Properties of lightweight expanded polystyrene aggregate concretes containing fly ash

Lightweight concretes can be produced by replacing the normal aggregates in concrete or mortar either partially or fully, depending upon the requirements of density and strength levels. The present study covers the use of expanded polystyrene (EPS) beads as lightweight aggregate, both in concrete and mortar. The main aim of this programme is to study the mechanical properties of EPS concretes containing fly ash and compare the results with these in literature on concretes containing OPC alone as the binder. The effects of EPS aggregate on the green and hardened state characteristics of concretes containing fly ash were evaluated. The compressive strength of the EPS concretes containing fly ash show a continuous gain even up to 90 days, unlike that reported for OPC in literature. It was also found that the failure of these concretes both in compression and split tension was gradual as was observed earlier for the concretes containing plastic shredded aggregates. The stress-strain relations and the corresponding elastic modulus were also investigated.