Lightweight Concrete Using EPS

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) geofoam is a lightweight material that has been used in engineering applications since at least the 1950s. Its density is about a hundredth of that of soil. It has good thermal insulation properties with stiffness and compression strength comparable to medium clay. It is utilized in reducing settlement below embankments, sound and vibration damping, reducing lateral pressure on sub-structures, reducing stresses on rigid buried conduits and related applications. Expanded polystyrene waste in a granular form is used as lightweight aggregate to produce lightweight structural concrete with the unit weight varying from 1200 to 2000 kg/m. The polystyrene aggregate concrete was produced by partially replacing coarse aggregate in the reference (normal weight) concrete mixtures with equal volume of the chemically coated crushed polystyrene granules. This paper reports the results of an experimental investigation into the engineering properties, such as compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, drying shrinkage and creep, of polystyrene aggregate concrete varying in density. The main objectives of this study are the cement contents for the concrete mixtures used were 410 and 540kg/m.