Structural lightweight aggregate concrete (SLWAC) is an alternative building material to normal-weight one, due to its ability to reach a relatively high compressive strength at still significantly lower density. Nevertheless, the application of lightweight aggregate instead of normal-weight one to concrete must result in deterioration of some characteristics of the composite. One of the methods of improving SLWAC properties is incorporation of fibers into concrete. This paper focuses on the influence of steel fibres on modification of properties of structural lightweight concrete with sintered fly ash aggregate. Two different concrete mixtures, producing various levels of matured composite density and compressive strength, were modified with three dosages of fibers: 30, 45 and 60 kg/m3. The applied amounts did not result in significant deterioration of the rheological parameters of concrete mixtures. Despite relatively low volume content of fibres, a considerable increase of flexural and tensile splitting strength was observed. Fibres also improved concrete shrinkage as well as post-peak deformability in uni-axial compression. The effect of steel addition on compressive strength proved to be dependent on specimen type. Nevertheless, it was not as crucial as in the case of the above characteristics. However, the modulus of elasticity of SLWAC was not affected by fibre addition. Santrauka Konstrukcinis su lengvaisiais užpildais betonas (SLWAC) yra normalaus svorio statybinių medžiagų alternatyva, turinti mažesnį tankį ir gebėjimą pasiekti gana didelį gniuždomąjį stiprį. Nepaisant to, lengvieji užpildai, naudojami vietoj normalaus svorio užpildų, realiai gali pabloginti kai kurias kompozito savybes. Vienas iš lengvojo betono SLWAC savybių tobulinimo būdų yra plieninių fibrų įterpimas į betono sudėtį. Šiame darbe aptariamas plieninių fibrų poveikis konstrukcinio lengvojo betono su lakiaisiais pelenais savybėms. Tikslui pasiekti buvo parinktos pagal tankį ir gniuždomąjį stiprį dvi skirtingos betono sudėtys su skirtingais (30, 45 ir 60 kg/m3) plieninių fibrų tankiais. Paruošti bandiniai buvo naudoti gniuždomajam stipriui ir kitoms savybėms nustatyti. Tyrimų rezultatai parodė, kad plieninių fibrų priedas nepablogino reologinių betono mišinio rodiklių. Nepaisant palyginti mažo fibrų kiekio, labai padidėjo bandinių lenkiamasis ir tempiamasis stipris. Fibros taip pat pagerino deformacines betono savybes. Gauto kompozito gniuždomasis stipris iš dalies priklausė nuo naudojamų plieninių fibrų charakteristikų. Tačiau plieninių fibrų priedas nepakeitė SLWAC tamprumo modulio.

The aim of this study was to present the problem of durability of structural lightweight concrete made of a sintered fly ash aggregate. The issue of durability was researched for 12 concrete series in terms of their water absorption, water permeability, and freeze-thaw resistance. Additionally, the microstructure of several concretes was analyzed with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). In the durability research, the influences of the following parameters were taken into consideration: The initial moisture content of sintered fly ash (mc = 0, 17–18, and 24–25%); the aggregate grading (4/8 and 6/12 mm); and the water-cement ratio (w/c = 0.55 and 0.37). As a result of various compositions, the concretes revealed different properties. The density ranged from 1470 to 1920 kg/m3, and the corresponding strength ranged from 25.0 to 83.5 MPa. The durability research results of tested lightweight concretes showed that, despite considerably higher water absorption, a comparable water permeability and comparable or better freeze-thaw resistance in relation to normal-weight concrete may be present. Nevertheless, the fundamental requirement of lightweight concrete to achieve good durability requires the aggregate’s initial moisture content to be limited and a sufficiently tight cement matrix to be selected. The volume share of the cement matrix and aggregate, the cement content, and even the concrete strength are of secondary importance.

The aim of this paper is to present the problem of water-cement ratio reduction in structural lightweight concrete as a result of mixing water absorption by the lightweight aggregate. The research was carried out on eighteen concrete mixtures made of sintered fly ash aggregate and cement pastes of different nominal water-cement ratios. It has been demonstrated that the rate and the extent of the absorption of mixing water by the aggregate in concrete is dependent not only on its water absorption, but also on its moisture content, moisture state, the procedure of concrete preparation and the concrete composition. Moreover, it has been proved that the standard method for calculation of the so-called effective water-cement ratio is accurate only in the case of high initial moisture content of the lightweight aggregate. When dry sintered fly ash aggregate is used, the standard method gives underestimated values of the ratio as compared to its actual values determined in tests. The effect of mixing water absorption by the lightweight aggregate, revealed in tests of fresh concrete as the reduction of watercement ratio, was also reflected in hardened state of concrete as the increase of its strength. The strength increase was higher for mixtures with higher content of lightweight aggregate. Although the porous aggregate is the weakest element in structural lightweight concrete, in this case its higher content may be compensated with excess by the stronger cement matrix resulting from the reduction of water-cement ratio.

The paper focuses on the influence of concrete type and strength on the relationship between initial and stabilized secant moduli of elasticity. These moduli, as well as compressive strength and density, were tested for four structural concrete series: two lightweight aggregate and two normal-weight ones. The carried out research showed that in each case the value of initial secant modulus of elasticity was lower than the stabilised one and the ratio of these two moduli is strongly dependent on concrete material homogeneity.

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