Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials

Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials

Durability and Performance Evaluation of Lightweight Self-Compacting Concrete Using Artificial and Natural Lightweight Aggregates in Sulfuric Acid Environment: An Experimental and Analytical Study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Emad Tavakoli
Mansor Fakhri
Department of Civil Engineering, K.N. toosi University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
10.30478/jcsm.2024.375958.1307
Abstract
Efforts to reduce the weight of concrete have led to extensive research on lightweight concrete. Reducing concrete weight can decrease the overall structure weight, thereby reducing the applied forces. This study investigates the effects of two lightweight aggregates, Leca and Scoria, on the properties of self-compacting concrete in both fresh and hardened phases, as well as its durability in sulfuric acid environments. Fresh concrete tests included slump flow, T50 slump, L-box, U-box, J-ring, and specific weight, while hardened samples were evaluated for compressive strength in both normal and acidic conditions, along with weight loss in acidic environments. Results indicated that three key factors influencing concrete performance are specific weight, appearance, and water absorption percentage of the aggregates. Scoria lightweight concrete demonstrated approximately 60% greater strength compared to Leca when using equal volumes of both aggregates. In acidic environments, the most significant reduction in compressive strength for Leca occurred between 1 and 7 days, approximately 27%, while for Scoria, this reduction was observed between 7 and 28 days at about 25%. This highlights that the acidic environment has a greater impact on the strength reduction of Leca in the early days and on Scoria in the later stages. Furthermore, the highest weight loss for both concrete types in acidic conditions was noted between 1 and 14 days, reaching approximately 93%, while only a 7% weight reduction occurred between 14 and 28 days. Notably, compared to their initial weight, the samples exhibited a minimal weight loss of about 1% to 2%.
Keywords
Light Concrete
Self-Compacting Concrete
Durability of Concrete
Scoria Lightweight Aggregate
LECA Lightweight Aggregate

Subjects

  1. Verzegnassi, E., Altheman, D., Gachet, L. A., & Lintz, R. C. C. (2022). Study of the properties in the fresh and hardened state of self-compacting lightweight concrete. Materials Today: Proceedings.‏
  2. Mohamed, S. H., Asran, A. G., Noman, M. T., & Azim, M. A. (2022). PROPERTIES OF STRUCTURAL LIGHTWEIGHT HIGH STRENGTH SELF-COMPACTING CONCRETE. GEOMATE Journal, 23(96), 50-60.‏
  3. Elshahawi, M., Hückler, A., & Schlaich, M. (2021). Infra lightweight concrete: A decade of investigation (a review). Structural Concrete, 22, E152-E168.‏
  4. Mehany, S., Mohamed, H. M., & Benmokrane, (2021). Contribution of lightweight self-consolidated concrete (LWSCC) to shear strength of beams reinforced with basalt FRP bars. Engineering Structures, 231, 111758.‏
  5. Azari Jafari, H., Tajadini, A., Rahimi, M. and Berenjian, J., (2018). “Reducing variations in the test results of self-consolidating lightweight concrete by incorporating pozzolanic materials.” Construction and Building Materials, 166, 889-897.
  6. Wan, D. S. L. Y., Aslani, F. and Ma, G., (2018). “Lightweight self-compacting concrete incorporating Perlite, Scoria, and polystyrene aggregates.” Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 30(8), 04018178.
  7. Nepomuceno, M. C. S., Pereira-de-Oliveira, L. A. and Pereira, S. F., (2018). “Mix design of structural lightweight self-compacting concrete incorporating coarse lightweight expanded clay aggregates.” Construction and Building Materials, 166, 373-385.
  8. Hubertová, M., & Hela, R. (2013). Durability of Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate Concrete. Procedia Engineering,65, 2-6. doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2013.09.002.
  9. Parker, C. (1945). The Corrosion Of Concrete. Australian Journal of Experimental Biology and Medical Science,23(2), 81-90. doi:10.1038/icb.1945.13.
  10. Irico, S., De Meyst, L., Qvaeschning, D., Alonso, M. C., Villar, K., & De Belie, N. (2020). Severe sulfuric acid attack on self-compacting concrete with granulometrically optimized blast-furnace slag-comparison of different test methods. Materials, 13(6), 1431.‏
  11. Miao, Y., Zhang, Y., Li, B., Chai, L., & Ma, G. (2022). Effect of Graphene Oxide on Chemical Shrinkage Behavior of Cement-Based Composite Paste. KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering, 26(4), 1858-1879.‏
  12. Bačuvčík, M., Martauz, P., Janotka, I., & Cvopa, B. (2020). The Resistance of New Kind of High-Strength Cement after 5 Years Exposure to Sulfate Solution. In Cement Industry-Optimization, Characterization and Sustainable AppLECAtion. IntechOpen.‏
  13. Song, H., Yao, J., Luo, Y., & Gui, F. (2021). A chemical-mechanics model for the mechanics deterioration of pervious concrete subjected to sulfate attack. Construction and Building Materials, 312, 125383.‏
  14. Monteny, J., Vincke, E., Beeldens, A., Belie, N. D., Taerwe, L., Gemert, D. V., & Verstraete, W. (2000). Chemical, microbiological, and in situ test methods for biogenic sulfuric acid corrosion of concrete. Cement and Concrete Research,30(4), 623-634. doi:10.1016/s0008-8846(00)00219-2.
  15. Ahmad, S., Al-Amoudi, O. S. B., Khan, S. M., & Maslehuddin, M. (2022). Effect of siLECA fume inclusion on the strength, shrinkage and durability characteristics of natural pozzolan-based cement concrete. Case Studies in Construction Materials, 17, e01255.‏
  16. Suryanita, R., Maizir, H., Zulapriansyah, R., Subagiono, Y., & Arshad, M. F. (2022). The effect of siLECA fume admixture on the compressive strength of the cellular lightweight concrete. Results in Engineering, 14, 100445.‏
  17. Hewayde, E., Nehdi, M., Allouche, E., & Nakhla, (2007). Effect of Mixture Design Parameters and Wetting-Drying Cycles on Resistance of Concrete to Sulfuric Acid Attack. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering,19(2), 155-163. doi:10.1061/(asce)0899-1561(2007)19:2(155).
  18. Kharun, M., & Ehsani, (2022, August). Investigation and comparison of the effect of using Leca and scoria lightweight aggregates on the strength of lightweight concrete. In AIP Conference Proceedings (Vol. 2559, No. 1, p. 050008). AIP Publishing LLC.‏
  19. Askari Dolatabad, Y., Abolpour, B., & Tazangi, M. A. J. (2021). Investigating effects of Nano particles of siLECA on the properties of self-compacting concrete containing Perlite, Leca, and Scoria light weight aggregates. Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 14(10), 1-13.‏
  20. Rahmati, S., Tavakoli, E., & Fakhri, M. (2023). Cement Design for Making high-Strength Self-Compacting Bulk Concrete (C50). Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials, (), -. doi: 10.30478/jcsm.2023.403141.1329
  21. ASTM C150-07, (2012). “Standard Specification for Portland Cement.” Shipping & Handling, Pennsylvania: ASTM Internatinal. DOI: 10.1520/C0150-07
  22. ASTM C33/C33M-18, (2018). “Concrete and aggregate.” West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania: ASTM Internatinal.
  23. ASTM D1129, (2013). “Standard terminology relating to water.” USA: American Society for Testing and Materials International .
  24. ACI 237R-07, (2007). “Self-consolidating concrete.” Farmington Hills, MI, USA: American Concrete Institute.
  25. EFNARC, (2002). “Specification and guidelines for self-compacting concrete.” UK Hampshire: EFNARC Association House.
  26. ACI 213R-87, (1999). “Guide for structural lightweight aggregate concrete.” Farmington Hills, MI, USA: American Concrete Institute.
  27. BS 1881-116, (1983). “Method for determination of compressive strength of concrete cubes.” London: The British Standard Limited.
Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
Volume 8, Issue 2 - Serial Number 16
November 2023
Pages 112-128

  • Receive Date 08 December 2022
  • Revise Date 05 February 2024
  • Accept Date 06 February 2024