Crushing Performance of Ultra-Lightweight Foam Concrete with Fine Particle Inclusions

Abstract

Foam concrete is a low-density controlled strength material that can potentially be used for accommodating different types of particles—recycled fine aggregate being an example. The paste matrix of this material has a cellular microstructure, and bulk performance is readily affected by the inclusion of fines. To study the effect of inclusion of fines on mechanical performance and foam structure of foam concrete, a group of 0.55 g/cm3 foam–sand composite mixtures with high-volume fly ash replacement are investigated. The elastic modulus is measured by a vibrational frequency test. The crushing mechanics are determined by the load-displacement response from a penetration test. The effect of particle inclusion on the foam concrete microstructure is characterized using micro computed tomography. The results indicate that use of fine-graded sand particles at a small dosage simultaneously reduces cement content and enhances the crushing performance, however poor material performance is observed for a high sand content. The cellular structure of the foam–sand composite, and thus its mechanical behavior, can be substantially diminished by larger sand particles, especially when the particle size is larger than the voids in foam.

Special Issue: New Trends in Recycled Aggregate Concrete

“…Song and Lange [15] analyzed the crushing performance of ultra-lightweight foam concrete with fine particle incorporation. The results indicate that the use of fine-graded sand particles in a small content simultaneously reduces the cement content and enhances the crushing performance.…”

Experimentelle Untersuchungen zum Stauchverhalten stark porosierter Betone

“…Bisher existieren nur wenige experimentelle Studien (u. a. [11][12][13][14][15][16]), in denen die Verformungseigenschaften stark porosierter Betone systematisch untersucht wurden. Zudem sind die Ergebnisse der Studien größtenteils nicht direkt miteinander vergleichbar, da sich sowohl die Zusammensetzungen der untersuchten Betone als auch die Versuchsrandbedingungen deutlich voneinander unterscheiden.…”