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Lightweight concretes can either be lightweight aggregate concrete, foamed concrete or autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC). Such lightweight concrete blocks are often used in house construction.
Natural materials, like volcanic pumice. The thermal treatment of natural raw materials like clay, slate or shale i.e. Leca. Manufacture from industrial by-products such as fly ash, i.e. Lytag. Processing of industrial by-products like FBA or slag.
The required properties of the lightweight concrete will have a bearing on the best type of lightweight aggregate to use. If little structural requirement, but high thermal insulation properties, are needed then a light, weak aggregate can be used. This will result in relatively low strength concrete. Lightweight aggregate concretes can, however, be used for structural applications, with strengths equivalent to normal weight concrete. The benefits of using lightweight aggregate concrete include:
Reduction in dead loads making savings in foundations and reinforcement. Improved thermal properties. Improved fire resistance. Savings in transporting and handling precast units on site. Reduction in formwork and propping.
Foamed concrete
Foamed concrete is a highly workable, low-density material which can incorporate up to 50 per cent entrained air. It is generally self-levelling, self-compacting and may be pumped. Foamed concrete is ideal for filling redundant voids such as disused fuel tanks, sewer systems, pipelines, and culverts - particularly where access is difficult. It is a recognised medium for the reinstatement of temporary road trenches. Good thermal insulation properties make foamed concrete also suitable for sub-screeds and filling under-floor voids.
Classification of Aggregates
The variability in density can be used to produce concrete of widely different unit weights, see Table (1). The most common classification of aggregates on the basis of bulk specific gravity is lightweight, normal-weight, and heavyweight aggregates. This section specifically address the different characteristics found in both lightweight and heavyweight aggregates.
Table (1), Density Classification of Concrete Aggregates, Mindess Category Unit Weight of Dry-rodded Aggregate (kg/m3) <500 500-800 650-1100 1100-1750 >2100 Typical Concrete Strengths (MPa) <7 7-14 17-35 20-40 20-40
Typical Applications
Heavyweight
Lightweight aggregates: As mentioned in the body of this paper, lightweight concrete contains aggregate that is natural or synthetic which weighs less than 1100 kg/m3. The lightweight is due to the cellular or high internal porous microstructure, which gives this type of aggregate a low bulk specific gravity. The most important aspect of lightweight aggregate is the porosity. They have high absorption values, which requires a modified approach to concrete proportioning. For instance, slump loss in lightweight concrete due to absorption can be an acute problem, which can be alleviated by prewetting (but not saturating) the aggregate before batching.
Lightweight aggregates are covered in ASTM C330 (for structural concrete), C331 (for masonry units), and C332 (for insulating concrete). Additionally, these specifications all contain the requirement that aggregates should be composed of predominately lightweight-cellular and granular inorganic material. Expanded clay, shale and slate are the most common materials found in lightweight aggregate used in structural concrete. Properties of concretes made with lightweight aggregate are listed in Table (2).
Table (2) Properties of concretes made with lightweight aggregate, Mindess Aggregate Aggregate Dry Unit Weight (kg/m3) 550-1050 Origina 28-Day Compressive Strength (MPa) 14-42 14-42 14-42 0.67-3 0.6-3.5 4-5 9 0.7-12.5 7.7-21 21-50
Absorption (Wt %)
Expanded shale, Clay, slate Foamed slag Sintered fly ash Exfoliated Vermiculite Expanded perlite Pumice
PN
S S PN PN N S S S N
110-1850 110-1850 1350-1900 400-950 550-800 800-1300 1200 300-900 1750-1900 2250-2400
processed natural material; N, natural material; S, synthetic material b Natural aggregate listed for comparison
Heavyweight aggregates: Heavyweight concrete contains aggregates that are natural or synthetic which typically weigh more than 2,080 kg/m3 and can range up to 4,485 kg/m3. Heavy weight aggregate is most commonly used for radiation shielding, counterweights and other applications where a high
mass-to-volume ratio is desired. ASTM C637 covers aggregates used for radiation shielding and Table (3) contains the physical properties of heavy weight aggregates.
Table (3), Properties of heavy weight aggregates, Mindess Material Classificationa Bulk Specific Gravity 3.5-3.7 3.4-4.0 4.0-4.6 4.3-4.8 4.2-5.2 4.9-5.3 5.8-6.8 6.2-7.8 Unit Weight of Concrete (kg/m3) 2900-3200 2900-3350 3350-3700 3500-3700 3350-4150 3850-4150 4100-5150 4650-6100
Unit Weight (kg/m3) 2100-2250 2100-2400 2300-2550 2550-2700 2400-3050 2900-3200 3200-4150 3700-4650
N N N N N N S S