Faculty of Engineering

Alexandria University
Civil Engineering
Structural Department

Lightweight Aggregate
Concrete

Babylon, Iraq, built by Sumerian

Pyramids in Mexico, built during the Mayan

period A.D. 624987.

U.S.S Selma ship

San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge

Literature Review

What is Lightweight Concrete?

Lightweight concrete is manufactured

on account of its low density or lower
unit weight concrete.

Unit Weight range from 0.4~1.8 t/m3

Advantages of light weight

concretes
Provide
a very good thermal insulation.

Satisfactory durability.
Sound insulation.
Cheaper unit cost of transport.

Disadvantages of lightweight
concretes

More expensive than ordinary concretes.

Mixing, handling and placing require more
care and attention than ordinary concrete.
However for many purposes the advantages of
lightweight concrete outweigh its disadvantages.

Methods to produce lightweight

concrete

No-Fines concrete
Aerated concrete
Lightweight Aggregate concrete

Classification of Lightweight
Aggregate Concrete
According to the ACI 213 there are
three types:

Low density concretes.

Moderate strength concretes.
Structural concretes

Classification of Lightweight
Concrete

Lightweight Aggregates
Lightweight aggregate (LWA) can be
divided in two categories:
Naturally and are ready to use only
with mechanical treatment, i.e.,
crushing and sieving.
Produced by thermal treatment from
either naturally occurring materials
or from industrial by-products, waste
materials, etc.

Production Processes of
Lightweight Aggregates

Rotary Kiln
Sintered Strand
Vertical Shaft Kiln

Rotary Kiln

Properties of Lightweight
Aggregates

Unit Weight
Absorption
Bulk Specific Gravity
Particle Shape and Surface Texture

The main factor affecting Unit Weight, Absorption and Bulk

Specific Gravity is the Cellular Structure of the aggregates.

Properties of different types of Aggregates

Aggregate

Bulk Specific

Unit Weight kg/m^3

Water Absorption by
%Weight

Pumice

1.25 - 1.65

880 - 480

30 20

Foamed Blast Slag

1.15 - 2.2

1200 - 400

15 - 8

Expanded Perlite

0.7 - 1.05

160 ~

30 - 10

Expanded Vermiculite

0.85 - 1.05

160 ~

30 - 10

Expanded Clay

1.1 - 2.1

960 - 560

15 - 2

Sintered Fly Ash

~ 1.7

770 - 590

24 - 14

Saw Dust

0.35 - 0.6

320 - 128

35 - 10

Polystyrene Foam

0.05

20 - 10

50 ~

Particle Shape and Surface Texture

Peculiarities of Light Weight Concrete

Mix Proportioning
The Steps of the Proportioning Procedure
Preliminary Mix
Trial Mix
Final Mix

Precautions in Manufacture of
Lightweight Concrete

Moisture Content of the Lightweight

Aggregate
Slump and Air Entrained Of the
Lightweight Aggregate
Pumped Concrete and Its Design

Physical Properties of Lightweight

Aggregate Concrete

8.

Compressive Strength
Density
Modulus of Elasticity
Tensile and Flexural Strength
Effect of sand replacement
Elastic compatibility
Drying Shrinkage
Creep

9.

Thermal Conductivity

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Compressive Strength

The type of lightweight aggregate is the primary

factor controlling the compressive strength

Compressive strength of lightweight aggregate

concrete was not much affect neither by
increasing of Cement content, by replacing
Cement by Silica Fume, nor by using natural sand
as partial replacement of the lightweight sand.

Density

The density of the concrete is mainly governed

by the particle density of the aggregate mixture
The compressive strength is directly proportional
to the aggregate density

Modulus of Elasticity

The modulus of elasticity of concrete

depends on the modulus of elasticity
of both the matrix and the aggregate

Tensile and Flexural Strength

The splitting tensile strength of all lightweight

concrete varies from approximately 70~100 %
that of the normal weight concrete at equal
compressive strength.

Effect of sand replacement

Partial or complete replacement of lightweight fines

with natural sand generally provides improvements
in the workability and finishability of the plastic
concrete, and also many physical properties of the
hardened concrete.

Elastic compatibility

Concrete can be considered a composite material in

which the coarse aggregates act as a spherical
inclusion in an infinite matrix of mortar.

The primary reason for the lack of bond cracks may

be due to the similarity of elastic modulus of the
LWA and the mortar fraction.

Drying Shrinkage

Drying shrinkage is an important property that

affects extent of cracking, pre-stress loss and
effective tensile strength.

For equal cement paste content the shrinkage

of lightweight aggregate concrete is usually
slightly greater than normal weight concrete

Creep

Generally higher creep strains are produced in

lightweight aggregate concrete than in normal
weight concrete due to lower E-value of
aggregate.

The basic creep of lightweight aggregate

concrete is approximately 15% higher than the
normal weight concrete.

Thermal Conductivity

Lightweight concrete has a smaller thermal

conductivity than normal weight concrete. Due to
its pores structure or air-void system.

The air-pore system in the LWAC depends upon

the binder system and the chemical admixtures
used. With the addition of silica fume and fly ash,
thermal conductivity is decreased

Durability

Durability in concrete is defined as its ability to

resist weathering action, chemical attack,
occurrence of extreme temperature or any
other process of deterioration

Permeability
Normal weight Concrete

Lightweight concrete

Stiffness of
Aggregates

High compared to the stiffness of

the matter matrix

relatively low

Microcracks
Frequency

Appears at the interface between

matrix and aggregates

Appears in the aggregates due to

relatively low stiffness of the
aggregate

Infiltration
of
water

appears between the matrix and the

aggregates

lower permeability due to strong

bond and high quality of the
materials

Size of
Aggregates

large aggregates increase the

permeability

small aggregate decrease

permeability

Water
Cement
ratio

permeability increase by increasing

water cement ratio

permeability increase by increasing

water cement ratio

Fire Resistance

The performance of building materials under

fire exposure is of significant importance. One
phenomenon that must be considered during
fire is the risk of explosive spalling, which may
cause much of the concrete cover to disappear
leaving the reinforcing bars directly exposed to
fire

FIRE TEST

1.
2.
3.
4.

Fire endurance tests of four types of

concrete were conducted in a gas-oil
furnace
LWAC, 3L-concrete, (Swedish Leca)
structural LWAC (strength 350 kg/cm2)
LWAC modified with chemical admixtures
high strength LWAC (Silica fume)

specimens

A comparison was done with normal weight

concrete made with the addition of a polymer
fire test was performed on:
2.5 cm thick plates of normal concrete
2.5 cm thick plates of LWAC
5.0 cm thick slab of LWAC
15 cm thick reinforced concrete beam of LWAC

Gas-oil Fired Furnace

Conclusion

Normal concrete plates from two sides resulted in

destructive spalling at about 125175C

Concretes made with the polymer addition, no spalling

was observed when heated from both sides, even after
30 minutes.

Tests performed on the 5 cm slabs and the LWAC

reinforced beam (b h = 0.15 0.3 m 3 ) did not show
any damage for 1 hour after heating when the
temperature in the middle of the specimens observed
was 850C

Chemical Exposure

Chemical durability is defined as the resistance of

concrete against the gases, chemicals, and temperature
variations which interact chemically with the binder
components of the concrete causing deterioration The
following are varies types chemical attacks:

Acid Resistance
Carbonation and Corrosion
Chloride Ion Penetration
Sulphate resistance

Acid Resistance

Concrete is susceptible to acid attack because of its

alkaline nature
The components of the cement paste break down during
contact with acids according to the following reaction:
2 HX + Ca(OH)2 -> CaX2 + 2 H2O

1.
2.
3.

Decomposition of the concrete depends on

porosity of the cement paste
the concentration of the acid
the solubility of the acid calcium salts

Carbonation and Corrosion

Carbonation occurs in concrete because the calcium

bearing phases present are attacked by carbon dioxide
of the air and converted to calcium carbonate
Ca(OH)2 + CO 2 CaCO3 + H 2 O
CaCO 3 + CO 2 + H 2 O Ca(HCO 3 ) 2
Ca(HCO 3 ) 2 + Ca(OH)2 2CaCO 3 + 2H 2 O

Chloride Ion Penetration

Chloride ions penetrate concrete and react with calcium

hydroxide and calcium aluminates.

calcium hydroxide calcium chloride (soluble)

calcium aluminates C3A.CaCl2.H2O
If the concentration of CaCl2 is higher than the
surroundings. It leads to microcrack formation making
easy penetration of chloride ions.

Cont. Chloride Ion Penetration

In the presence of chloride, a basic iron

chloride is formed, 3Fe(OH)2 FeCl2, which later
decomposes and forms FeOH

(akaganite).
Leaching of salt increases the porosity and
permeability of concrete and weakens the bond
between the aggregate and the cement paste.

Sulphate Resistance

Sulphate Attack Cement Paste

Gypsum and Ettringite formed during the

external sulfate attack may cause concrete to
crack and scale

Materials & Experimental

Program

Materials & Experimental Program

In the following part three points are
discussed.
1. Materials
2. Experimental program
3. Mix design

materials

CEMENT

Fine
aggregate

Coarse
aggregate

Silica fume

water

admixture

steel

CEMENT

WE HAVE BEEN USING ORDINARY PORTLAND

CEMENT ,CEMENT CONTENT WERE
300,350,400 AND 450 KG/m3

Fine Leca

It has been delivered from national cement company

The compacted unit weight = 0.71 & the loose unit weight = 0.66

SAND

We used natural siliceous sand as replacement

of fine leca

Coarse aggregate

The coarse aggregate used in this study was coarse leca

Maximum size was 3/8inch
Compacted unit weight =0.376
Loose unit weight =0.36

Silica fume

Is a by product resulting from the reduction of

high-purity quartz with coal or coke and wood
chips .

Silica fume produced from ferro silicon alloys

Foam

Foam is a by product of the

petroleum industry

We used it as a percentage of
10,20,30and 40% of the mix vol.

ADMIXTURES

Superplasticizer Type F has been used in all

concrete mixes in constant dosage of 1.25 % of
the cement weight.

This type is known as "sikament 163M"

delivered from a local company.

Design of lightweight concrete

& mix proportions
To design the mix there are two methods:
1.Weight method

C C.L F .L S W A

Where:
C = wt. of cement
C.L = wt. of coarse leca
F.L = wt. of fine leca
S = wt. of sand
W = wt. of water
A = wt of adm.
Y= unit wt.

2. Volumetric method
C
S
W

Foam 1.0
G.c G.s G.w

Where:
C = wt. of cement
S = wt. of sand
W = wt. of water
F = Foam = volume of foam used in
cement content

Experimental Program

Lightweight Concrete

Group 1 cement
content= 300

Group 2 cement
content= 350

Group 3 cement
content= 400

Group 4 cement
content= 450

Mixes

Sand 0%

Sand % 20

Sand % 40

Sand % 60

Sand % 80

Sand % 100

Fine % 100
Leca

Fine % 80
Leca

Fine % 60
Leca

Fine % 40
Leca

Fine % 20
Leca

Fine % 0
Leca

Silica 15%
Fume
Replacement

100%
Cement

100%
Cement

Foam

Silica 15%
Fume
Replacement

Tests

Compressive
strength

days 7

days 28

Indirect
tensile
strength

Bond
strength

Flexural
strength

Modulus of
elasticity

Thermal
properties

Shrinkage

Properties of LWAC

Fresh Concrete:

Fresh unit weight

Slump

Hardened Concrete:

Hardened unit weight

Compressive
strength
Splitting tensile
strength
Flexural Strength
Bond strength
Modulus of elasticity
Shrinkage

Results and Discussion

Introduction

In this chapter we will discuss the

results of different tests which were
carried out during our study .

Properties of fresh concrete

Fresh unit weight

As observed the unit weight varies between (1.16 to 1.632)

Slump
The slump value for the different concrete mixes has an average of 11cm.
This was achieved by adding the 1.25% dosage of the super plasticizer.

Properties of Hardened Concrete

Hardened unit weight

It can be observed that the compressive strength increases as the unit weight increases

%Hardened unit weight and sand

.The hardened unit weight increases as the replacement percentage of fines with sand increases

Compressive strength
Effect of sand replacement
The increase of sand replacement increase the cube compressive strength.

%Compressive strength and sand

The increase of sand replacement increase the cube compressive strength.

Relation between fcu28&fcu7

Samples of tested cubes

Splitting tensile strength

Effect of sand replacement
The splitting tensile strength increases with the increase of sand replacement percentage .

Splitting tensile strength and

compressive strength
The increase of the compressive strength leads to the increase of the
splitting tensile strength.

Samples of tested cylinders

Flexural strength
Effect of sand replacement
Flexural strength increases with increase of sand replacement percentage

Flexural strength and compressive

strength
The flexural strength increases with the increase of the compressive strength

Bond Strength
Effect of sand replacement
The bond strength increases with increase of sand replacement percentage

Bond strength and compressive

strength

Sample of tested cylinders

Modulus of Elasticity

Modulus of elasticity and the percentage of sand

Modulus of Elasticity and

Compressive strength

Shrinkage Drying

Drying shrinkage of LWAC made and cured at normal

temperatures ranges from slightly 30% than that of some
normal weight concrete. lightweight aggregate usually give
higher shrinkage because it has low modulus of elasticity.

Effect of replacement percent of

fines with sand
Sand replacement percentage increases the drying shrinkage decreases.

Presence of Silica Fume

Conclusion
We have found some results &conclusions regarding all
the experimental work done

The fresh unit weight increases with the increase of

the sand replacement percentage and with increase of
cement content, ranges between (1.15-1.75).
The slump value for the different concrete mixes has
an average of 12 cm. This was achieved by adding the
1.25%-2.00% dosage of the super plasticizer
The compressive strength (55 to 170
kg/cm2)increases as the unit weight increases (1.15
to 1.75 t/m3).

Conclusion

The increase of sand replacement increases the cube

compressive strength
The splitting tensile, bond, flexural strength increases
with the increase of sand replacement percentage.
Increase of cement content leads to increase of the
splitting tensile strength this is due to increase of the
cement paste and mechanical bond between coarse
aggregate and cement paste.
light weight concrete is a non structural concrete but
have got low unit weight which Leads to many
benefits as decreasing costs, having good thermal &
sound insulation.