Structural Behaviour of Precast Lightweight Foamed Concrete Sandwich Panel under Axial Load: An Overview

The development of precast sandwich concrete has gained acceptance worldwide in conjunction with the Industrial Building System (IBS).  The advancement and improvement of using wall panel has gone through a lot of achievements through the last decade. The usage of precast lightweight sandwich panel has become the alternative to conventional construction using brick wall. The usage of this panel system contributes to a sustainable and environmental friendly construction.  This paper presents an overview of the latest development in precast concrete sandwich panel as an IBS. The purpose of this paper is to provide comprehensive information on latest research development of sandwich panel for building construction purposes. The information on sandwich panel’s composition, material, properties, strength, availability, and its usage as structural element are reported.  An innovative concept used in the design of these systems and the use of lightweight materials is also discussed

Structural behaviour of beam with HDPE plastic balls subjected to flexure load

This paper presents the structural behavior of reinforced concrete beam embedded with high density polyethylene balls (HDPE) subjected to flexural load. The HDPE balls with 180 mm diameter were embedded to create the spherical voids in the beam which lead to reduction in its self-weight. Two beam specimens with HDPE balls (RC-HDPE) and one solid beam (RC-S) with dimension 250 mm x 300 mm x 1100 mm were cast and tested until failure. The results are analysed in the context of its ultimate load, load-deflection profile, and crack pattern and failure mode. It was found that the ultimate load of RC-HDPE was reduced by 32% compared to RC-S beam while the maximum deflection at its mid span was increased by 4%. However, RC-HDPE is noticed to be more ductile compared to RC-S beam. Both types of beams experienced flexure cracks and diagonal tension cracks before failur

Thermo‑mechanical properties of various densities of foamed concrete incorporating polypropylene fibres

Concrete has been extensively used in the development of urban infrastructure works. However, it has the tendency to absorb solar radiations, and these radiations are released back into the air in the form of heat energy. Dense concentration of infrastructures releases more heat, causing urban heat island (UHI) effect in which the ambient temperature of the urban areas rises slightly than the surrounding areas. Tropical countries which have a hot climate throughout the year are more affected by the UHI effect. Therefore, thermal insulating materials need to be introduced in the field of concrete construction. Foamed concrete, which has air voids in its matrix, is a potential thermal insulating material. But due to reduced density, it, however, achieves lower strength. Polypropylene (PP) fibres are used to reinforce the foamed concrete and improve its compressive and tensile strengths. In this study, three different densities, 1400, 1600 and 1800 kg/m3, were cast, and 0.8% PP fibres were added. The thermo-mechanical properties were investigated in terms of thermal conductivity, surface temperature, compressive and tensile strengths with and without the addition of PP fibres. Based on the findings, the addition of PP fibres gained more strength and reduced thermal conductivity in the lower densities of foamed concrete. In contrast, it had an opposite impact on 1800 kg/m3 density. The addition of PP fibres also indicated that it could reduce the surface temperature of higher-density foamed concrete compared to lower densities

Mechanical Properties of Concrete Containing River Indus Sand and Recyclable Concrete Aggregate

In Pakistan construction Industry, concrete construction is cheaper than the other construction methods with respect to that construction materials demand rises. The 75% volume of total concrete fill with aggregate which contributes to decrease the natural aggregate resources day by day. The best solution for this problem is to utilize River Indus sand and recyclable concrete aggregate as fine and coarse aggregate respectively. In this research the River Indus sand and recyclable coarse aggregate were fully replaced with normal aggregates. The aim of this study was to examine the flexural and tensile performance of concrete containing the River Indus sand and recyclable concrete aggregate. The physical properties were also examined which include the sieve analysis and chemical composition of River Indus sand. The M15, M20 and M25 grade were analyzed at 7, 14, 21 and 28 days water curing. The results define that, flexural strength was reduced from 5% to 15% compared to normal aggregate whereas tensile was decreased from 1% to 1.8% at 28 days water curing

Effect of river indus sand on concrete tensile strength

In the development of Pakistan construction industry, the utilization of River Indus sand in concrete as fine aggregate has expanded tremendously. The aim of this research is to study the effect of Indus River sand on the tensile strength of various grades of concrete when it is utilized as fine aggregate. Concrete Samples of M15, M20 and M25 grade concrete were cured for 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. Based on the results, it is found that concrete became less workable when Indus river sand was utilized. It is recorded that tensile strength of concrete is decreased from 5% up to 20% in comparison with hill sand. The results were derived from various concrete grades

Utilization of sawdust ash as cement replacement for the concrete production: a review

Cement is the main materials for the construction and it is very expensive. Considering the growing demand of cement, the researchers are probing towards the new cement replacement materials. To achieve the sustainable development, it is imperative to use supplementary cementing materials in the field of concrete engineering. Currently, numerous research has been conducted on the utilization of sawdust ash as a cement replacement in the production of green building material and an alternative means of wood waste minimization. The result of this research work has indicated that sawdust ash has a good potential to be utilized as replacement of ordinary Portland cement for the production of concrete. The aim of this review work is to summarize previous research studies on utilization of sawdust ash as a cement replacement. Hence, this review paper will provide the significant idea and valuable information for the fellow researchers working for the composite cement materials, supplementary cementing materials in the field of concrete technology and it is the considerable verdict that more research is deserved to be carried out on the development of high-strength concrete incorporating sawdust ash as a cement replacement

Utilization of palm oil fuel ash and eggshell powder as partial cement replacement - a review

The increase in population leads to increase in construction of houses and other buildings to accommodate these people. The extensive use of concrete for constructional purposes leads to release of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) gas into the atmosphere which adds to the already increased global warming. The increase in urbanization has also lead to increased generation of waste materials. These waste materials are by-products, which are disposed in landfills causing environmental and health issues. The utilization of agricultural wastes as cement substitute is a great alternative for reducing the use and production of cement, which contributes to 5% to 7% of global CO2 emissions alone. Palm Oil Fuel Ash (POFA) Eggshells are two major agricultural wastes, which are generated in abundance in Malaysia. This paper reviews the combined utilization of Eggshells Powder (ESP) and POFA as potential partial cement replacement material and development of bio-concrete, which may help in reducing the environmental issues that are caused by the agricultural by-products. They have been used successfully but individually in concrete. The pozzolanic activity triggered by POFA requires Calcium Hydroxide which cement provides to a limit. Eggshells when grinded into Eggshells Powder (ESP) are rich in calcium oxide and can provide the required calcium hydride and enhance the pozzolanic reactio

Incorporation of Palm Oil Fuel Ash and Egg shell Powder as Supplementary Cementitious Materials in Sustainable Foamed Concrete

The release of carbon dioxide (CO2) during the production of cement and the increase in waste generation has allowed the construction to focus on sustainability by replacing cement with agricultural waste resources such as Palm Oil Fuel Ash (POFA) and Eggshell Powder (ESP). This experimental study focuses on developing sustainable foamed concrete incorporating high content of POFA and ESP as cement replacement with the aim of cement conversion, reduction in natural resources depletion, reduction of CO2 emissions and cleaner production. Cement was replaced using 30 and 35% POFA and 5 to 15% ESP by weight of cement. It was observed that the flowability decreased with the increase in the content of POFA and ESP; this is due to their ability to absorb water. It was also observed that 40% cement replacement achieved satisfactory compressive strength while the tensile stress loss was significant. This study confirmed that recycling and reusing of POFA and ESP are possible in foamed concrete which could be used for non-structural applications

Computational analysis on flexural behavior of precast aerated concrete panel incorporating polypropylene fiber

Precast system has great advantages in terms of its speed of construction, strength and durability. In this research, Precast Lightweight Aerated Concrete Panel, PACP, incorporating polypropylene fibers were utilized and tested to analyze its structural behavior under flexural load. Finite element analysis (FEA) using LUSAS software was utilized to simulate the PACP models under flexure load adopting nonlinear and transient analysis. The dimension of PACP panel was 200mm thickness, 500mm breadth, 1400 mm length. The FEA results were com-pared to theoretical results in terms of the panel’s ultimate load. Different thicknesses and reinforcement diameters were utilized in the FEM simulations to determine the optimum values for both parameters which confirm the stability of the panel. The outcomes demonstrated that 300 mm thickness is the optimum thickness while 12 mm diameter was the optimum size of reinforcement in the PACP panel

Effects of GFF Bands on Normal and High Strength Concrete Cylinders

This paper exemplifies the effects of externally confined Glass Fibre Fabric (GFF) bands onnormal and high strength concrete cylinders. Twelve normal and high strength concretecylinders were cast and tested in the laboratory environment under axial compression tofailure. The experimental results show that the degree of confinement of discrete GFFconfined high strength concrete cylinders was significantly better than normal strengthconcrete cylinders with GFF bands, however the ductility of GFF confined high strengthconcrete cylinders was relatively less than GFF normal strength concrete. It was also foundthat the application of horizontally oriented GFF bands is the most effective confining patternthan spirally oriented GFF bands