TO STUDY AND IMPROVE THE PROPERTIES OF EXPANDED POLYSTYRENE (EPS) LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE USING SECONDARY RAW MATERIALS (SRMS)

Abstract

This research project was industry based and aimed at improving the Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Lightweight Concrete mix design currently being used in Light Gauge Steel Industry to envelope the structure. And so, the mix design was thoroughly investigated and problems were identified. Some solutions were hence put forward in the light of the literature to resolve the issues. The mix design was altered by the inclusion of fly ash at 15%, 25%, and 35% respectively. Also, the size of EPS beads was decreased from 11mm to 5mm to ascertain its effect on concrete properties. Compressive Strength, Density, Workability and Shrinkage test results were taken as the performance indicators for all the mixes. Based on these, some deficiencies were recognized to improve the mix design. One of the problems in mix design was of excessive flow, which was eradicated by using a 100% EPS mix. Shrinkage leading to fiber cement board cracking was mitigated by incorporating 35% fly ash in the mix; density, strength, and workability were improved by using less than 6mm diameter EPS beads. A carbon content analysis of fly ash being used locally was suggested to understand the reason of decreasing workability with the use of this fly ash. In the end, some research recommendations like the use of crushed EPS and super- plasticizers were presented for prospective studies.