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A simple mix design method for structural lightweight aggregate concrete

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Abstract

Current design methods for structural lightweight aggregate concrete (SLWAC) are usually only valid for a limited range of concrete compositions that have previously been subjected to trial tests. The SLWAC mix design is more complex than that of normal weight concrete as more parameters need to be determined. Taking this into account, a simplified design method is proposed for SLWAC made with natural sand. The major advantages of the proposed method are that it is easy to apply and it can be generalized to any type of lightweight aggregate (LWA). For this, three additional design parameters are needed: the strength of LWA in concrete; the limit strength; the SLWAC potential strength. At most, two experimental mixtures are needed to determine these parameters. A biphasic model to estimate the strength of SLWAC is evaluated and high correlations are obtained. The good performance of the suggested method is demonstrated by examples of practical application and by the comparison with experimental results reported by the authors and other investigators.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank ICIST-IST for funding the research and the companies Argex, Saint-Gobain Weber Portugal, Soarvamil and SECIL for supplying the materials used in the experiments. The research work presented herein was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), under Grant SFRH/BD/27366/2006.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. DECivil/ICIST, Instituto Superior Técnico, Technical University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001, Lisbon, Portugal

    J. Alexandre Bogas & Augusto Gomes

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  1. J. Alexandre Bogas
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  2. Augusto Gomes
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Correspondence to J. Alexandre Bogas.

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Bogas, J.A., Gomes, A. A simple mix design method for structural lightweight aggregate concrete. Mater Struct 46, 1919–1932 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-013-0029-1

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