Structural lightweight concrete containing expanded poly-styrene beads; Engineering properties

Light-Weight Concrete containing Expanded Poly-Styrene Beads (EPS-LWC) is an approved structural and non-structural material characterized by a considerably lower density and higher structural efficiency, compared to concrete containing ordinary aggregates. The experimental campaign carried out in this project provides new information on the mechanical properties of structural EPS-LWC, with reference to the strength and tension (by splitting and in bending), the modulus of elasticity, the stress-strain curve in unconfined compression, the absorbed energy under compression and reinforcement-concrete bond. The properties measured at seven ages since casting, from 3 days to 91 days, in order to investigate their in-time evolution. Mathematical relationships are formulated as well, between the previous properties and time, since casting. The dependence of the compressive strength on the other mechanical properties of EPS-LWC is also described through an empirical relationship, which is shown to fit satisfactorily the experimental results.