Engineering Properties of Self-Consolidating Lightweight Aggregate Concrete and Its Application in Prestressed Concrete Members

Abstract

Self-consolidating lightweight aggregate concrete (SCLC) is a highly flowable and lightweight concrete. In this study, the properties of SCLC and prestressed SCLC members were tested and compared with those made of normal-weight self-consolidating concrete (SCC). The test results show that SCLC can be used for prestressed concrete members. The use of lightweight aggregates with a particle density larger than 1100 kg/m 3 can avoid the serious segregation of fresh concrete. In addition, the SCLC designed in this study can meet most of the SCC Rank 2 test standards, except for the V-funnel test. The water contained in the lightweight aggregates supplied sustained curing, so the level of drying shrinkage of the SCLC was lower than that of the conventional SCC. However, the level of creep of the SCLC was higher than that of the conventional SCC, because normal-weight aggregates are more able to inhibit the change of the concrete's volume. On-site test results show that after 180 days of prestressing, the prestress loss was about 5.35-6.83% for the full-size SCLC members, which was smaller than that for the conventional SCC members (about 8.19-9.06% loss).

Proposing a New Method Based on Image Analysis to Estimate the Segregation Index of Lightweight Aggregate Concretes

“…Lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC), a material widely used due to its many advantages, such as its low density, good thermal insulation, and fire resistance, has been extensively studied as both structural and non-structural material [1]. The use of LWACs allows greater design flexibility, considerable reductions of the dead loads, and substantial cost savings [2,3,4], and leads to improvements in the seismic resistance capacity of the structures [5]. As reported by Pla et al [6], the use of LWAC does not establish significant differences in the fluid transport properties of lightweight concretes and when they are exposed to high temperature fluctuations, such as building fires, Young’s modulus of lightweight concretes decreases at a slower pace as the temperature increases than in conventional concretes [7].…”

Deformation Analysis of Reinforced Beams Made of Lightweight Aggregate Concrete

“…Numerous studies around the world have been dedicated to research in the field of lightweight aggregate concrete. Consequently, various concrete mixtures with different mechanical properties have been proposed [5][6][7][8][9][10]. However, in most cases, traditional studies usually address the optimization of concrete properties with respect to one or more aspects, such as microstructure, mechanical resistance, and durability [6][7][8][9].…”

“…Consequently, the obtained findings do not lead to the final expected effect [5]. The improvement of selected material properties is accompanied by changes in other important parameters [9]. Moreover, experimental results are usually achieved by testing on small-scale specimens.…”

Effects of Multiple Supplementary Cementitious Materials on Workability and Segregation Resistance of Lightweight Aggregate Concrete

“…Segregation is facilitated by higher values of gravitation forces, which are related to the volume of the aggregate and ∆ ρ value. The use of LWA with a particle density higher than 1100 kg/m 3 can avoid the serious segregation of fresh self-consolidating LWAC [55]. On the other side, higher values of drag force, which is influenced by the mortar viscosity and aggregate shape, reduce segregation.…”