Light Weight Concrete Using Light Weight Expanded Clay Aggregate and Dry Saw Dust

Abstract

The dynamic nature of concrete to be shaped into an assortment of structures along with its ability to withstand tremendous compressive loads has made it the most widely used construction material of this era. Light weight concrete is characterized with a lower density than normal concrete viz two-third of normal concrete. Hence, it allows a greater degree of freedom while considering slender sections at some places leading to creation of increased workable space. In this paper, the properties (physical and mechanical) of LWC using LECA and DSD have been discussed. Going through literature review it was noticed that the features of LECA and DSD include lightweight, thermal insulation, superior acoustic insulation, earthquake resistance, and higher compressive strength. Specimen cubes of dimension 150 × 150 × 150 mm were tested for various proportions of LECA and DSD. With the replacement combination of 7.5% LECA as coarse aggregate and 10% DSD as fine aggregate (by weight), it has been observed that the desired compressive strength was achieved with a weight reduction of approximately 100 kg/m³. However, further successive increment in percentage of LECA and DSD shows a decreasing trend in compressive strength. Thus, to choose between LWC and NC, a careful analysis should be done keeping in mind the higher cost and skill required to achieve the perfect proportioning of the above-said materials.