Lightweight Fiber Reinforced Concrete Blocks (LITEBLOCK) as an Alternative to

Traditional Hollow Blocks

Rovee Shelter B. Bungbunga, Warren Jay A. Magdangal, Aisa A. Manuel, Aldous Jeunelle S. Manuel, Mark
Angelo B. Marcos, Johnwilson F. Marinay, Dominique M. Oliveros, Lynette C. Ramos, Arvin V. Sarmiento,
Jean Kathleen M. Soriano, Alexis Yanni-Cole M. Sy, Reniel V. Torres,

ABSTRACT

This paper studied the viability of Lightweight fiber reinforced concrete blocks (LITEBLOCK) as
an alternative to traditional concrete hollow blocks for residential and commercial buildings. Liteblocks
are pre-manufactured concrete blocks made with cement and sand mortar infused with micro air
bubbles. Then reinforced with tension fibers. Similar researches were used to give further knowledge on
the performance of the block. The results indicate that the Lightweight fiber reinforced concrete blocks
made with cement and sand mortar infused with micro air bubbles, and then reinforced with tension
fibers is a more preferable choice in terms of strength, weight, workability, effectiveness and cost in
comparison with the traditional concrete hollow blocks. The Liteblock delivers much better
performance to this end and reduces the building costs when compared to traditional constructions.

KEYWORDS: liteblock, lightweight concrete, residential buildings, commercial buildings, fiber reinforcement,
infused micro bubbles

INTRODUCTION
Lightweight concrete is an important construction material nowadays, as it increases thermal
insulation properties and also decreases the thermal load coming on the building [1]. Light weight
concrete is widely using all over the world due to its light weight, high strength, low thermal
conductivity, low shrinkage, low absorption, high heat resistance and which possess sharp edges and
corners [2].
Mainly, the light weight concrete has three classifications: (i) no-fines concrete, (ii) lightweight
aggregate concrete and (iii) aerated concrete. The aerated or foam concrete is produced under CLC
technology. Cellular light weight concrete has good mechanical properties, transport properties,
thermal insulation and sound insulation. Cellular light weight concretes are produced by mixing the
ingredients like cement, fly ash, foam and water in the required proportions in the mixer. The foam is
the aerating agent which pumped to the concrete through a specialised equipment that adds fixed
volume of air voids at constant pressure [3]. Barleena Thomas et al. (2019) optimized the foam
volume based on density and compressive strength. Various percentages of foam by wt of cement
(2.5%,5%,7.5%,10%,15%,20%) were taken. Low density and required strength was obtained at 5% and
7.5 % of foam [4].
And Fiber, known and has been used as a reinforcing material throughout history in the form
of mudbricks containing straws, horsehairs, and corresponding natural fibers [5, 6]. Lightweight
aggregate fiber-reinforced concrete is a relatively new material [7]. Although lightweight concrete and
fibers have been previously employed in construction, their use in modern days dates back to the
second half of the nineteenth century. However, it was not until later in the 20th century that the
usage and detailed study of properties associated with lightweight aggregate concrete became more
significant. This new understanding of the behavior of Fiber-reinforced concrete and crack
propagation paved the way for the development of new technology. Stronger and lighter concrete

Lightweight Fiber Reinforced Concrete Blocks (LITEBLOCK) as an Alternative to Traditional Hollow Blocks| 1
sections permitted reductions in the cost of manufacturing, transportation, and foundation design.
One of the latest fields affected by the development of lightweight fiber-reinforced concrete includes
the seismic strength of structures.
Similarly put into together becoming a hollow block, Liteblock created by Litecrete
Philippines, a company by a Former Cebuano Pinoy Big Brother Grand Winner Jan Slater Young
launched its Lightweight Blocks (Liteblocks) to the market in 2015. Liteblock is a Lightweight fiber-
reinforced aerated concrete block 50% Lighter than ordinary blocks, heat insulated, has superior
soundproofing, has improved indoor air quality, doubling fire protection standard, low water
absorption, steel reinforced design for safety, high screw pull out strength, workable, easy installation
like lego bricks, and eco-friendly. (Liteblock, 2021)
This study was an attempt to promote a more rational way of building structure without
degradation of the environment and with a cheaper cost.

Significance of the Study

The development of residential houses/commercial buildings here in the Philippines utilizing
liteblocks as an alternative to traditional concrete blocks is one of the solutions in the quickly
exhausting of regular assets that are utilized as a part of development. This would unmistakably
reduce the cost of resources utilized as a part of construction without bargaining the quality and
strength of the entire building. This would greatly benefit all Filipinos who wish to build their house
at low cost without compromising its strength. It is also a win situation to the environment because
the resource that will be used in this system of construction is renewable unlike the conventional ones
like sand, aggregates and many more.

Literature Review
Lightweight Aggregate Fiber-Reinforced Concrete
For countless years, lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC) was utilized for aesthetical or
insulation purposes only. This was because of one of the main disadvantages found in both normal and
high strength lightweight concretes: low tensile-to-compressive strength ratio, low flexural strength,
low fracture toughness, high brittleness, and large shrinkage [6]. Furthermore, lightweight aggregate
concrete is brittle in nature, and when subjected to external loading, a sudden failure under stress
occurs. the addition of fibers, however, will allow overcoming the issue associated with the brittleness
of the material. The incorporation of fibers into a brittle cement matrix serves to increase the fracture
toughness of the composite, through the crack-arresting process, and increase the tensile and flexural
strengths. Lightweight aggregate fiber-reinforced concrete would fail only if fibers break or are drawn
out of the cement matrix due to tensile forces. The strength mechanics of fiber-reinforced concrete and
mortar, extending from the elastic precrack state to the partially plastic postcracked state, is a
continuing research topic [8].

Fiber-Reinforced Aerated Concrete

A novel class of aerated concrete is Fiber-Reinforced Aerated Concrete (FRAC) or
FlexCrete ,which includes internal reinforcement with short polymeric fibers such as polypropylene. In
order to avoid potential damage to the polymeric fibers, autoclaving is eliminated from the
production of FRAC and curing is performed at room temperature . Eliminati on of autoclaving
process may create lower strength values and higher inhomogeneity when compared with autoclaved
aerated concrete. The structures of FRAC and AAC are therefore of different natures. Short fibers

Lightweight Fiber Reinforced Concrete Blocks (LITEBLOCK) as an Alternative to Traditional Hollow Blocks| 2
however have a positive effect in bridging the cracks formed during the plastic stage or later on due to
the mechanical forces, drying shrinkage, or heating–cooling cycles. It has been reported by Perez-Pena
and Mobasher [9] that the addition of short polypropylene fibers to lightweig ht cementitious panels
can largely improve the mechanical properties. In their study, modulus of rupture increased from 3.2
to 4.0 MPa and toughness increased from 0.6 to 1.2 N m when fiber content was raised from 0.4% to
1.4%. Additionally, adding short fibers reduces the shrinkage cracking in the plastic phase or later in
the elastic phase while drying [10].
From an ultimate strength point of view, the performance can be modeled using an elastic–
plastic response that uses the post cracking residual strength of the cellular material. The ratio of
residual strength to peak strength for FRAC is typically more than AAC due to the role of fibers in
integrating the structure .Tests shows the tensile/flexural behavior of these cellular solids. AAC shows
a brittle failure once the ultimate strength is reached, however, FRAC shows a ductile response due to
the role of short fibers in bridging the tensile cracks. The economical approach for studying and
utilizing FRAC is based on the similarities of this material to Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) and
Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (FRC).

Aerated Masonry Blocks

Light weight concrete blocks are usually produced from Portland cement, water, and sand or
any lightweight aggregates. The prime consideration of using the aerated concrete masonry blocks is to
reduce the density of masonry units [11]. Light weight concrete masonry blocks can be made by adding
light weight aggregates or constructing the blocks as hollow. Light weight aggregates can be prepared
by the processes such as expanding, palletizing, or sintering processes. The aggregates also can be
prepared by processing natural or local materials, and aggregates consisting of the end products of coal
or coke combustion. The aggregates are mainly composed of lightweight cellular and granular
inorganic materials. [12]. Light weight block increases productivity even at the same labour price, and
workers are typically more efficient because the lighter block is less intensive. The self-weight of Light
weight block is much lesser than the normal concrete masonry blocks. As block weight is reduced,
installed cost is also get reduced [13].

The thermal insulation of the masonry walls also can be improved using these light weight
blocks without using any additional insulating material. That is, thermal comfort can be improved for
a masonry wall, either increase the thickness of the wall, or use cavity walls or using some additional
insulating material. The light weight block permits higher thermal comfort with single leaf wall
structure, that is only single layer of the blocks is required. And its construction is different from
cavity wall construction, which consists of two layers of masonry with a cavity between them. Another
solution to improve the thermal insulation to construct cavity walls. This alternative solution to cavity
walls can be a very interesting solution under economic and technological point of view, because can
be more economic, more quick to build and less subjected to workmanship quality. The use of light
weight concrete blocks in the masonry system also increases the water tightness.

Characteristics of Aerated Concrete

(i) Workability

Lightweight Fiber Reinforced Concrete Blocks (LITEBLOCK) as an Alternative to Traditional Hollow Blocks| 3
 Workability is measured using flow table. Workability of the cement paste or mortar is based
on the flow. When the water to the solid ratio increases, flow or workability increases. Stiff pastes are
not suitable for aerated concrete production [14].
(ii) Density
Water cement ratio is a factor that affects on the amount of aeration and thus the density of
concrete. If it consists of pozzolanic materials, Water solid ratio is to be considered instead of water
cement ratio. The water cement ratio should not be much lower due to the insufficient aerationand
should not be not much higher due to the rupture of voids. Thus the water cement ratio is taken on the
basis of the consistency of the concrete, there is no any relevance to the selection of predetermined one.
(iii) Water absorption
Water absorption reduces with increase in the density of concrete. As per the study conducted
by Muthukumar
etal.(2017), For a constant density, the water absorption has reduced for the increase in curing
temperature. A
comparative density with minimum water absorption is obtained at a temperature of 90ºc [15].
(iv) Micro structure
N. Narayanan et al. investigated the micro structural properties of the aerated concrete. The
aerated concrete in which large number of voids are uniformly distributed to reduce the density. This
study reports the investigations conducted on the structure of cement-based autoclaved aerated
concrete (AAC) and non-AAC with sand or fly ash as the filler. The variation of the compressive
strength, flexural strength etc. are explained based on the micro structure and the analysis was based
on SEM and XRD. Micro structure of the aerated concrete may be altered due to the curing conditions,
compositional variation of filler materials etc. The hydration process in the cement based autoclaved
aerated concrete will be faster than the aerated concrete containing sand and fly ash as filler. Because,
the fly ash will be surrounded by the hydration products formed by cement and slow down the
hydration process. The rate of hydration also affects the micro structure. So that, the micro structure of
cement based AAC will be stable with time. The reaction products in the AAC will be better crystalline
and in non AAC, it will be poorly crystalline. So that, AAC possesses good strength compared to other.
An inter transition zone is present at the void-paste interface. The voids act as aggregates of zero
density. The transition zone will be less porous and unlimited space is available for hydration and
move out the bleed water [16].

Liteblock
LITEBLOCK™ is a lightweight and insulating walling product that is lower in cost and faster to
install than conventional alternatives such as concrete hollow blocks. It is made of cement and sand
mortar and infused with micro air bubbles. The resulting product is then reinforced with 500MPa
tension fibres to make it even more durable. With much less use of raw materials used, the installed
and rendered cost is around 10% lower than that of concrete hollow blocks including labor, rebars, and
rendering. Since it is made mainly of cement and sand, no special adhesive and mortar is needed, it
readily adheres to regular mortar. The surfaces of is also textured for added adhesion. With tests
proven it has a compressive strength of 400-500 psi which is ideal for non-load bearing walls, can be
used as external walls, Also doubling the industry fire protection standard. (Liteblock, 2021)

CONCLUSION
The fiber-reinforced lightweight concrete block presented a better result as used as a hollow
block. It showed better physical characteristics than traditional concrete blocks. Another advantage of

Lightweight Fiber Reinforced Concrete Blocks (LITEBLOCK) as an Alternative to Traditional Hollow Blocks| 4
 the liteblock is that it is lighter and easily installed than the traditional blocks because its more durable
and can be worked by normal tools and uses less mortar to install. With respect to their individual
strengths, the lite is a more preferable choice because of its compressive strength, workability
ductility and effectivity.

RECOMMENDATION
Given that this block is already in production. Used in many constructions, but is not commonly
known. This block is a must in the construction industry. It is much cheaper to produce more durable to
be played with in building. There are areas that still need to be addressed in this research. The concrete
mixture used said is only limited to what is in their official site and reviews. Also, the tests of the block’s
properties is already given by the maker themselves as a basis on what it can bring to its consumers.
Other related researches can be provided as this provides a good starting point for future researches
about aerated concrete being reinforced with fibers.

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