University

School of civil Engineering &

Architecture.
Architecture Program
Emerging Building Material & Tech

Semester I
2020/21
Prepared by: Biyadglign T
 1. LIGHT WEIGHT CONCRETE.
 Definition: Concrete having a 28-day
compressive strength greater than 17 Mpa and an air
dried unit weight not greater than 1850 kg/m³
 Light weight concrete is a special concrete which weighs
lighter than conventional concrete.
 Density of LWC is considerably low (300kg/m3 to 1850
kg/m3 when compared to normal concrete (2200kg/m3-
2600kg/m3)
 INTRODUCTION .

 Composition: Similar to normal concrete except that it is made with

lightweight aggregates or combination of light weight and normal weight
aggregate
 Basically there is only one method for making concrete light i.e. by inclusion
of air in concrete. This is achieved in actual practice by there different ways
 By introducing gas or bubbles in mortar-aerated concrete
 By replacing the usual aggregate by cellular porous or Light weight aggregate
 By omitting sand fraction from the aggregate no fines concrete
 AERATED CONCRETE: .
 Type of LWC Produced by introducing air into the concrete
 It is also called cellular concrete having voids between 0.1mm to
1mm size.
 Two ways are there to induce the air in concrete.
 Gas concrete
 Foamed concrete
 Gas concrete is produced by chemical reaction in which gas is
produced in the concrete.
 Finely divided aluminum powder is generally used as gas
producing agent.
 Its quantity is about 0.2% of weight of cement.
 AERATED CONCRETE: .
 Powdered zinc, aluminum alloy or hydrogen peroxide can also
be used as gas producing agents.
 Foamed concrete is produced by adding foaming agent, usually
hydrolyzed protein or resin soaps, during mixing.
 In some cases, stable preformed foam is also added during
mixing.
 Concrete of densities 300kg/m3 to 1100kg/m3 can be obtained..
 TYPES OF LWC .
 Light weight concrete on the purpose for which
it’s used such as:
 Structural light weight concrete
 Non-load bearing concrete
 Insulating concrete
 LIGHT WEIGHT AGGREGATE .
 Basically there are two types of light weight aggregates :
 Natural aggregates
 Artificial aggregates
 Artificial aggregates are usually produced by expanding the
rocks such as Shale, Slate, Perlite, Vermiculite, etc.,
 Most of the light weight aggregates have rapid absorption
quality. This is one of the difficulties in normal mix design
procedure to light weight concrete
 But it is possible to water-proof the LWA by coating it with
bitumen.
 The coating of aggregate by bitumen may reduce the bond
strength between aggregate and paste, it result in degree in
compressive strength of concrete
 NATURAL LIGHT WEIGHT AGGREGATE
 . concrete roof slab, mainly for
Pumice: is used for reinforced
industrial roofs
 Scoria: the most important and widely used light weight
aggregate
 MIX DESIGN OF LIGHT WEIGHT CONCRETE
 Difficult to decide water–cement. ratio, due to variable water
absorption by aggregates.
 The lack of accurate value of absorption, specific gravity and free
moisture content in aggregate make it difficult to apply water-
cement ratio accurately for mix-proportion
 Generally done by trial mixing.
 The density of concrete made with saturated aggregate is higher
and the durability of such concrete, especially its resistance to frost
is lower.
 Concrete with saturated aggregates will have higher density, which
is bad in freezing & thawing action.
 In rare cases, aggregates are coated with bitumen to overcome the
water absorption problem.
 NO – FINES CONCRETE:
 . produced by omitting the
It is a type of light weight concrete
fine aggregates from conventional concrete.
 This concrete has only cement, coarse aggregate and water.
 Due to absence of fine aggregates, concrete will have large
voids, resulting in light weight.
 Even though there is reduction in strength, there is no capillary
movement of water, resulting in low permeability and
consequently more durable
 Density of concrete will be less if coarse aggregates are of single
size ranging from 10mm to 20mm rather than well graded
aggregates.
 No – fines concrete with lighter coarse aggregates, we can get
density as low as 640 kg/m3.
 NO – FINES CONCRETE:
 . depends on cement content in
In this concrete, strength criteria
the concrete than water – cement ratio.
 Drying shrinkage is comparatively less. But shrinkage takes
place rapidly than conventional concrete.
 Thermal conductivity is also comparatively less.
 No – fines concrete has better architectural appearance.
 ADVANTAGE OF LWC
.
 Lightweight concrete has a high heat insulation resistance.
 Reduces the dead load of the building.
 Easy to handle and hence reduces the cost of transportation and handling.
 Improves the workability.
 Relatively low thermal conductivity.
 Comparatively more durable. But less resistant to abrasion.
 Has applications in pre-stressed concrete, high rise building and shell roofs.
 Good resistance in freezing and thawing action when compared with
conventional concrete
 Helps in disposal of industrial wastes like fly ash, clinker, slag etc
 ii) Economical in
i) rapid and terms of
relatively transportation as
simple well as reduction
construction in manpower

Advantage
s

iv) Most of lightweight

iii) Significant reduction
of overall
weight results in saving
structural
frames, footing or piles
concrete have
better nailing and sawing
properties
than heavier and stronger
convensional concrete
Disadvantages i) Very sensitive
with
water content
in the mixtures

iii) Mixing time is

longer than
ii) Difficult to place and finish conventional
because of the porosity and concrete to assure
angularity of the aggregate. In proper mixing
some mixes the cement mortar
may
separate the aggregate and float
towards the surface
APPLICATIONS
 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).

 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
Bridge Abutment
 Void Filling
 It is also very useful for
void filling.

 As it is very fluid it will

pour into even the most
inaccessible places.

 It can be used for planned

work, but also in
emergencies to provide
stability and support very
quickly.
Roofing Insulation
 It has been supplied for roofing insulating.

 A low density mix is chosen and the resulting

air content gives the material excellent thermal
insulation properties.

 The low density also has the advantage that it

does not significantly add to the overall weight
of the roof.
Road Sub-Base
 Floor Construction
 provides very good
material for floor
construction.

 It is ideal for building

sub-floors quickly and
cheaply and can be
used for levelling
terrain and raising floor
levels as well as for
insulation purposes
Lightweight Precast Blocks
 Fire Breaks
 The excellent fire resistant properties makes 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
Sound Insulation
 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
 2. SELF COMPACTING CONCRETE.

 The term “Self-Compacting Concrete” (SCC) identifies a

category of concrete mixtures that can be cast (spread )
into a framework and fill every corner without the need of
any type of compacting or external vibration.
 Self-compacting concrete (SCC) is a flowing concrete
mixture that is able to consolidate under its own weight.
 The highly fluid nature of SCC makes it suitable for
placing in difficult conditions and in sections with
congested reinforcement
 SCC with a similar water cement or cement binder ratio
will usually have a slightly high strength compared with
traditional vibrated concrete , due to lack of vibration
giving improved interface b/n aggregate & paste
 SCC
 SCC provides benefits beyond conventional concrete in all
three aspects of sustainable development (i.e. economical,
sociological, and environmental).
 More environmental friendly than conventional concrete.
 It provides opportunity to use one or more industrial by-
product materials such as fly ash, blast furnace slag,
limestone quarry dust, used foundry sand, and other
materials.
 Materials for SCC
 Mixture proportions for SCC differ from those of
ordinary concrete, in that the former has more
powder content and less coarse aggregate.

 .Moreover, SCC incorporates high range water

reducers (HRWR, super plasticizers) in larger
amounts and frequently a viscosity modifying
agent (VMA) in small doses.
 Materials for SCC
 Cement :
 Ordinary Portland Cement, 43 or 53 grade can be used.
PPC is not recommended for self compacting concrete

 C. Aggregates :
 The maximum size of aggregate is generally limited to 20
mm. Aggregate of size 10 to 12mm is desirable for
structures having congested reinforcement
 Aggregate should come from same source. There should
not be much variations in size, shape and moisture
content
 Materials for SCC
 Fine aggregate:
 Can be natural or manufactured. The grading must
be uniform throughout the work. The moisture
content or absorption characteristics must be
closely monitored as quality of SCC will be
sensitive to such changes.
 Water :
 Water quality must be established on the same
line as that for using reinforced concrete or pre
stressed concrete.
 Materials for SCC
 Chemical admixture:
 Super plasticizers are an essential component
of SCC to provide necessary workability.
 Sometimes retarders are recommended for
Control of Setting time:
 Other types may be incorporated as necessary,
such as Viscosity Modifying Agents (VMA) for
stability, air entraining agents (AEA) to improve
freeze-thaw resistance,
After and before addition of
super plasticizer
Production and placing of SCC
 MIXING: any suitable mixer could be used - Generally,
mixing time need to be longer than for conventional
concrete. Time of addition of admixture is important
 PLACING: Formwork must be in good conditions to
prevent leakage. Though it is easier to place SCC than
ordinary concrete, the following rules are to be followed
to minimize the risk of segregation.
 limit of vertical free fall distance to 5 meter.
 limit of permissible distance of horizontal flow from
point of discharge to 10 meters
 Advantage of SCC
 Reducing the construction time and labor cost.
 Eliminating the need for vibration, Reducing the noise
pollution Better surface finish
 Better surface finish due to more fines and fluidity.
 Improving the filling capacity of highly congested
structural members
 Easier placing
 Improved durability and reliability of structures.
 Greater freedom in design specially for architects
 Thinner concrete sections
 Reduced noise level
 Safer working environment
 Advantage of SCC
 Improved constructability
 Bond to reinforcing steel
 Flows into complex forms (very important for architects
for complex design)
 Minimize voids in highly reinforced areas
 Allows for easier pumping procedure
 Fast placement
 Produce uniform surface
 Allows innovative architectural features
 Factors affecting SCC
 Hot weather
 Long haul distances can reduce flow ability of
self compacting concrete
 Delays on job site could affect the concrete mix
design
 Job site water addition to self compacting
concrete may not always yield the expected
increase in flow ability and could cause stability
problems
 APPLICATIONS
 In congested reinforcement
 In high rise building
construction (example burji
Dubai)
 For facades in building
 For bridge constructions
 In complex shapes
formworks which may
otherwise be impossible to
cast