Structural behaviour of reinforced concrete beams containing a novel lightweight aggregate

Abstract

This paper reports the results of an experimental investigation into the structural behaviour of reinforced concrete beams incorporating a novel EPS-based lightweight aggregate (LWA) called stabilised polystyrene (SPS) aggregate. Four concrete mixtures with water to cement (W/C) ratio of 0.8 were used. The replacement levels of natural aggregate by SPS were 0%, 30%, 60% and 100%. The volume ratio to manufacture SPS aggregate was 8:1:1 (80% waste EPS: 10% cement: 10% clay). A total of 24 beams were cast and tested at 28-day age. Three types of tension reinforcement were used: 2 bars, 3 bars and 2 bars + shear links. There were no compression bars at the top for all beams. Four point-loading flexural tests were conducted up to failure. In general, it can be observed that the structural behaviour of SPS concrete beams is similar to that of other types of lightweight aggregate concretes used around the world.