Performance of lightweight aggregate concrete incorporating scoria rock and polystyrene
A.B.M. Saiful Islam,Abdulsalam M. Alkhalaf,Muhammad Nasir,Walid A. Al-Kutti,Khalid Saqer Alotaibi
Abstract
Developing eco-friendly lightweight aggregate materials is crucial globally, especially in Saudi Arabia, due to poor limestone quality, high water tables, and challenging soil conditions. This necessitates alternative lightweight aggregates for lightweight concrete (LWAC). This research developed LWACs by replacing 70-100% of conventional limestone (LS) with local scoria rock (SR) or by substituting 10-30% of LS with artificial
polystyrene (AP), creating SR-based and AP-based LWACs. A total of seven concrete mixes were prepared,
including a control mix, with cement contents ranging from 411 to 567 kg/m³and water contents from 164 to 227 kg/m³. Their performance was compared with a control normal-weight aggregate concrete (NWAC) with 100%LS. First, aggregate physical properties were evaluated. Then, mix proportions were developed, and fresh, mechanical, and durability characteristics of the concrete were investigated. AP exhibited the lowest bulk density and specific gravity, followed by SR, then LS. LWACs generally showed lower compressive strength and pulse velocity, with higher chloride permeability and sorptivity than NWAC. LWAC density reduced by 8.2-13.6% with SR and 3.5-10.9% with AP. Twenty-eight-day compressive strengths were 70.3-92.2% (SR-LWAC) and 43.8-54.7% (APLWAC) of NWAC’s strength.Thismechanical reduction is attributed to SR’s porous nature and AP’s lower density, potentially causing cracks. These eco-friendly LWACs show potential for infrastructural applications requiring mediumto lowstructural strength andmoderate durability.
A.B.M. Saiful Islam, Abdulsalam M. Alkhalaf, Muhammad Nasir, Khalid Saqer Alotaibi — Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, College of Engineering, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam 31451, Saudi Arabia
Walid A. Al-Kutti — ReSET Group, Clean Energy Research Platform, Physical Sciences and Engineering (PSE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Makkah 23955, Saudi Arabia
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