DEVELOPMENT OF DUCTILE ULTRA LIGHT WEIGH CEMENTITIOUS COMPOSITES FOR STRUCTURAL APPLICATIONS

Abstract

The objective of this study is assessment of the properties of fiber reinforced cement based composites and fiber reinforced cement based composites having fly ash cenospheres (FACs) as light weight filler material. The main focus on the improvement of ultra-light weight cementitious composites with exceptional mechanical properties at the age of 28 days. Fly ash Cenospheres (FACs) was used as a filler material. Polyethylene fibers (PE), Polypropylene fibers(PP) and Polyethylene Teraphthalate fibers (PET) were used to enhance the mechanical properties of the cementitious composites. The resultant composites depicted exceptional mechanical properties with elevated specific strength as 23.93-33.87 KPa/kg .The 28-days compressive and flexural strength were determined in the range of 36-48.1MPa and 4.15-8.06 MPa respectively. The high pozzolanic activity of FACs added towards the enhanced mechanical properties even at lesser density. Microstructural analyses of composites were done by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDS) spectroscopy. Results specified that FAC is a favorable material for generating lightweight and strong structural members for utilization in building structure which can endorse viable development. Though, too much FACs content in composite might cause elevated porosity because of chemical composition and hollow spherical shape of FAC particles which influences durability and mechanical behavior of cement-based composite.