Chapter-1 General:: Light Weight Concrete Block Using Plastic Dept of Ce
Chapter-1 General:: Light Weight Concrete Block Using Plastic Dept of Ce
Chapter-1 General:: Light Weight Concrete Block Using Plastic Dept of Ce
CHAPTER-1
INTRODUCTION
GENERAL:
The disposal of waste plastic is becoming a major waste management problem. As plastic is
extremely durable and not naturally biodegradable, they will remain in landfill with very little
degradation over time, presenting a continuing environmental hazard. This promotes recycling
ahead of disposal and energy recovery. One of the largest potential recycling routes is in
construction of civil engineering.
In recent years, more and more attention has been given to the potential use of waste plastic as
concrete aggregate. S.Vanithaet. Al., in India used 0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8% and 10% waste plastics to
replace the same amount of aggregate for M20 concrete. Paver blocks and solid blocks were casted
and tested for 7, 14 and 28 days strength. T.Subramani and V.K.Pugal has concluded from their
experimental study that, 20% of plastic aggregate can be incorporated as coarse aggregate
replacement in concrete without any long term detrimental effects and with acceptable strength
development properties. Eric Ababio Ohemenget. Al., proposed that although the strengths of
plastic content pavement blocks decreased as the plastic content increased, if 10%- 50% plastic
contents are used, the compressive strengths of blocks are still satisfactory for pedestrians walk
ways or light traffic situations. K. Ramadevi, R. Manju carried out the experimental investigation
on the properties of concrete with plastic PET (bottle) fibers as fine aggregates. It is found that the
replacement of the fine aggregate with 2% of PET bottle fibers will be reasonable than other
replacement percentages like 4% and 6% as the compression and split tensile strength reduces
gradually. Fahad K. Alqahtani ET. Al., observed that, `
100% replacement of conventional lightweight aggregate with recycled plastic aggregate showed
about 13% reduction in chloride penetration. Compressive strength was reduced to 12 to 15 mpa
which can be useful for non-structural elements.
The present report focused on the objective of promoting concrete blocks by mixed with waste
plastic EVA (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate), which comes from plastic products such as sandals, sports
shoes and rubber band. The test program for mechanical properties of this new kind of moderate
concrete Blocks was explained. Lightweight concrete is a type concrete contains expanded light
weight aggregates which increase the volume of the mixture while giving additional qualities such
as lowering the dead weight. Lightweight concrete maintains its large voids and not forming
laitance layers or cement films when placed on the wall. This research was based on the
performance of lightweight concrete using expanded clay aggregate. However, sufficient water
cement ratio is vital to produce adequate cohesion between cement and water. Light weight
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concrete is usually chosen for structural purpose where its use will lead to a lower overall cost of a
structure than normal weight concrete.
This research report is prepared to show the activities and progress. Of the light weight
concrete research project. The performance of lightweight concrete such as compressive strength
test, water absorption and density and supplementary tests and comparisons has been made with
normal concrete.
1. No-fines concrete
3. Aerated/Foamed concrete
NO-FINES CONCRETE:
No-fines concrete usually used for both load bearing and non-load bearing for
external walls and partitions. The strength of no-fines concrete increases as the cement
content is increased. However, it is sensitive to the water composition. Insufficient water
can cause lack of cohesion between the particles and therefore, subsequent loss in strength
of the concrete. Likewise too much water can cause cement film to run off the aggregate to
form laitance layers, leaving the bulk of the concrete deficient in cement and thus weakens
the strength.
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The lightweight aggregate concrete can be divided into two types according to its
application. One is partially compacted lightweight aggregate concrete and the other is the
structural lightweight aggregate concrete. The partially compacted lightweight aggregate
concrete is mainly used for two purposes that is for precast concrete blocks or panels and
cast in-situ roofs and walls. The main requirement for this type of concrete is that it should
have adequate strength and a low density to obtain the best thermal insulation and a low
drying shrinkage to avoid cracking.
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AERATED CONCRETE:
Aerated concrete does not contain coarse aggregate, and can be regarded as an
aerated mortar. Typically, aerated concrete is made by introducing air or other gas into a
cement slurry and fine sand. In commercial practice, the sand is replaced by pulverized-fuel
ash or other siliceous material, and lime maybe used instead of cement.
There are two methods to prepare the aerated concrete. The first method is to inject
the gas into the mixing during its plastic condition by means of a chemical reaction. The second
method, air is introduced either by mixing-in stable foam or by whipping-in air, using an air-
entraining agent. The first method is usually used in precast concrete factories where the precast
units are subsequently autoclaved in order to produce concrete with a reasonable high strength and
low drying shrinkage. The second method is mainly used for in-situ concrete, suitable for insulation
roof screeds or pipe lagging. Figure 4 shows the aerated concrete.
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ADVANTAGES:
2. Easy to handle and hence reduces the cost of transportation and handling.
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DISADVANTAGES:
2. Difficult to place and finish because of porosity and angularity of the aggregate. In
some mixes the cement mortar may separate the aggregate and float towards the
surface.
Lightweight concrete has been used since the eighteen centuries by the Romans.
The application on the ‘The Pantheon’ where it uses pumice aggregate in the construction
of cast in-situ concrete is the proof of its usage. In USA and England in the late nineteenth
century, clinker was used in their construction for example the ‘British Museum’ and other
low cost housing. The lightweight concrete was also used in construction during the First
World War. The United States used mainly for shipbuilding and concrete blocks. The
foamed blast furnace-slag and pumice aggregate for block making were introduced in
England and Sweden around 1930.
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CHAPTER-2
LITERATURE REVIEW
Generally, the properties of LWC can be indicated by doing laboratory testing, but the overall
performance of the material can only be demonstrated adequate by its performance in the field
by testing LWC structure under service.
Light weight concrete has been successfully used foe marine applications and in shipbuilding.
LWC ships were produced in the USA during the 1914-1918 war, and their success led to the
production of the USA Selma (a war ship). In both 1953 and 1980 the Selma’s durability was
assessed by taking cored samples from the water line area. On both occasion little corrosion was
noted.
In 1984, Thomas A. Holm estimated that there were over 400 LWC bridges throughout the world
especially in USA and Canada. The research carried out by the expanded clay and slate institute
proves that most of the bridges appeared to be in good condition.
Even some cracks were reported, but these posed no structure problems. A second structure
comprising both LWC and normal concrete which had been in seawater for 13 years was
examined for salt presentation.
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SELMA (1914-1918):
Lightweight concrete has been used in construction since before the days of
Roman Empire. The earliest types of lightweight concrete were made by using Grecian and
latlian pumice as the lightweight aggregate. Ordinary hydrated burned lime was used as the
cementitious material in the mix. These early lightweight concretes, by reason of the obviously
weak materials. Fell far short in structural performance of what we except and achieve today.
They were however, amazingly durable, and existing examples of these early lightweight
concretes are still to be found in various early structures of the Mediterranean area.
Many different materials have been used for lightweight concrete since Roman days, and some
have shown remarkably better structural qualities than the Roman materials. Up to the 20th
century, however, such improvements were associated with the strength of the cementing
materials used rather than with improvements to the lightweight aggregates.
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CHAPTER-3
METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION:
Lightweight concrete has been used since the eighteen by the Romans. The application on the ‘The
Pantheon’ where it uses pumice aggregate in the construction of cast in-situ concrete is the proof of its
usage. In USA and England in the late nineteenth century. Clinker was used in their construction for
example ‘British Museum’ and other low cost housing. The lightweight concrete was also used in
construction during the First World War. The united states used mainly for shipbuilding and concrete
blocks. The foamed blast furnace-slag and pumice aggregate for block making were introduced in
England and Sweden around 1930s. Nowadays with the advancement of technology, lightweight
concrete expands its uses. For example, in the form of perlite with its outstanding insulating
characteristics. It is widely used as loose-fill insulation in masonry construction where it enhance fire
ratings, reduce noise transmission, does not rot and termite resistant. It is also used for vessels, roof
decks and other applications.
The successive steps that were followed to complete the study were as follows:
3. Various tests were conducted on cement, fine aggregate and coarse aggregate to determine
its physical properties.
a. Test on cement: Specific gravity, standard consistency, initial and final setting
time, compressive strength of mortar cube.
d. Cubes, cylinders and beams were casted for varying percentage replacement (5, 10, 15, 20,
25, 30, 35, and 40) of natural aggregate by plastic aggregate.
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After a review of various research studies, high density polyethylene (HDPE) was selected as a
substitute for natural aggregate. HDPE is the largest of the three polyethylene by volume of
consumption. HDPE is prepared from ethylene by a catalytic process. If it also harder, more opaque
and can withstand higher temperature. They are impact and wear resistant and can have very high
elongation before breaking when compared to others materials. They are chemical resistant ad cheap
too. It has very linear structure with only a few short side branches and hence leading to higher density
rang as well as more crystalline structure. These properties give HDPE its higher strength compared to
the other PEs, allowing a wider range of use. The properties of HDPE are:
1. Excellent resistant (no attack) to dilute and concentrated acids, alcohols and bases.
5. Chemical resistant
The plastic aggregates were prepared from recycled HDPE sheets. Generally the plastic recycling
can be completed through 5 steps: sorting, shredding, washing and extruding. The various steps
involved in recycling and making of plastic are described below.
Once the recyclable plastic materials were collected. The first stage of recycling began by
sorting out the plastic recycling is a complex process compared to other recycling process because of
the different types of plastic that exists. Mixed plastic cannot be used as it is poor in quality.
Therefore its essential to sort out plastic materials. HDPE is thus sorted out.
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The plastic materials were then prepared for melting by cutting them into small pieces.
The plastic items are fed into a machine which as set of blades that slides through the materials and
break the plastic into tiny bits.
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All residues of products contained in the plastic. Items and various other contaminants are
removed. A particular wash solution consisting of an alkaline, cationic detergent and water are used to
effectively get rid of all the contaminants on the plastic.
Extruding:
This is the final stage in the recycling process. The cleaned and chipped pieces of plastic are
melted down and put through a machine called extruder. After the plastic is melted and compressed, it
is channeled into the metering section. Here, the plastic undergoes pressurized pumping, while the
root diameter of the screw and the flight size remain constant.
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Plastic aggregate:
These melted plastics were allowed to fall on a rough surface through the die. Plastic
sheets of 20mm thick were made out of these recycled materials. Undulations were made on the
surface of the sheets. These sheets were then cut into aggregate of 20mm.
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CHAPTER-4
MATERIALS USED
CEMENT:
Brand Portland
Pozzolona
Cement 43
grade
Standard consistency 32%
Initial Setting Time 30 min
Final Setting Time <600min
Specific Gravity 2.965
Mortar Cube Strength 43,000 N/mm²
FINE AGGREGATE:
Zone I
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PLASTIC AGGREGATE:
WATER:
Water used for mixing and curing was clean and free form injurious amounts of oils,
acids, alkalis, salts, sugar, organic materials or other substances that are deleterious to concrete or
steel.
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CHAPTER-5
CASTING OF SPECIMENS:
Specimens were casted for varying percentage replacement of 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%
and 40% of natural aggregate with plastic aggregate.
5 5P
10 10P
15 15P
20 20P
25 25P
30 30P
35 35P
40 40P
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CHAPTER-6
WORKABILITY BY SLUMP:
With the introduction of plastic in concrete the slump value increases i.e. the
workability of concrete increases. This is due to the influence of surface texture and water
absorption of the aggregates on workability.
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Breaking load increased with the increase plastic content in concrete. Replacement
if natural aggregate with plastic aggregate tends to make concrete ductile and hence
increase the ability of concrete to significantly deform before failure.
CUBE WEIGHT:
A decreasing tend was observed in the case of cube weight. Plastic being a
light weight material tends to decrease the weight of the resultant concrete.
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CHAPTER-7
REFERENCE
9. IS: 2386 (Part 1,3) – 1963, Method of Test for Aggregate For Concrete.
10. IS: 383 – 1970, Specification for Coarse and Fine Aggregate from Natural Sources for
concrete.
11. IS: 10262 – 1982, Recommended Guideline For Concrete Mix Design.
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