Characteristics of a novel lightweight concrete

Abstract

The growing need to reduce dead weight of structural elements to allow long spanning structures, has always been a key driver in the construction industry's quest to finding materials that can lead to such accomplishments. This paper is concerned with investigating the mechanical properties of a novel lightweight cementitious material made from a mix of sand, cement, water, and admixture. It is environmentally friendly, requiring less cement consumption, self‐leveling, and free flowing with potential for structural use in construction. A rigorous experimental testing programme is carried to determine the mechanical properties of the material. Two sets of mixes of target densities 1810 and 1600 kg/m3 were prepared and tested. The results showed that the admixture improved the properties of the material such as its compressive and flexural strengths. The material can be utilized as a structural member since it gained strength values above 20 MPa after 28 days.