
because oI the reduced dynamics actions.
With the rapid development oI concrete technology in recent years, high-perIormance
concrete has been produced more easily. Since 1980, several investigations on high-
perIormance LWC has been reported, studies reported by Zhang and Gjorv on lightweight
concrete containing expanded clay type aggregates, reported a 28-day compressive strength oI
102.4 MPa.
Structural lightweight concrete has become established as an important and versatile
material in modern construction. The reason Ior development taking place in this Iield are
technical and economic. These are some applications in the world.

2) LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE IN BUIDINGS:
Details oI a number oI signiIicant buildings in the world where lightweight aggregate
concrete was used are given below:
1- Roxburgh County OIIices, Scotland, built in 1966/67, lightweight aggregate concrete
is used Ior all elements oI structure other than the Ioundations and basement. Graded
Lytag (sintered PFA) aggregate and natural sand were used.
2- Marina city in Chicago was built in the early 1960s on the banks oI the Chicago river.
Its twin cylindrical towers provide 60 storeys oI apartment blocks, reaching some
179m high, was built at the astonishingly rate oI one storey per day, the entire Iloor
structure, including the radial beams being made oI lightweight concrete. Fig. 1.
3- In the United Kingdom, one oI the most interesting examples is Guy`s hospital in
London built in 1970s. Two tower blocks, the User Tower` and the Communication
Tower` were built; they were respectively, 122 and 145m above ground Iloor, each
with a lower ground Iloor storey and single basement. This is perhaps a classic case oI
high-rise construction dictated by limited site availability, with lightweight aggregate
concrete used to reduce Ioundation loads not only in structural elements but also in the
external walls. Fig. 2.


























Fig. 1. Marina City Towers, Chicago USA. Fig. 2. Guy`s Hospital in London (UK)
4- In the mid-1980s perhaps the most signiIicant example oI an in-situ reinIorced
lightweight concrete building constructed in London was the new Chinese Embassy in
Portland Place. This building has seven storeys above ground plus a part-mezzanine,
together with a Iull basement and a partial second basement level. Lightweight
aggregate concrete is used Ior the beams and suspended slabs at all levels and Ior the
sloping walls on the upper storeys.
5- One Shell Plaza Tower in Houston, built in 1967, is a Iamous example oI the use oI
lightweight concrete in an in-situ structure, in this instance all structural elements
incorporate lightweight aggregates. At approximately 220m high this was the tallest
lightweight concrete building in the world when it was completed typical spans are
11m, and the covered Iloor area is 130000m
2
.

The entire superstructure oI the
building, columns, walls, beams, Iloors were constructed in reinIorced lightweight
concrete using expanded shale aggregate. Fig. 3.
6- Lake Point Tower in Chicago was completed in 1976. It is possibly the tallest
apartment building in the world. Standing 70 storeys and some 200m high.
Lightweight aggregate concrete is used in the apartment Iloor slabs. Fig. 4.
































Fig; 3; One Shell Plaza Building, Houston, Texas. Fig. 4. Water Tower Plaza, Chicago, USA
7- Austria square in Sydney was built at a similar time, and at 184m high is almost as
tall. Above the seventh Iloor the entire Irame is built oI lightweight aggregate using
'litecrete`, an expanded shale. A saving in building weight oI 38 was calculated Ior
the lightweight concrete option.
8- The BMW administrative in Munich is one oI the tallest in Munich and has an
unconventional shape oI plan. It has a central core and Iour slender slender central
suspension columns which are anchored to a supporting structure cantilevering Irom
the top oI the core. The building is 100m high with 17 Iloors plus a services Iloor
suspended. Only the suspended Iloors are constructed in lightweight aggregate
concrete, speciIically to reduce the dead load oI the building. By using lightweight
concrete in the Iloor construction, a reduction oI load oI the order oI 13 (average)
was achieved on loadbearing members, resulting in a substantial saving on the project
cost, without taking into account other inherent beneIits oI improved Iire resistance
and thermal insulation. Fig. 5.
9- The standard Bank building in Johannesburg is 139m high and contains 30 storeys. Its
plan Iorm, shown in Figure 6, appears rather more conventional by comparison with
the BMW building. The similarity lies in the unusual suspended structural Iorm used
in both buildings and the use oI lightweight aggregate concrete in the Iloor slabs only
in order to reduce dead load. The Iloor slabs in this building were constructed using
precast double-T units which were steam-cured and liIted one day aIter casting to
achieve a rapid erecting time. The units are 10m long and up to 3.16m wide. Aglite, an
expanded clay, was used Ior the coarse (20/10mm blend) aggregate with natural sand,
giving a relatively dense mix (1950 Kg/m
3
at 28 days).


























Fig. 5. BMW central Administration Building, Munich Fig. 6. Standard Bank, Johannesburg.


10- The Commercial Centre Tower at Kobe, Japan, was constructed in the late 1960s. it
stands 109m high above ground. All Iloors Irom the 3
rd
to the 26
th
, including the rooI,
were constructed using lightweight concrete. The aggregate used was Lionite`, an
expanded shale.
11- The Torre Picasso building in Madrid was built in 1988/89. this stands 150m high and
contains 3500m
3
oI lightweight aggregate concrete in the Iloor slabs. The concrete
used was 45 N/mm
2
with a dry density oI 1650 Kg/m
3
and was placed by pumping.

The above demonstrates a number oI applications oI lightweight aggregate concrete
worldwide. It is noticeable that the extent to which the material is speciIied in any individual
structure varies considerably. A variety oI lightweight aggregate were used. The aggregates
themselves vary in type, shape, density and strength grade range.

3) LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE IN BRIDGES:
Lightweight concrete has been used in a number oI heavily loaded concrete bridges Ior a
long time now. A Concrete Society report in 1981 reviewed the use oI lightweight concrete
Ior bridges in number oI countries (1).
Examples oI bridges structures:
- Koningspleijbrug, a bridge near Arnhem, the Netherlands. Fig. 7.
- Bridge at rededale, UK.
- Bridge in Ringway (ring road) near UlIt, the Netherlands.
- Bridge over the river Sinigo at Avelengo (Bolzano), Italy.
- The Friarton Bridge in Scotland.














Fig. 7. Koningspleijburg, Bridge.

4) LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE FOR SPECIAL STRUCTURES:
Lightweight aggregate concrete has been used successIully used in a wide range oI
constructions Irom conventional dwellings and oIIice blocks to complex highly structures. In
general, their perIormance in service in terms oI saIety serviceability and durability has been
satisIactory.
Examples oI application:
- Marine and oIIshore structures:
The ship Atlantus was launched in decmber 1918, haydite lightweight concrete was used in
the construction oI the 3000ton ship Atalantus.
The USS Selma: aIter the success oI Alantus the 132m long, 7500ton reinIorced concrete
tanker USS Selma was built in the Iollowing year, also using Haydite concrete.

- Onshore structures:
The Ski-jumping platIorm at OberstdorI, Germany, built in 1972, this ski-jumping
platIorm is a unique construction combining elegance with technical excellence and
blending harmoniously with the environment.
Sited on a mountain top, the structure cantilevers 100m (measured along the slope) into
space at about 39 to the horizontal plane and secured to the base by means oI rock-
anchors. The entire superstructure is a cellular box section in lightweight aggregate
concrete, pos-tensioned with Dying prestressing bars. Fig 8.

























Fig. 8. Ski jump at OberstdorI, West Germany.

5) LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE IN DEVELOPPING COUNTRIES:
Many oI the lightweight concrete products developed over the years in Europe and north
America are now being manuIactured and employed in the developing countries.
Pumice, being Iound a lightweight rock Iound in many parts oI the volcanic regions oI
Mediterranean, and in several oI the developing countries was used in concrete. In Kenya, it
occurs in the RiIt Valley and it used at present mainly in thermal-resisting rooI screeds. As the
concrete block industry is well established in Kenya, it is expected that pumice will in Iuture
be widely used in concrete blocks.
Expanded-clay aggregate is being manuIactured in Argentina and South AIrica. Pilot plants
Ior expanded have been installed in India and Pakistan. Autoclaved aerated concrete is being
used in Cuba, India Iran, Ivory Coast, Mexico, Venezuela and Zaire.
Foamed concrete is at present used in Burma, Costa Rica, Ghana, Gibraltar, India, Sri
Lanka, Kenya, Kuwait, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Trinidad, Uganda.
It can be seen that our country has not tried to take beneIit oI using lightweight concrete
even though, the availability oI pouzzolan which can be used as a natural lightweight
aggregate Ior making lightweight aggregate concrete.

Pozzolan:
It is a common rock oI volcanic origin, which occurs in many parts oI the world, and which is light
enough and generally strong enough to be used as lightweight aggregate. Its lightness is due to that
being spongy lavas, the cells having been Iormed by gases expanding with release oI pressure when
the material was still plastic. Its usually oI dark colour and contains larger and irregularly-shaped cells,
which are not connected.
Pozzolan is one oI the oldest known lightweight aggregate and Irom about 100 BC onwards was
commonly used as an aggregate in the concrete rooIs and walls oI Romans buildings, notably baths
and temples, the best known surviving example being the Pantheon in Rome, cited earlier, in the dome
oI pouzzolan concrete was used. In the mid-ninetieth century pouzzolan as an aggregate was revived
in Germany, and its use subsequently spread to other parts oI Europe. Considering its mode oI
Iormation, it is not surprising that pouzzolan varies in quality in diIIerent localities.
In the north West oI Algeria (at about 100 km West oI Oran) we have got natural pouzzolan, but
is used only by Algerian Cement ManuIacturers in producing blended Portland-Pouzzolan Cements,
the pouzzolan is integrated with cement clinker.
A research program has been carried out in order to veriIy the mechanical properties oI the
lightweight aggregate concrete using pouzzolan as lightweight aggregate. The main results at
the actual stage oI this research are presented through papers.

6) CONCLUSION:
Despite the Iact that lightweight aggregate concrete has been used structurally Ior more
than two decades in many parts oI the world, and Ior substantially longer in North America,
there remains

The advantages oI using lightweight rather than normal weight concrete in this Iorm oI
construction may be summarised as Iollows:
- High strength to density ratio.
- Low thermal strain and conductivity.
- Low permeability.
- High resistance to impact and thermal shock.
- High Iire resistance.
- High tensile capacity.

7) REFERENCES:
1) A. SHORT, W. KINNIBURG, Lightweight Concrete`, Third Ed., Ap. Sc. Publishers.
2) A Review oI the International Use oI Lightweight Concrete In High Bridges, Concrete
Society Technical Report N. 20, August 1981.
3) A. BENACHOUR, Etude des caracteristiques physico-chimiques des betons a granulats
pouzzolaniques`, these de magister, USTOtan, Juin 2001.
4) A. FERHAT, Caracterisation physico-mecanique a court terme d`un beton leger elabore
a partir d`agregat pouzzolanique`, these de magister, USTO, juin 2002.
5) M. MOULI, F. BENAICHE, InIluence oI pouzzolan as an aggregate component on the
properties oI concrete,/ 1
er
congres international sur la technologie et la durabilite du beton,
les 24, 25 et 26 mai 2004.