Abstract:This research studies the effect of high temperature which is reached to 600 °C onstructural lightweight and normal weight concrete. Lightweight concrete mix designedaccording to ACI committee 211-2-82 with mix proportion 1:1.12 :3.35 by volume .Thewc ratio equal to 0.5 by weight and cement content 550 kgm3. Mix proportions ofnormal weight concrete were 1:2:3 by weight with cement content 400 kgm3 and samewc. The design compressive strength at 28 days of normal weight concrete (NWC) andlightweight concrete (LWC) were 34.7 MPa and 22.62 MPa respectively. Compressivestrength tests were performed on 100 mm cubes exposed to high temperature 100,200,400and 600 °C. The normal weight concrete and light weight concrete test specimens wereexposed to high temperature for 10 minute suddenly at the required degree. Moreover,light weight concrete test specimens tested after graduate exposure to high temperaturereaching to the required degree with and without drying to examine the effect of moisturecontent.The results indicated that the structural lightweight concrete exhibits approximatelysimilar compressive strength loss compared to normal weight concrete up to 600 °C at 28days in graduate exposure .The percentage of reduction on compressive strength was30% in lightweight concrete compared to 28% in normal weight concrete at 600 °C .Insudden exposure to high temperature ,the opposite behavior was noticed .The percentageof reduction on compressive strength was 64.4% in lightweight concrete at 600°C .Drying of lightweight concrete specimens before graduate exposure to high temperaturessignificantly reduce the loss of compressive strength.
The aim of this study is to develop Lightweight self-compacting concrete (LWSCC) mixtures using locally sourced waste materials such as Expanded Polystyrene Beads (EPS) and Waste Plastic Fibers (WPFs) which are all available abundantly available in Republic of Iraq at little or no cost. The fresh, hardened and mechanical properties of these LWSCC were studied, followed by results analysis. Five different mixes of LWSCC were prepared in term of WPF content (0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, and 1.25 %), in addition to the control mix (R mix) and lightweight concrete (E mix) made of EPS content as a replacement of coarse aggregate. The study showed that the LWSCC produced with these waste materials were decreased the density (lightweight) of the concrete mixes as EPS tend to form more clumps, absorb water and make the mix dry. Therefore, concrete mixtures were adjusted accordingly to be able to offset the workability caused by the addition of EPS. The increase in WPF content decreased the workability due to clumping that occurred in the mixing phase. The analysis of mechanical properties of the LWSCFRC specimens revealed that there was not much improvement. While LWSCC with 100% of EPS replacement as coarse aggregates and 1.25% WPFs provides the best flexural toughness performance
Composite beams, made up of a concrete slab and steel in the IPE steel section, are commonly used in bridges and buildings. Their main function is to enhance structural efficiency by merging the compressive strength of concrete with the tensile resistance of steel, thereby improving overall stiffness, ductility, and load-bearing capacity. This study offers an extensive review of the flexural behavior of steel-concrete composite beams, focusing on the interplay of concrete strength, shear connector types, and interaction levels in determining structural performance. It integrates experimental and numerical research to analyze critical parameters, including load-deflection behavior, shear transfer efficiency, and crack propagation at the steel-concrete interface. The study emphasizes the effect of concrete compressive strength, particularly in ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) and lightweight concrete, on stiffness, ductility, and load-bearing capacity while reducing self-weight and enhancing sustainability. The study revealed that fully bonded shear connectors, using CFRP sheets and welded plates, enhance flexural capacity and stiffness. In contrast, partial bonding or pre-debonding reduces performance due to crack propagation. Indented and hot-rolled U-section connectors enhance interaction and minimize slip, while uniform distribution of shear connectors optimizes load capacity and stiffness. Lightweight concrete decreases slab weight without compromising performance, and high-performance materials such as ECC, SFRC, and UHPFRC improve strength and ductility. Numerical modeling, particularly finite element methods, and higher-order beam theories validate experimental results, providing accurate tools for predicting structural behavior under various loading and environmental conditions.
Abstract This research studies the effect of adding steel fiber in two percentage 0.5% and 1% by volume on plain structural lightweight concrete (SLWC) produced by using crushed bricks as coarse lightweight aggregates (LWA) in a lightweight concrete mix designed according to ACI committee 211-2-82 with mix proportion 1:1.12 :3.35 by volume .The wc equal to 0.5 and cement content 550 kgm3. Different tests where performed for fresh and hardened SLWC such slump test ,fresh and hardened unit weight ,compressive strength and two indirect tests of tensile strength (splitting tensile and flexural strength). The results demonstrated that the effect of addition of steel fiber was more pronounced on the tensile strength of SLWC than the compressive strength of such concrete .The maximum increase of compressive ,splitting tensile and flexural strengths at 28-days were 38.8,77.12 and 111.2 % in the SLWC containing 1% fiber. On the other hand the rate of strength gain between 3 and 28 days was constant on compressive strength of plain concrete and that containing steel fiber while this rate was clearly increase on tensile strength especially flexural strength.
Ferrocement is a type of concrete made of mortar with different wire meshes. It has wide and varied applications in addition to its strength and durability. This research aims to combine ferrocement and sustainability, as over time, the consumption of plastics, especially plastic bottles, has increased and has serious negative effects if buried, burned, or chemically analyzed. Therefore, this research aims to benefit from this plastic waste and introduce it into the construction field by using plastic waste fibers in the concrete mixture instead of cement at a rate of 0.5% and 1% by volume. This research studied the mechanical properties of nine samples of ferrocement beams with dimensions of 1200 × 200 × 150 mm3. A longitudinal hole with a diameter of 50 mm was drilled in different places of the beams and filled with lightweight concrete to facilitate the use of the hole in service passes when drilled, with a study of the initial cracking loads and the resulting deflection in addition to the failure modes and the deflection resulting from the maximum load. The results showed an improvement in load resistance with an improvement in deflection at the maximum load, In addition to an increase in the improvement of Toughness and Stiffness of ferrocement beams.
This research includes studying the possibility of producing a new kind of No-fines concrete by replacing granules of coarse aggregates with grains results from the fragmentation of industrial waste of polystyrene. This replacing were with different volumetric proportions of coarse aggregate, and theses volumetric ratios were equal to (5%, 10%, 15% and 25%). Waste plastic fibers (WPFs) resulting from cutting of soft drinks bottles were added for strengthening this new kind of concrete. Mixing ratio was equal to (1:5) (cement: coarse aggregate) by weight. One reference mix was produced for comparative purpose. Compressive strength, flexural strength and density tests were conducted, it was examined three samples of each examination and taking the average. Compressive strength values of the new sustainable concrete were ranged from 10 MPa to 12.4 MPa at age of test equal to 28 days, while the average value of the density of this concrete at the same age reaches 1930 kg/m3. This average value of modulus of rupture was equal to 2.36 MPa at 28-day age test.
This study addressed some important tests for concrete including thermal, acoustic insulation and some mechanical behaviour of concrete containing granular Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) waste as a sand replacement. The PVC waste was collected from a plant of manufacturing PVC doors and windows, was used to replace some of fine aggregate at ratios of 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, 10%, 12.5% and 15% by weight Properties that studied are thermal conductivity, acoustic insulation slump, fresh density, dry density, compressive strength, flexural strength, and splitting tensile strength. Curing ages of 7, 28, and 56 days for the concrete mixtures were applied in this work. From the results of this study, it is suggested that using of 12.5% fine PVC as a sand replacement by weight can improve thermal insulation to about 82.48% more than concrete without plastic waste Acoustic insulation is about 43.09% more than reference mix and it satisfies the requirement of ACI 213R 2014 for structural lightweight concrete.
Foamed concrete (FC) is a type of lightweight concrete characterized by a high void space ratio and cementitious binders. In this research, the fresh and mechanical properties of fiber-reinforced modified foamed concrete (made with fly ash, silica fume, and superplasticizer) with a density of 1300 kg/m³ were studied. Carbon fibers of different lengths (12 mm, 20 mm, and 28 mm) were introduced in two ways: as single fibers (12 mm) and as hybrid fibers combining lengths of 20 mm and 28 mm.
The results showed that the compressive and split tensile strengths increased by approximately 43% compared to the control mix (modified with additives) when using a single fiber of 12 mm at a volume proportion of 0.4%. In contrast, using hybrid fibers resulted in increases of about 65% and 66% in compressive and split tensile strengths, respectively. When compared to the single fiber method, the hybrid approach improved compressive and split tensile strengths by about 15% and 16%, respectively.
This study describes the results of tests carried out in order to investigate the structural behavior of reinforced concrete beams containing Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) stabilized Polystyrene beads. Three concrete mixtures were used with densities 350kg/m3, 500 kg/m3 and 600 kg/m3. A total of 12 beams, with control specimens were tested after 28 days of curing immersion in water. Four types of steel reinforcement were utilized: Two ratios of tensile steel reinforcement without compression steel and the same two ratios of tensile reinforcement with compression steel and stirrups. The beams were tested under 4- points loading up to failure. The main variables considered in this study were: different types of Izocrete densities and types of reinforcement steel bars. The results indicated that the amount of polystyrene beads significantly affects the strength of the concrete produced. In general, it can be observed that the compression, tensile and flexure strengths decreased as the EPS beads contents increased, and the moment capacity of the beams reduced with the increase of the beads ratio.The load deflection behavior of the Izocrete beams were similar to other lightweight concrete beams .The failure in most of the beams was initiated at the compression region undergoing large deformation due to the high compressibility of the material.