Experimental study on lightweight concrete using lightweight expanded clay aggregate (leca) and expanded perlite aggregate (epa)

Abstract

In pursuit of reducing the dead-weight of precast concrete structures, one approach is by adopting lightweight concrete. EN 13369:2013 specifies a minimum cube compressive strength of at least 18 MPa for the lightweight concrete to be eligible for use in reinforced precast concrete products. This study conducts an experiment using LECA and EPA to produce lightweight concrete for structural use. Density, concrete quality, and strength of various mixes are observed by conducting cube compressive test and UPV test. Two phases of experiments were conducted, where the first phase variable is the percentage of LECA replacing the normal coarse aggregate, while the second phase variable is the percentage of EPA replacing the sand proportion. The optimum concrete mix is found to be the mix with 60% LECA and 50% EPA replacements, which achieved D1.8 lightweight density category that surpasses the specified minimum cube compressive strength and falls under the good quality concrete type according to the UPV rating. In summary, the inclusion of LECA and EPA into the concrete mix will decrease the cube compressive strength, lower the density, escalate the slump value and the travelling time of the ultrasonic pulse, but at the same time able to produce lightweight structural concrete.