LIGHT WEIGHT CONCRETE STRUCTURES

A Thesis Submitted in partial fulfillment of

the requirements for the award of the degree

of
MASTER OF TECHNOLOGY
In
CIVIL ENGINEERING
With specialization in
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
By
MANASI PRIYA DAS
(Regd. No.- 2207320011)
Under the guide of
MISS DIBYAJYOTI NAYAK
Assistant Professor
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

ARYAN INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND

TECHNOLOGY

ARYA VIHAR,

BHUBANESWAR PIN-752050

JANUARY 2024

i
 CERTIFICATE
This to certify that the work which is being presented in the project title “LIGHT
WEIGHT CONCRETE STRUCTURES” in partial fulfilment of the
requirements for the award of the degree of Master of Technology on Civil
Engineering with specialization in “Structural Engineering” and submitted in
Civil Engineering Department, Aryan Institute of Engineering and Technology,
Bhubaneswar is an authentic record of work carried out by MANASI PRIYA
DAS, Regd. No – 2207320011 under the guide of MISS DIBYAJYOTI
NAYAK, Assistant Professor, Civil Engineering Department.

The above statement made is true to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Date:
MANASI PRIYA DAS
Regd.NO-2207320011

Principal Head of Department Project Guide External

Examiner
Aryan Institute of Civil Engineering Civil Engineering
Engineering and Department Department
Technology

ii
 DECLARATION
I hereby declare that the Project entitled “LIGHT WEIGHT
CONCRETE STRUCTURES” carried out by us under the guidance of Asst.
Prof. Dibyajyoti Nayak, is submitted to Biju Patnaik University of Technology,
Odisha, in the partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree
of Master of Technology in Civil Engineering with specialization Structural
Engineering.

The results embodied in this report have not been copied from any
source. The results embodied in this report have not been submitted to any other
University or Institute for the award of any other degree.

Date:

MANASI PRIYA DAS

Regd. No.- 2207320011

iii
 ABSTRACT

Lightweight concrete can be defined as a type of concrete which includes an expanding agent in that it
increases the volume of the mixture while giving additional qualities such as mailability and lessened the
dead weight. It is lighter than the conventional concrete. The use of lightweight concrete has been widely
spread across countries such as USA, United Kingdom and Sweden.
The main specialties of lightweight concrete are its low density and thermal conductivity. Its advantages
are that there is a reduction of dead load, faster building ratesin construction and lower haulage and
handling costs.
Lightweight concrete maintains its large voids and not forming laitance layers or cement films when
placed on the wall. This research was based on the performance of aerated lightweight concrete.
However, sufficient water cement ratio is vital to produce adequate cohesion between cement and water.
Insufficient water can cause lack of cohesion between particles, thus loss in strength of concrete. Like
wise too much water can cause cement to run off aggregate to form laitance layers, subsequently weakens
in strength.
Therefore, this fundamental report is prepared to study activities and progress of the lightweight concrete.
Focused were on the properties of lightweight concrete such as compressive strength, water absorption
and density and its applications in various fields of civil Engineering construction.

4
 Table of Contents
Abstract
Acknowledgement
1. INTRODUCTION6-11
1.1 Light Weight concrete
1.2 Types of Light Weight Concrete
1.2.1 No-fines concrete
1.2.2 Light weight aggregate concrete
1.2.3 Aerated concrete or Cellular Concrete

2. PRODUCTION OF LIGHT WEIGHT CONCRETE 12-13

2.1 Mix Proportioning
2.2 Batching Of Materials
2.3 Mixing &Transportation
2.4 Placing
2.5 Curing

3. ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF LIGHT WEIGHT CONCRETE 14-18

3.1 Compressive Strength
3.2 Strength-Density Relationships
3.3 Tensile &Flexural Strength
3.4 W/C Ratio & Workability
3.5 Water Absorption
3.6 Creep & Shrinkage
3.7 Density
3.8 Fire Resistance
3.9 Sound Insulation
3.10 Thermal Conductivity

4. APPLICATIONS OF LIGHT WEIGHT CONCRETE 19-22

4.1 Architectural Applications
4.2 Geotechnical Applications
4.3 Other Applications

5. ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES 23

5.1 Advantages of LWC
5.2 Disadvantages of LWC
Conclusions 24
References 25

5
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my gratitude to all the people behind the

screen who helped me to transform an idea into a real application.

I profoundly thank Asst. Prof. DIBYAJYOTI NAYAK, Head of the

Department of Civil Engineering who has been an excellent guide and also a
great source of inspiration to my work. I would also like to thank her for her
technical guidance, constant encouragement and support in carrying out my
project at college. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Principal
Sir, Dr. Bimal Sarangi and our College Management for their constant
support in helping me carrying out this project work. The satisfaction and
euphoria that accompany the successful completion of the task would be great
but incomplete without the mention of the people who made it possible with
their constant guidance and encouragement crowns all the efforts with success.
In this context, I would like thank all the other staff members, both teaching and
non-teaching, who have extended their timely help and eased my task.

Date:

MANASI PRIYA DAS

Regd. NO.- 2207320011

6
 1. INTRODUCTION
Concrete is one of the oldest manufactured construction material and it has been use
extensively in the construction of various structures since ancient day. The continuous
research and development of concrete has resulted in the production of many types of
concrete. Each of the concrete possesses their own unique characteristic to meet and suit
the demand of industry. One of the concrete that itpopularity increase drastically in recent
year is lightweight concrete. The classification of type of concrete is mainly depending on
the concrete density. The practical range of concrete density for lightweight concrete is
between 300 kg/m3 and1850 kg/m3.
Due to the practical and economic advantages it possesses, the demand for lightweight
concrete has increasing over the years and has been partially used as structures such as
panel wall, roof slab and etc. Using a lower density concrete can, therefore, significantly
reduce the self-weight of concrete structure with a consequence allowing the reduction of
columns and foundation size and other loadbearing elements and a corresponding
reduction in term of cost. Other advantages of lightweight concrete included it good
thermal insulation properties, better fire resistance and more convenience in handling the
concrete as the total mass of materials to be handled is reduced, which then lower the
haulage and handling cost and increase the productivity.

1.1 LIGHT WEIGHT CONCRETE:

Lightweight concrete can be defined as a type of concrete which includes an expanding
agent in that it increases the volume of the mixture while giving additional qualities such as
mailability and lessened the dead weight. It is lighter than the conventional concrete with a
dry density of 300 kg/m3 up to 1840 kg/m3; 87 to 23%lighter. It was first introduced by the
Romans in the second century where ‘The Pantheon’ has been constructed using pumice,
the most common type of aggregate used in that particular year. From there on, the use of
lightweight concrete has been widely spread across other countries such as USA, United
7
Kingdom and Sweden.
The main specialties of lightweight concrete are its low density and thermal conductivity.
Its advantages are that there is a reduction of dead load, faster building ratesin construction
and lower haulage and handling costs.
Lightweight foamed concrete is made of mixture of raw materials such as fine aggregate,
Ordinary Portland Cement and water with pore structure created by airvoids,which are
entrapped in mortar or cement paste by suitable foaming agent. By proper control in dosage
of foam, a wide range of densities of foamed concrete ranging from 400 kg/m3 to 1600
kg/m3 can be obtained for application to structural, partition, insulation and filling grades.
The production of stable foam concrete mix depends on many factors viz., selection of
foaming agent, method of foam preparation and addition for uniform air-voids distribution,
material section and mixture design strategies, production of foamed concrete and
performance with respect to fresh and hardened state are of greater significance.

Incorporation of pozzolans, either naturally occurring or artificially made into concrete has
been in practice since the early civilisation.Besides its economic advantages, the main
reason for their use is that they can give useful modification or enhancements to concrete
properties. Many researchers have studied the use of agricultural waste as constituents in
concrete, namely rice-husk as hand sawdust ash. Their study have revealed that agricultural
waste ashes contained high amount of silica in amorphous form and could be used as a
pozzolanic material.

1.2 TYPES OF LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE

Lightweight concrete can be prepared either by injecting air in its composition or it can be
achieved by omitting the finer sizes of the aggregate or even replacing them by a hollow,
cellular or porous aggregate. Particularly, lightweight concrete can be categorized into three
groups:
i) No-fines concrete
ii) Lightweight aggregate concrete
8
iii) Aerated/Foamed concrete

1.2.1NO-FINES CONCRETE:
No-fines concrete can be defined as a lightweight concrete composed of cement and coarse
aggregate i.e. omitting fine aggregates. Uniformly distributed voids are formed throughout
its mass. The main characteristics of this type of lightweight concrete is it maintains its
large voids and not forming laitance layers or cement film when placed on the wall. Figure
1 shows one example of No-fines concrete.

FIGURE 1: No-fines Concrete

No fines concrete usually used for both load bearing and non-load bearing for external
walls and partitions. The strength of no-fines concrete increases as the cement content is
increased. However, it is sensitive to the water composition. Insufficient water can cause
lack of cohesion between the particles and therefore, subsequent loss in strength of the
concrete. Likewise too much water can cause cement film to run off the aggregate to form
laitance layers, leaving the bulk of the concrete deficient in cement and thus weakens the
strength.

1.2.2LIGHTWEIGHT AGGREGATE CONCRETE

Porous lightweight aggregate of low specific gravity is used in this lightweight concrete
instead of ordinary concrete. The lightweight aggregate can be natural aggregate such as
pumice, scoria and all of those of volcanic origin and the artificial aggregate suchas
expanded blast-furnace slag, vermiculite and clinker aggregate. The main characteristic of
this lightweight aggregate is its high porosity which results in a low specific gravity.
9
The lightweight aggregate concrete can be divided into two types according to its
application. One is partially compacted lightweight aggregate concrete and the other is the
structural lightweight aggregate concrete. The partially compacted lightweight aggregate
concrete is mainly used for two purposes that is for precast concrete blocks or panels and
cast in-situ roofs and walls. The main requirement for this type of concrete is that it should
have adequate strength and a low density to obtain the best thermal insulation and a low
drying shrinkage to avoid cracking. Structurally lightweight aggregate concrete is fully
compacted similar to that of the normal reinforced concrete of dense aggregate. It can be
used with steel reinforcement as to have a good bond between the steel and the concrete.
The concrete should provide adequate protection against the corrosion of the steel. The
shape and the texture of the aggregate particles and the coarse nature of the fine aggregate
tend to produce harsh concrete mixes. Only the denser varieties of lightweight aggregate
are suitable for use in structural concrete. Figure 2 shows the feature of lightweight
aggregate concrete.

FIGURE 2: Lightweight Aggregate Concrete

1.2.2.1 LIGHT WEIGHT AGGREGATES:

(i)Natural Aggregates:
 The use of lightweight (LWAC) can be traced to as early as 3,000BC, when
Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa were built during the Indus Valley civilization.
 In Europe, the use of LWCA occurred 2,000 years ago when the Romans built
Pantheon, the aqueducts, and the Colosseum in Rome.
 The pumice is still used today in certain countries, such as Germany, Italy and Japan.
10
  In some places, like Malaysia, palm oil shells are used for making LWAC.
 Earlier lightweight aggregates (LWAs) were of natural origin, mostly volcanic:
pumice, tuffetc.
 They function as active pozzolanic materials when used when used as fine
aggregates.

(ii) Artificial light weight aggregates:

 Techniques have been developed to produce them in factories. These are produced
from the natural raw materials like expanded clay, shale, slate, etc., as well as from
by-products such as fly ash, blast furnace slag, etc.
 Today, lightweight aggregates are produced in a very wide range of densities varying
from 50kg/m3 from expanded perlite to 1000kg/m3 for clinkers. It is possible to
make LWAC of 80Mpacompressive strength.

(iii) LWA from industrial by-products:

 Expanded pelletized fly ash aggregates Lower quality fly ash with higher and
variable carbon content is used for making LWA by adding extra pulverized coal to
bring the carbon content toabout 12%, and then pan pelletizing and heat-treating then
on a travelling grate.
 Lightweight aggregates from blast furnace slag( Palletized slag)
 Due to the growing demand for aggregates worldwide, research is being carried out.
 LWA from slag in Canada, Russia, are introduced.
 LWA from dredging waste is also introduced.

1.2.3 AERATED OR CELLULAR CONCRETE:

Aerated concrete does not contain coarse aggregate, and can be regarded as an aerated
mortar. Typically, aerated concrete is made by introducing air or other gas into a cement
slurry and fine sand. In commercial practice, the sand is replaced by pulverized fuel ash or
other siliceous material, and lime maybe used instead of cement.

11
There are two methods to prepare the aerated concrete. The first method is to inject the gas
into the mixing during its plastic condition by means of a chemical reaction. The second
method, air is introduced either by mixing-in stable foam or by whipping-in air, using an
air-entraining agent. The first method is usually used in precast concrete factories where the
precast units are subsequently autoclaved in order to produce concrete with a reasonable
high strength and low drying shrinkage. The second method is mainly used for in-situ
concrete, suitable for insulation roof screeds or pipe lagging. Figure 3shows the aerated
concrete.

FIGURE 3: Aerated or Cellular Concrete

The differences between the types of lightweight concrete are very much related to its
aggregate grading used in the mixes. Table 1 shows the types and grading of aggregate
suitable for the different types of lightweight concrete.

Table 1: Types and Grading of Lightweight Concrete

Type Of Type Of Aggregate Grading of Aggregate
Lightweight (Range of Particle Size)
Concrete
No-fines concrete Natural Aggregate Nominal single-sized material
Blast-furnace slag between 20mm and 10mm BS
Clinker sieve

Partially Clinker, Foamed slag May be of smaller nominal

compacted Expanded clay, shale, single
12
lightweight slate, vermiculite and sizes of combined coarse and
aggregate concrete perlite fine (5mm and fines) material
Sintered pulverized-fuel to
as hand pumice produce a continues but harsh
grading to make a porous
concrete
Structural Foamed slagExpanded Continues grading from
lightweight clay, shale or slate and either20mm or 14mm down to
aggregate concrete sintered pulverized fuel dust, with an increased fines
Ash content
(5mm and fines) to produce a
workable and dense concrete

Aerated or Cellular Natural fine aggregate The aggregate are generally

Concrete Fine lightweight ground down to finer powder,
aggregate passing a 75 μm BS sieves,
Raw pulverized-fuel ash but sometimes fine aggregate
Ground slag and burnt shale(5mm
and fines) is also incorporated

13
 2. PRODUCTION OF LIGHT WEIGHT CONCRETE
2.1 MIX PROPORTIONNING:

(i) Cement +Foaming Agent:

 While the cement mixer or premix concrete truck is in motion, the water and
cement are introduced and allowed to mix until a thoroughly consistent mixture is
achieved.
 When this has taken place, the required amount of foam can be injected into the
mixer and the mixing continued until the foam is completely enveloped into the
total mix.
 The mixture is then ready for discharging into the mounds or wherever it is to be
placed.

(ii)Cement + Lightweight Aggregate + Foam:

 The lightweight matrix formed by the mixture of cement, water and foam,
lightweight aggregates can be used without the tendency to float when the mix
is vibrated.
 Aggregates which are used are:- expanded shale or clay, scoria, pumice,
vermiculite or fly ash.
 It is often increasing the overall density for a given strength, since simply a
higher foam content can achieve better results.

2.1.1 Foaming Agent:

14
Foam is a form of stable bubbles, produced by mixing foaming agent and water inform
generator. The purpose of the foam is to control the density of lightweight foamed
concrete by incorporating dry preformed stable foam into fresh lightweight foamed
concrete. For this study, the ratio of foaming agent to water is 1:30 by volume. The will
have foam density of 45 kg/m3.

2.2 BATCHING OF MATERIALS:

 Appropriate quantities of sand & cement are batched, and an amount of water
required for the mix to be flow able is added.
 Materials are mixed thoroughly in a mixing plant fitted with foam-generating
plant and pumping units.
 Water to be added is adjusted for moisture content of sand. The foam is injected
into mix rather than added on to mix.

2.3 MIXING AND TRANSPORTATION:

 Ready mix concrete agitator is used for mixing.

 All the raw materials are metered into the agitator and with the agitator turning at a
high speed; a predetermined batched volume of foam is introduced into the
agitator.
 Batching of both of the raw materials and foam are done at the ready mixed
concrete batching plant, it will be possible trip to transport at the site.

2.4 PLACING:

 Properly designed foam concrete has a stable burble structure and can be pumped
to normal heights without loss of entrained air.
 A squeeze-type pump is referred over a screw-feed pump.
15
  Foam concrete produced and delivered at the site can be pumped up to height of
60 m and placed like Self compacting concrete.

2.5 CURING:

(i)Air Curing:
 This is probably the easiest and most popular method of curing.
 It is a slow, but acceptable system which enables a turnaround of moulds every 24
hours on average, depending on the ambient temperature.

(ii)Steam Curing:
 When precast Aerated Concrete panels and slabs are made under factory
conditions in order to induce an early strength into the concrete by applying heat
from steam to the underside of the mounds.
 Steam curing is not begun until at least five hours after casting, and even then the
increase in temperature is well controlled and should not exceed 70°C (167°F).
 The extent of steam curing depends upon the climate.

16
 3.ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF LWC
In order to study the behavior of lightweight concrete, normal concrete testing was done
to determine the material and structural properties of each type of lightweight concrete
and how will these properties differ according to a different type of mixture and its
composition.
Following are some distinguished properties of light weight concrete:

3.1 COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH:

Compressive strength is the primary physical property of concrete (others are generally
defined from it), and is the one most used in design. It is one of the fundamental
properties used for quality control for lightweight concrete. Compressive strength may be
defined as the measured maximum resistance of a concrete specimen to axial loading. It
is found by measuring the highest compression stress that a test cylinder or cube will
support.
There are three type of test that can be use to determine compressive strength; cube,
cylinder, or prism test. The ‘concrete cube test' is the most familiar test and is used as the
standard method of measuring compressive strength for quality control purpose.
The compressive strength decreases exponentially with a reduction in density of
lightweight foamed concrete. Besides the concrete density, the specimen shape and size,
method of pore formation, direction of loading, curing age, water content, characteristic
of ingredients used and the method of curing are reported to influence the strength of
lightweight foamed concrete as well. Other parameters such as the cement-sand and
17
water-cement ratios, curing regime, type and particle size distribution of sand and type of
foaming agent used can be the factors that affecting the strength of lightweight concrete
as well.

3.2 STRENGTH AND DENSITY RELATIONSHIPS:

The purpose of this test is to identify the performance of aerated lightweight concrete in
term of density and compressive strength. Based on Figure below, it can be seen that
compressive strength for aerated lightweight concrete are low for lower density
mixture. The increment of voids throughout the sample caused by the foam in the
mixture will lower the density. As a result, compressive strength will also decrease with
the increment of those voids.

Figure 4 Strength Density Relationships (source – A.M. Neville)

3.3 TENSILE AND FLEXURAL STRENGTH:

The ratio of flexural to compressive strength varies from 0.22 to 0.27. For very low
density aerated concrete, this value is almost zero.

3.4 W/C RATIO & WORKABILITY:

Lightweight concrete is often implicated in moisture-related flooring failures

because it often has significantly higher water content than normal-weight concrete.
Unlike natural aggregates, which tend to become saturated with water only on their
surfaces, lightweight aggregate pore networks absorb and store water within the
18
aggregate particles, releasing it gradually over time.

Figu
re5 Compressive strength & W/C ratio Relationships (A.M. Neville)

To understand how water content affects concrete, we need to consider how the water
reacts in the mix. Placing Concrete by Pumping Methods, considers two types of water
in lightweight concrete: free water and absorbed water.

Free water influences the volume of the mix, the slump and workability of the mix, and
the amount of water available for cement hydration reaction. Absorbed water is held in
the pores of the lightweight aggregate. During mixing, some free water is converted to
absorbed water, reducing the slump and the amount of water available for hydration. In
addition, the pumping pressure drives additional free water into the porous lightweight
aggregate, further reducing slump between the pump hopper and the point of discharge.
To reduce the amount of mixing water absorbed by the lightweight aggregate, concrete
suppliers pre-saturate the lightweight aggregates to fill the pore spaces prior to mixing.
Concrete suppliers frequently use water-reducing admixtures to help reduce the total
amount of mix water and, consequently, the amount of water that will potentially leave
the slab over time.

In both normal-weight concrete and lightweight concrete, water that is not consumed in
the hydration of the cement particles slowly evaporates through the exposed surfaces of
the concrete which, as is later discussed, can create problems with floor finishes.
19
Almost all concrete mixes contain more water than necessary for the cement hydration
reaction, but the excess water facilitates placement and finishing. After the cement paste
has hardened, the hydration reaction continues, albeit at a slower pace, throughout the
life of the concrete as the excess water evaporates. In lightweight aggregate, some
absorbed pore water will be drawn out and contribute to more complete hydration of the
cement in a layer around the aggregates, but there will still be significant amounts of
absorbed water remaining in the pores which, will escape over time.

3.5WATER ABSORPTION:
These properties are particularly important in concrete, as well as being important for
durability. It can be used to predict concrete durability to resist corrosion. Absorption
capacity is a measure of the porosity of an aggregates; it is also used as a correlation
factor in determination of free moisture by oven-drying method.
The absorption capacity is determined by finding the weight of surface-dry sample after
it has been soaked for 24 hr and again finding the weight after the sample has been
dried in an oven; the difference in weight, expressed as a percentage of the dry sample
weight, is the absorption capacity.
3.6 CREEP AND SHRINKAGE:
Drying shrinkage occurs due to the loss of adsorbed water from the material and is
significant in aerated concrete because of its high total porosity (40±80%) and specific
surface of pores. Decrease in pore sizes, along with a higher percentage of pores of
smaller size is reported to increase shrinkage. The capillary tension theory of drying
shrinkage of porous building materials states that the water in the pore exists in tension
and this creates an attractive force between the pore walls.

3.7 DENSITY:
The density of both fresh and hardened concrete is of interest to the parties involved for
numerous reasons including its effect on durability, strength and resistance to
permeability.

20
Hardened concrete density is determined either by simple dimensional checks, followed
by weighing and calculation or by weight in air/water buoyancy methods. To determine
the density of lightweight concrete sample, the simple density test method is preferred.
Fresh Density Test (ASTM C796, 2004)
A 1 liter capacity container was tarred to zero at weight machine and overfilled with

fresh lightweight foamed concrete. The fresh lightweight foamed concrete was
compacted by slight tapping at the sides of the container to allow consolidation of
fresh lightweight foamed concrete. The excess lightweight foamed concrete was struck
off and any excess lightweight foamed concrete found on container surface was wiped
off. The 1 litre container was then weighted to obtain the fresh density of LFC.

3.8 FIRE RESISTANCE:

The excellent fire resistant properties make it an ideal material for fire breaks in
buildings where there are large undivided spaces. It is used to prevent flame penetration
through the services void between floor and ceiling in modern construction, and also to
protect timber floors in old houses.

3.9 SOUND INSULATION:

LWC reduces the passage of sound, both from background noise and due to impact. It
is, therefore, an ideal material for internal walls and suspended floors in multi-storey
buildings, especially ones with communal use.

3.10THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY:
Lightweight foamed concrete possesses excellent thermal insulation properties due to it
pore structure content in it. A study showed that the thermal conductivity of lightweight
foamed concrete is 5 to 30 % of those measured on normal weight concrete. The range
of thermal conductivity for dry densities value of 600-1600 kg/m3 is between0.1 and
0.7 W/mK, reducing with decreasing densities. Besides the density of concrete,
moisture content in concrete is another parameter which affects the thermal
21
conductivity significantly, since water has conductivity about 25 times that of air. So,
when the air in the pores has been partially displaced by water or moisture, the concrete
will have greater thermal conductivity.

Summary of properties:
Summarizing all the aspects pertaining to the structure and properties of aerated
concrete, the salient observations are:
i. The method of pore-formation and curing plays a significant role in its
microstructure and properties;
ii. The properties are influenced by the density and thus, they should be qualified
with the density, which is to be specified along with the moisture content;
iii. The chemical composition varies with the method of curing
iv. Strength of LWC is significantly higher due to the above reason;
v. The drying shrinkage of LWC is lower; they range from one-fourth to one-fifth
of that of Normal Concrete. The material properties and shrinkage climate also
influences drying shrinkage;
vi. Aerated concrete exhibits good functional performance characteristics.

22
 4. APPLICATIONS OF LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE
Lightweight concrete has been used since the eighteen centuries by the Romans. The
application on the ‘The Pantheon’ where it uses pumice aggregate in the construction of
cast in-situ concrete is the proof of its usage.

In USA and England in the late nineteenth century, clinker was used in their
construction for example the ‘British Museum’ and other low cost housing. The
lightweight concrete was also used in construction during the First World War. The
United States used mainly for shipbuilding and concrete blocks. The foamed blast
furnace-slag and pumice aggregate for blockmaking were introduced in England and
Sweden around 1930s.
Nowadays with the advancement of technology, lightweight concrete expands its uses.
Example in the form of perlite with its outstanding insulating characteristics. Itis widely
used as loose-fill insulation in masonry construction where it enhances fire ratings,
reduces noise transmission, does not rot and termite resistant. It is also used for vessels,
roof decks and other applications. Figure shows some examples of lightweight concrete
used in different forms.
23
4.1 ARCHITECTURAL APPLICATIONS:

Improved structural efficiency in terms of strength/weight ratios resulting load

reduction on the structure and substructure, fewer structural components resulting in
more usable space in the structure, a reduction in the number and size of
reinforcements, increased flexibility in absorbing strains and improved thermal
properties minimizing the effects of differential temperatures resulting in building
energy conservation as well as improved fire/spilling mitigation.
It is ideally suited for precast concrete products as larger units can be handled with the
same handling equipment or manually for same size units, resulting in speed and
economy in construction. These units in addition to smaller ones can be lifted or
managed by down-sizing machinery resulting in reducing site carnage requirements and
maximizing the number of concrete elements on trucks without exceeding highway load
limits reducing transportation delivery cost.

1. LIGHT PRECASTE BLOCKS:

2. PRECAST PANEL MATERIAL:

24
3. HOLLOW CORE:
Hollow core concrete planks and wall panels
products are one of the most advanced building
materials being used in the construction industry
today. The advantage of these extruded wall panels
is in durability. They offer outstanding reductions
in sound transmission and can obtain fire ratings of up to 4 hours. The problem with
this product it has very little or if any insulation properties.

4. COMPOSITE ROOF AND FLOOR

STEEL DECKING:

Application for insulated properties as

well as a sound barrier for lightweight
composite roof or floor deck in
commercial, industrial, residential
buildings/structures. This would
especially true for power utility
problems currently being experienced
in hot and cold regions where
25
 electricity, gas or oil consumption is an issue. Heating and cooling costs are reduced.

4.2 GEOTECHNICAL APPLICATIONS:

I. Thermal Fills
II. Pavement Base
III. Controlled Structural Fill
IV. Anti-corrosion Fill
V. Erosion Control / Soil Stabilization
VI. Conduit / Pipe Bedding
VII. Bridge Approach / Abutment
VIII. Insulating / Isolation Fills
IX. Site Reconstruction
X. Void filling for abandoned underground and mining facilities, wells, tunnel
shafts, or additional cavity fill.

Structural fill to support foundation

4.3 OTHER APPLICATIONS:

1. ROAD SUB-BASE
It can be used to make road structures less
heavy. This helps solve the problem where the
traditionally heavy road structures cause
26
severe settlement of the road, particularly in areas of soft ground. By constructing the
road sub-base from a lightweight material, the overall weight of the structure can be
greatly reduced

2. TRENCH REINSTATEMENT
It is an ideal material for trench reinstatement
(the filling of trenches dug in roads when
pipes are laid or repairs are carried out). The
traditional methods of filling trenches in the
roads, i.e. the use of granular fill materials,
result in settlement and damage to the road
and potentially, to the pipes. With foamed
concrete there is no settlement; and because the foamed concrete is very fluid, it will fill
any voids and cavities in the trench sides.

5. ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES

5.1 ADVANTAGES OF LIGHTWEIGHTCONCRETE:

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I) Rapid and relatively simple construction
II) Economical in terms of transportation as well as reduction in manpower
III) Significant reduction of overall weight results in saving structural frames, footing or
piles
IV)High strength to weight ratio
V) Sustainable design
VI) Lightweight Concrete Masonry and Green Buildings
VII) LEED Certification with Lightweight CMU
VIII) Lower life-cycle cost
IX)Most of lightweight concrete have better nailing and sawing properties than heavier
and stronger conventional concrete

5.2 DISADVANTAGES OF LIGHT WEIGHT CONCRETE:

I) Very sensitive with water content in the mixtures
II) Difficult to place and finish because of the porosity and angularity of the aggregate.
In some mixes the cement mortar may separate the aggregate and float towards the
surface
III) Mixing time is longer than conventional concrete to assure proper mixing

CONCLUSIONS
 Lightweight concrete can be utilized as a normal concrete replacement structure
shield.
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 Aerated Concrete and Lightweight Aggregate Concrete also can be use as energy
absorbent.
 Lightweight aggregate concrete, it depends on the materials used.
 Lightweight concrete can develop to be high strength concrete and good
absorbability of impact energy.
 It has a lower modulus of elasticity and higher tensile strain capacity further
provides better impact resistance than normal weight concrete.
 In recommendation, more research is required if the capabilities of the material
are to be exploited and utilization the reinforcement for enhance the tensile strain
capacity of concrete.
 Foamed lightweight concrete is not suitable to be used as load bearing wall as the
compressive strength is 27% less than recommended.

REFERENCES
 A.M Neville (2006), Properties of concrete, Pitman& comp.
 Foamed Lightweight Concrete. www.pearliteconcreteforrorepair.com
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 “Advantages of Structural Lightweight Aggregate Concrete”. Expanded Clay,
Shale and Slate Institute, www.escsi.org

 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF STRUCTURAL LIGHTWEIGHT

CONCRETE by Kenneth S. Harmon, PE
 Research paper by N. Narayanan, K. Ramamurthy Department of Civil
Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras
 Guide for cast-in-Place Low Density Concrete
 ASTM Standard Specification for Lightweight Aggregates for Structural
Concrete
 ASTMStandard Specifications for Lightweight Aggregates for Concrete Masonry
Units
 www.wikipedia.com

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