The InternationalJournal of Cement Composites and Lightweight Concrete, Volume 10, Number 2 May 1988

Development of high strength

lightweight concrete
for structural applications
H. S. Wilson* and V. M. Malhotra**

Synopsis The use of superplasticlzers and mmeral admixtures, particularly condensed sdlca fume, has led to
the development of high strength, normal weight concretes for structural apphcat=ons The j u d i c i o u s use of
these materials has resulted =n concrete compressive strengths exceeding 100 M Pa
Notwithstanding the relatively low strength of hghtwelght aggregates, this mvestlgat0on reports results of
a study undertaken to develop high strength hghtwelght concretes using a Canad0an hghtwe=ght aggregate A
senes of seven concrete m~xtures mvolvmg 25 batches were made The cement, or cements, fly ash and sthca
fume content of the m~xtures ranged from 300 to 635kg/m 3 All m~xtures were air entramed and
superplastlclzed A large number of test cyhnders and pnsms were cast for the determination of the
mechamcal propert0es of concrete and to evaluate its resistance to freezing and thawmg cychng, performed in
accordance with ASTM C 666 Procedure A
From the results of thfs mvestJgation, 0t =s concluded that h~gh strength concretes with densities of less
than 2000 kg/m 3 can be made with or w0thout the use of mineral admixtures, but the use of superplastlcJzers 0s
mandatory The highest compressive strength achieved was 66 5 MPa at 365 days for a cementtttous content
of 638kg/m 3 The 28-day sphttmg-tensile strengths obtained were of the order of 3 5MPa The freezing and
thawing tests performed m accordance with ASTM C 666 Procedure A, freezing m water and thawing in water,
indicated excellent frost resistance of concrete with durabdity factors generally greater than 90

Keywords H~ghstrength concrete, hghtwelght aggregate concrete, mix proportioning, fly ash, condensed
silica fume, superplast0ctzers, compressive strength, tensde strength, modulus of elasticity, freeze thaw
durabthty, drying shrinkage, strength of matenals

INTRODUCTION sand are employed, the max=mum average strength is

Ltghtwe0ght aggregates have been used in structural
concrete for many years One of the earhest applications
m North America was m the construction of concrete
ships during World War I The first of these was the
Selma, 132.3m long, requiring 23 6 x 105kg of hght-
weight concrete. The concrete had a density of 1905 kg/
m 3 and a 28-day compressive strength of 38 5MPa [1]
For many years, concrete strengths of that order were
considered high strength, and m many apphcatlons, that
is still true. Through the years, by ludtcious selection of
the lightweight aggregate and careful proportioning,
sem~-Iightweaght concretes having compressive
strengths of the order of 55 to 60MPa have been made
[2]. Wischers and Manns stated that 'At the present
time, if high strength hghtweight aggregate and natural
* Research Scientist, and ** Head, Construction Materials Section.
CANMET. Energy, Mines and Resources, Canada
Received 7 August 1987 Accepted 27 October 1987
~) Minister of Supply and Services Canada 1988
0262-5075/88/10202079/$02.00
about 600 kg/cm 2 (58 8 MPa) [3] More recently, with the
advent of the use of condensed silica fume and super-
plast=clzers (also known as high range water reducers),
hghtwe0ght concretes having compressive strengths of
greater than 70MPa are possible. Although such
strength =snot necessary in many structural apphcat=ons,
there are advantages to the use of very high strength
lightweight concrete in such applications as offshore
drilling platforms Such concrete has greater buoyancy
and thus is easier to tow m shallow waters, and less
excavation is required ~n construction of the dry dock
compared to heavier structures There is one instance
where such concretes have been used for oil drilling
platforms in the Arctic [4]
SCOPE OF INVESTIGATION
In this investigation, a series of seven concrete mixtures
involving 25 concrete batches. (0 07m 3 m size) were
made. The cement content, or cement, fly ash and sdica
fume content of the mixture ranged from 300 to 635 kg/
m 3 All mixtures were air entrained and superplastic=zed
A number of test cylinders and prisms were cast for the

79
Development of high strength hghtwelght concrete for structural applications Wilson and Malhotra

determination of the compressive, flexural and sphttmg- MATERIALS

tensile strengths. Test specimens were also cast for the
determination of the modulus of elasticity, volume
change, creep, and freezing and thawing resistance of
concrete in accordance with ASTM C 666 Procedure A,
freezing in water and thawing m water.
The properties of the fresh concrete that were
determined included temperature, slump, a~r content by
pressure as well as volumetric methods, and density
Normal portland cement, ASTM Type 1, was used The
physical properties and chemical analysis are shown in
Table 1.
The fly ash was class F (low CaO), the product of the
combustion of a high volat,le bituminous coal from the
Lingan mine m Nova Scotia It was used as an addition to
the cement. Its physical properties and chemical analysis
are shown m Table 1 Condensed sdlca fume, from a

Table I Physical properties and chemical analysis of cement, fly ash and condensed silica fume

Normal
portland cement* Fly ash
(ASTM type I) (class F) Silica fumet
Physlal properties
Fineness
Passing 751Lm sieve 96.9%
Passing 451Lm sieve 85 8% 19 2%
Dry sieve (Alpine Jet) -- 14 0%
Surface area. Blaine 363 m2/kg 198 m2/kg
Surface area, nitrogen adsorption 20,000 m2/kg
Vicat setting time
In~lal 140 mm --
Final 230 mm --
Autoclave expansion 0 09% --
Compresswe strength¢ (50 mm cubes)
3 day 20 8 MPa
7 day 25 2 MPa
28 day 33.2 MPa
Pozzolamc actwlty index
Cement
Water requirement 92 0%
Activity index, 28d 92 3%
Accelerated index, 7 d 85 6%
IJme
Activity index, 7d 8 8MPa
Chemical analysis
Sdicon dioxide (SIO2) 22 02% 38.3% 94.0%
Calcium oxide (CaO), total 62.76% 4 49% 0.50%
Aluminum oxide (AI203) 3 99% 12 8% 0.06%
Femc oxide (Fe203) 2 76% 39 7% 0.03%
Magnesium oxide (MgO) 3 30% 0 43% 1 10%
Sulphur tnoxide (SO3) 3 01% 1 34% 0 50%
Sodium oxide (Na20) 0 49% 0 14% 0.02%
Potassium oxide (1(,20) 0 54% -- 0.20%
Loss on ignition 1 59% 0.04% 2.50%
Insoluble residue 0.14% 0 88% §
Bogue potential compound composition
C3S 48 8%
C2S 26 3%
C3A 5.9%
C4AF 8 4%
* Data supplied by manufacturer
t CANMET data
NV/C = 0.485; Flow = 127%)
§ Between 105° and 750°C

80
Development of hughstrength hghtwelght concrete for structural apphcatlons Wilson and Malhotra

Canadian source, also was used as an addition to the Table 2 Batches cast per mixture
cement Its fineness and chemical analysis are shown in
Table 1. Batches cast
Mixture no A B C D
R600 - - - x
Aggregates
The coarse aggregate was an expanded shale hght- R500 x x x x
weight aggregate, produced in New Brunswick, and with T500 x x x x
a maximum size of 19 mm It was separated into three R400 x x - x
size fractions: 19.0 to 12.7 ram. 12.7 to 9 5 mm and 9.5 to T400 x x - x
4.75mm, and then recomblned The specific gravity and R300 x x x x
absorption values were 1 75 and 4 5% respectively. The T300 x x x x
fine aggregate was a natural sand of granitic composi-
tion, obtained locally. To maintain a uniform grading in all
the mixes, tt was separated into six size fractions, and
then recombined. The specific gravity and absorption CASTING A N D CURING OF TEST SPECIMENS
values were 2 70 and 1 1% respectively. From each batch, specimens for specific tests were cast
The superplasttcozer used was a sulphonated naph- From the mixtures containing 500 and 300 kg cement/m 3
thalene formaldehyde condensate The aqueous solu- concrete, the following test specimens were prepared.
tion contained 42% solids and had a density of 22 cylinders. 152 x 305mm in size
1200 kg/m 3 The chloride content was negligible. The air 2 prisms, 102 x 102 x 406 mm in size
entraining admixture was a sulphonated hydrocarbon 10 pr0sms, 89 x 102 x 387 mm on size
type
From the mixtures containing 400kg cement/m 3 of
concrete, the following specimens were prepared:
20 cylinders, 152 x 305 mm in size
2 prisms, 102 x 102 x 406mm in size
CONCRETE MIXTURES 2 pnsms, 89 x 102 x 387 mm on size
A senes of six concrete mixtures were made, with
cement contents of 500,400, and 300 kg/m 3 of concrete From the mixture containing 635 kg cement/m 3 con-
Three of the mixtures contained only the cement, and crete, 10 cylinders of 152 x 305 mm were prepared The
three incorporated 20% fly ash and 7% condensed silica specific specimens cast for each of the tests are detailed
fume un addition to the cement A seventh mixture on Table 4.
contained 635 kg cement/m 3 of concrete, the equivalent
of the mixture containing 500kg of cement, plus the fly
ash and the condensed silica fume In each of the ; , u //
mixtures, superplastlc=zer was added to give the fresh /
concrete a slump of at least 130mm The air entraining /
/
• /
admixture also was added to give an air content of 5 5 + 7.0
1.0% The air content was measured by both the ,,f' •
go j
pressure and volumetric methods ,f"
~ S.S /
The a0r dried lightweight aggregate was flooded /
with water, 24h pnor to mixing, then this was drained Z
i-
/
just before mixing Sufficient water was added to the free U
• a.O
aggregate, 24h prior to mixing, to satisfy the absorption. u //
The mixing water, added subsequently was adlusted • ;/e" •
according to the water absorbed by the coarse and fine S.S /
m /
aggregates. Ill •/
I / •
All batches, 0 07 m 3 in size, were repeated for each L
/
/
mixture to obtain the required number of test I¢ 6.0
/
/
specimens. The schedule of batches per mixture are ,4 / •
/
/
shown tn Table 2 A counter-current pan mixer was used J
4.6 j~
Because of the large quantities of cementit0ous materials f
//
and the requirement for larger than normal dosages of /
admixtures, the total mixing time was 10mln The • I i I I I I
cement, fly ash and condensed silica fume were added 4.8 8.0 S.8 6.0 S.S 7.0
simultaneously M~x proportions and the properties of VOLUMETRIC METHOD,
the fresh concretes are shown nn Table 3. The
relationship between air content measured by pressure Figure 1 Air content: relationship between pressure and
and volumetric methods are shown in Figure 1 volumetric methods

c 81
Development of high strength hghtwetght concrete for structuralapphcatlons W#son and Malhotra

The moulded specimens were covered by water-
saturated burlap and left m the casting room for 24h.
after which they were demoulded and the densities
were determined They were placed m the mo=st-cunng
room at 100% R H untd required for testing
CONCRETE TESTING
The following tests were carned out compressive,
flexural and sphttmg-tensde strengths, static modulus of
elasticity, drying shnnkage, moisture expansion, creep,
and resistance to freezing and thawing The schedule of
testing ~s shown =n Table 5 All testing was done tn
accordance with the appropnate ASTM standard, also
shown m Table 5 The densities were determined at 1
day (wet) and at 28 days (7 days moist and 21 days dry
cunng). Compressive strength was measured at 7, 28,
91 and 365 days Sphttmg-tensde strength and static
modulus of elastlcaty were determined at 28 days on
cyhnders cured moist for 7 days and dry for 21 days
Flexural strength was determined at 28 days The drying
shnnkage measurements were begun on pnsms after 28
days of motst cunng; measurements were taken at 7, 14,
28, 56, 112, 224 and 448 days. Compamon pnsms were
kept ~mmersed m water and the moisture expansion
readings were taken at the same intervals Creep tests
were begun after one year of moist cunng The cyhnders
were loaded to 26 to 38% of the 28-day compressive
strength Readings of creep were taken for 365 days
The tests for resistance to freezing and thawing
were begun on prisms cured for 57 days as follows: 35
days moist cured, 17 days dry cured, and 5 days moist
cured Before the concretes were exposed to freeze-
thaw cychng, they were measured for" weight, length,
pulse velocity, longitudinal resonant frequency and flexu-
ral strength. The non-destructIve tests were repeated at
300 cycles of freezing and thawing m water All the
properties were determined at the end of the cychng
(>500 cycles) The results of the testing are shown in
Tables 6 to 11 The relation between compressive
strength and age is shown graphically m Figure 2 The
relation between cement or cementltlous content and
compressive strength are shown tn Figures 3 and 4. The

Table 3 Summary of m,x proportions and propertms of fresh concrete

Admixtures
dosages Properties of fresh concrete

Air con-
tent (%)
Mixture Cement CA3 FA4 Fly ash Silicafume SPs AEA T Slump Umt w t
no Batch W/(C + F+ S)~ A/(C + F+ S)2 kg/m 3 kg/m 3 kg/m 3 (kg/m 3) (kg/m 3) (kg/m 3) mL/m 3 °C mm kg/m 3 R" Pt

R635 D 0 26 184 636 724 446 -- -- 44 1099 24 180 1970 55 52

R500 A 0 31 2 55 505 771 516 -- -- 3 6 598 24 140 1950 62 57

B 0 31 254 504 768 513 -- -- 36 476 24 140 1940 56 57
C 0 31 2 55 506 771 516 -- -- 36 478 24 140 1950 54 56
D 0 31 254 504 768 513 -- -- 40 476 24 140 1940 57 57

T500 A 0 29 1 73 503 -- -- 100 35 44 1028 24 130 1920 42 55

B 0 29 1 72 501 658 440 100 35 51 1024 24 170 1920 58 65
C 0 29 1 73 499 656 438 100 35 51 1021 24 180 1910 55 62
D 0 29 1 73 503 660 441 100 35 52 1030 24 180 1920 55 58

R400 A 0 36 3 43 400 754 618 -- -- 35 311 22 180 1920 62 62

B 0 36 3 43 405 762 625 -- -- 36 283 22 200 1910 52 53
D 0 36 3 42 398 747 614 -- -- 35 309 21 230 1900 56

T400 A 0 33 2 42 403 683 559 81 28 36 784 23 130 1920 55 59

B 0 33 243 400 692 567 81 29 43 826 23 190 1950 57 62
D 0 33 2 43 398 674 552 80 28 42 906 23 180 1900 57 65

R300 A 0 44 5 03 300 754 756 -- -- 36 222 21 160 1940 61 48

B 0 44 5 03 294 739 741 -- -- 35 280 21 180 1900 60 60
C 044 5 03 292 735 736 -- -- 35 278 21 180 1890 62 60
D 044 5 04 291 732 734 -- -- 35 277 22 180 1880 62 67
T300 A 038 3 67 292 679 681 58 20 32 539 21 130 1870 72 68
B 0 38 368 297 694 694 59 21 36 471 21 130 1910 63 63
C 0 38 367 294 686 687 59 21 35 467 21 140 1890 63 67
D 0 38 368 297 694 695 59 21 36 471 21 140 1910 62 60

1 Water/(cement + fly ash + silica fume) by weight

2 Aggregate/(cement + fly ash + sdw.a fume) by wetght
3 Coarse aggregate, saturated surface dry
4 Free aggregate, saturated surface dry
s Superplastlmzer
*Volumetnc method
t Pressure method

82
Development of high strength lightweight concrete for structural appllcatlons Wilson and Malhotra

Table 4 Specimens cast from each batch

Batch TestJnumber and type of specimens cast R6 R5 "1"5 R4 T4 R3 T3

A Compression 4 - 152 x 305mm cyhnders x x x x x x
Modulus 2 - 152 x 305mm cyhnders x x x x x x
Flexural 2 - 102 x 102 x 406 mm pnsms x x x x x x
B Shrmkage and expansion 4 - 76 x 102 x 387 mm pnsms x x x x x x
Creep 4 - 152 x 305mm cyhnders x x x x x x
Compression 2 - 152 x 305 mm cyhnders x x x x x x
C Compress=on 2 - 152 x 305mm cyhnders x x x x
Freeze/thawtest 8 - 76 x 102 x 387mm pnsms x x x x
Reference 6 - 76 x 102 x 387mm pnsms x x x x
D Compression 8 - 152 x 305mm cylinders x x x x x x x
Sphttmg-tensde 2 - 152 x 305mm cylinders x x x x x x x

Table 5 Testing schedule for hardened concrete

Batch Type of testing Testing detads

A Compression (ASTM C 39)
Static modulus of elasticity
(ASTM C 469)
B Compression (ASTM C 39)
Creep (ASTM C 512)
Drying shnnkage (ASTM 157)
and moisture expansion
Compressaon (ASTM C 39)
Freezing and thawing
(ASTM C 666)
Flexural strength (ASTM 78)
D Compress=on (ASTM 39)
Sphttmg-tenstle (ASTM 496)
* All cyhnders were 152 x 305mm m size
1 Two prisms were moist cured for 57 days Two additional pnsms were moist cured for 35 days, air dried for 17 days and again
moist cured for five days
Four cyhnders* were tested at 28 days
Two cyhnders were air dned at 23°C and 50% R H
after 28 days of mJt=al moist cunng
Two cyhnders were tested at 28 days
Four cyhnders were subject to the creep test after 369 to
385 days of moist cunng
Two pnsms a=r-dned at 23°C and 50% R.H after 28 days
mo0st cunng Two pnsms contmually stored m water
Two cyhnders were tested at 28 days
Four pr0sms were exposed to repeated cycles of freezing
and thawing after 57 days of curmgl"
All reference and freezing and thawing pnsms were tested
for flexural strengths at the beginning (28 days) and end
of the freezing and thawmg cychng
Two cyhnders each were tested at 7, 28, 91 and 365 days
Two cyhnders were tested at 28 days

relation b e t w e e n drymg shrinkage and moisture expan-
sion and age are shown graphically m F0gures 5 and 6.
DISCUSSION OF TEST RESULTS
Slump, density and air content
The concrete m0xtures had been proportioned to have a
minimum slump of 130ram, air content of 5 5 __. 1 0%
and unit weight not exceeding 2000kg/m 3 With mmor
except0ons, these requirements w e r e met
For each concrete mixture series, cement or
cement0t=ous content and water content w e r e kept
constant and the slumps m excess of 130mm w e r e
maintained by the use of the superplast0clzer. The f e w
instances w h e n the slumps had exceeded 2 0 0 m m w e r e
due to excessfve dosage of the superplasttctzer. Extra
care was taken to malntam the air content of batch D of
each mixture senes as close to 6 0 % as possible
because the test specimens from th0s batch w e r e to be
used for comparatwe evaluation of the compressive
strength development
The highest dens=b/of the fresh concrete, 1970 k ~
m 3, was for concrete m~xture R635 conta,nmg 635 kg/m 3
of cement; the lowest value of 1870 kg/m 3 w a s obtained

83
Development of high strength hghtwelght concrete for structural appllcatlons Wilson and Malhotra

for m i x t u r e T300/batch A, incorporating nominally Compressive strength

300 kg/m 3 of c e m e n t and t h e mineral admixture.
The air c o n t e n t d e t e r m i n a t i o n s w e r e made by both
the v o l u m e t n c and the pressure methods. The data are
given in Table 3 and illustrated in Figure 1 The values
obtained by the pressure m e t h o d are generally higher
than t h o s e obtained by the v o l u m e t n c method, but not as
m u c h as e x p e c t e d
Data are given in Table 6 and illustrated in Figures 2 to 4
The h i g h e s t 365-day c o m p r e s s , v e strength, of 66 5 MPa
on 150 x 3 5 0 m m cyhnders, w a s obtained for concrete
m~xture T500 incorporating 6 3 5 k g / m 3 of c e m e n t i t l o u s
material The corresponding reference m i x t u r e R635,
Incorporating 6 3 5 k g / m 3 of c e m e n t only, had 265-day
c o m p r e s s i v e strength of 6 5 . 3 M P a , indicating that the

Table 6 S u m m a r y of densities and mechanical properties of concrete

Spl,ttmg-tenslle Flexural strength (MPa)

Density Compressive strength of strength of Modulus of elasticity
kg/m 3. 152 x 305ram cyhnders 152 x 305-mm 102 x 102 x 406 mm of 152 x 305ram
MPa cyhnders prisms cylinders (GPa)
Mixture 1 day, t
no wet 7 day 28 day 91 day 365 day 28 day 28 day 28 day
R635 1,973(10) 49 2 56 6 60 3 65 3 39 --
R500 A 1.946( 4) -- 44 9(4) -- -- -- 63 25.5
B 1.952( 6) -- 486 . . . . .
C 1.948( 2) -- 44 4 . . . . .

D 1,940(10) 399 482 519 582 37 -- --

T500 A 1,929( 4) -- 60 8(4) -- -- -- 76 26.1
B 1,922( 6) -- 603 . . . . .
C 1.916( 2) ~ 572 . . . . .
D 1.927(10) 507 607 634 665 33 --

R400 A 1,948( 4) -- 40 4(4) -- ~ -- 64 25 8

B 1,948( 6) -- 41 5 . . . . .
D 1.947(10) 347 404 467 527 38 --
T400 A 1.939( 4) -- 54 6(4) - - -- -- 65 27 0
B 1,963( 6) -- 574 . . . . .
D 1.926(10) 448 557 591 588 39 -- --
R300 A 1.948( 4) -- 33 6(4) -- ~ -- 50 23 8
B 1.954( 6) -- 30 2 . . . . .
C 1,933( 2) -- 333 . . . . .
D 1,952(10) 26.2 342 385 444 34 -- --
T300 A 1,903( 4) -- 46 4(4) -- -- -- 55 26 2
B 1,936( 6) -- 503 . . . . .
C 1,916( 2) ~ 497 . . . . .
D 1.921(10) 365 483 522 530 42 ~ --
* The number in brackets indicates the number of 152 x 305mm cylinders tested
t Exploratory studzes have indIcated that the densztzesof test cylinders moIst cured for 7 days and asr dned for 21 days are about 1% lower
than the 1 day wet dens=t,es

Table 7 Air-dry shrinkage after 28 days of moist airing

Shrinkage, x 10 -e
Moisture days
Mixture loss
no % 7 14 28 56 112 224 448

R500 339 82 114 223 362 482 518 566

T500 3.49 96 145 252 344 450 489 525
R400 4 16 48 117 259 365 493 525 553
]'400 3.63 53 99 195 294 411 481 485
R300 4.79 11 103 238 333 379 458 469
T300 3 93 50 149 220 305 394 475 498

84
Development of hlgh strength lightweight concrete for structural appllcatlons Wilson and Malhotra

Table 8 Moisture expansion

Expansion, x 10 -6
Weight days
M=xture gain
no % 7 14 28 56 112 224 448

R500 1 50 39 85 82 99 138 216 287

T500 0 75 25 28 28 36 71 124 154
R400 1 42 32 67 75 75 145 163 236
T400 083 4 28 25 14 71 75 83
R300 1 47 54 50 75 46 114 128 176
T300 0.72 78 89 106 82 160 160 166

Table 9 Summary of creep test results

Stress/
Age at Apphed strength Durat=on In=tlal Creep
Mixture loadmg, stress, ratio of loading, elastic stram
no days MPa % days strain x 10-s

R500 378 17 0 29 365 500 652

T500 376 17 0 26 365 570 514
R400 . . . . . .
T400 369 17 0 29 365 519 473
R300 385 17.0 38 365 665 848
T300 383 17 0 32 365 575 466

Table 10 Summary of freezing and thawing test results

Summary of test results after completion of

freezing and thawing cychng (500 cycles)
Air Durabdlty
content factor after Pulse Fundamental Relatrve Resldualt
% termmatlon We=ght Length veloc=ty longitudinal dynamic flexural
M=xture Cunng of test change change change frequency change modulus strength
no W/(C +F+S) R P method* % % % % % % %

R500 031 54 5.6 a 100 +020 +0.009 - 1 29 - 018 100 113

b 96 +010 +0.018 -206 - 018 97 117
T500 0 29 5.5 6.2 a 99 +0.55 +0.025 - 0 26 - 0 71 99 109
b 96 0 +0.016 - 0 81 - 0 18 96 107
R300 044 6.2 6.0 a 97 - 1 44 +0015 -223 - 1.66 97 83
b 68 - 0 39 +0 138 -6.86 - 1 7 49 68 93
T300 038 6.3 6 7 a 97 +014 +0016 -091 - 1.55 97 98
b 94 -021 +0012 -061 - 319 94 85
* a - Specimen curmg 35 days moist cunng followed by 17 days drying in laboratory air and fmally 5 days rn~st cunng.
b - Specimens were moist cured for 57 days.
t These values are a rat=o, expressed as a percentage, of the flexural strength of prisms tested after completion of freezing and
thawmg cycling to that of reference mo0st-cured pnsms, which were mo~st cured untd the end of the freeze-thaw cycling.

85
Development of high strength hghtwelght concrete for structural apphcatlons W~lsonand Malhotra

Table 11 Flexural strength of reference and test prisms after freezing and thawing cycling

Strength of referenece prisms, MPa Strength of test prisms. MPa

At the end of freezing and
At 57 days At end of freezing and thawing cycling thawing cycling
Mixture
no a* bl" a* bl" c$
R500 7 35 7 45 68 7 65 7 95
T500 6 05 8 45 70 7 65 75
R300 6 10 6 05 60 50 56
T300 6 55 71 73 7 17 62
* a - Specimens were moist cured until the end of the freezing and thawing cychng
1 b - Specimen curing 35 days moist curing followed by 17 days drying in laboratory air and finally 5 days moist curing
:~ c - Specimens were rno~stcured for 57 days

I I i Figure 2
Relation between age and
compressive strength
II 70
L . . . . . . gTSO0

£ °__---%
I,-.
60 I ~...0 .•.• T400
R600
-
(5
z AT300
W __.....------e R 400
w 50
I-
w
..---& R 300
us
40

w
w
E
L 30

@
0
20

7 28 91 365
AGE, days

mmeral admixtures used can sattsfactonly compensate
for cement Similar patterns of strength development
follow for concrete mixtures T400/R500 and T300/R400
(Figure 2)
In this investigation both fly ash and condensed
sihca fume have been used to replace cement, the
former by 20 and the latter by 7% The rationale of using
both the condensed silica fume and fly ash was that the
former, due to its high pozzolamcity, would contnbute to
the strength increase at early ages and the latter at later
ages. Also, the use of fly ash would contribute to reduced
heat of hydration The analysis of the strength develop-
ment data (Figure 2) indicates
(1) The rate of strength development of the concrete
incorporating mineral admixtures at ages up to 91
days is significantly higher than that of correspond-
mg reference m=xtures
(2) There =s almost no strength gain between 91 and
365 days for the concrete incorporating the mineral
adm=xtures, whereas the reference concrete made
with portland cement only contmues to gam
strength up to 365 days.
The above analysis of the data suggests that
increased strength obtained for concrete mcorporatmg
the mineral admixture is pnmanly due to the slhca fume
because low calcium fly ashes are not expected to
contnbute to strength at ages between 1 and 28 days
Between 28 and 91 days, both condensed silica fume
and fly ash may be contnbutmg to increased strength
development but their relative contributions cannot be
quantified At 91 days, the hydration appears to have
ceased and beyond this age the fly ash fails to contnbute
to strength development as had been anticipated This
may be due to the non-avallablhty of CaO. some of which

86
Development of high strength hghtwelght concrete for structural apphcatlons Wilson and Malhotra

in all probabdlty is in the system but is not available for
react=on The fadure of the reaction to continue between
the fly ash and the CaO released dunng the hydration of
the cement is unexplained, but is likely due to the
changes =n the mlcrostructure of the cement~t~ous sys-
tem A contnbution by fly ash to strength development in
the above cement=t=ous system is questionable because
there was no strength gain =n the concrete beyond 91
days Research is needed to explain this
The h=ghest compress=ve strength of 66 5MPa at
365 days was obtained for concrete w~th a cementmous
content of 638kg/m 3 In normal-weight concretes
cementJtlous factors of about 600 kg/m 3 yield compress-
ive strengths of about 90MPa. The limiting factor in
attaining very high strength (>70 MPa) in the low density
concrete investigated =s the strength of the aggregate
itself and the brand of ASTM Type I cement used This
cement has relatively low C3S and high C2S (Table 1)

I | I I Figure 3
Relation between cement
content and compressive
II strength
a. 7o
/...........~,'~ 8 6 5 - d Is y
£
I-
o 60
Z
w
I
I,-
m 50

co
m 4o
E
L

o 3o
o

I I I I
300 400 500 600

CEMENT CONTENT, kg/m 8

I I I I Figure 4
Relation b e t w e e n
cementitious content and
41 compressive strength
a. 70

£
I-. 28-day,
O 60
Z
w
W
I-
W 80
7 day I
IM

CO
M 40
lu
n.
Ik

o 30

I I I I
300 400 500 600
CEMENTITIOU$ CONTENT, kg/m s

87
 Developmentof highstrengthhghtwenghtconcreteforstructuralapphcatlons WilsonandMalhotra

However. 0t should be noted that previous CANMET Flexurel s t r e n g t h

investigations had indicated that the expanded shale The flexural strengths of the 102 x 102 x 406mm
aggregate used on thts study was the strongest spectmens tested at 28 days ranged from a low of
aggregate available in Canada [5]. 5.0 M Pa for mtxture R300 to a htgh of 7 6 MPa for mtxture
The plots of the compresmve strength versus T500. The flexural strengths show an mcrease with
cement or cementJt0ous content are shown m Ftgures 3 mcreasmg cementtttous content, for example, the
and 4 These show an increase on strength with an strength values for mix sertes T300, T400 and T500 were
mcreasmg cementmg factor 50, 6.5 and 7 6 MPa respectively. The ratio of the flexural

I I I I I I Figure 5
Relation between
cementitious content and
• oo "'°° drying shrinkage
_ . _ j RSO0

o ...... Tso0
5O0 ..... A T300
-- ~ ...o.-- . . . . -~ . . . . "~. T 4 0 0
o ........ __- '- nsoo

400 /////.

z 300
"
I/
m
2O0

1OO I~...I

0 ! ! I I I
7 28 56 112 224 448

AGE, days

u i i I I Figure 6
Relation between
cementitious content and
600 moisture expansion

500

T
o
v- 400
M

! ~IOO[ ..~...........,m RS0 0

:,x ,ooL
/ ~ ~ m a O 0
/ ~ ' ~ ~ : : .... •. . . . . . °T 500

,oo . . . . . . . _+,oo

o IP", * i I
7 28 56 112 224 448

AGE, days

BB
Development of high strength hghtwetght concrete for structural apphcatlons
strength to the compressive strength normally
decreases with increasing compressive strength,
however, in this investigation no such relationship was
found, and the above ratio vaned between 11 6 and
17.7%.
Splitting-tensile strength
The 28-day sphttmg-tenslle strength results (Table 6)
range from 3.3 to 4.2 MPa The results are not consistent
with compressive strength; for example, the concrete
with the highest compressive strength shows the
lowest sphttlng-tensde strength (Table 6). The inherent
variability of the test may explain this inconsistent
pattem
The sphttmg-tenslle tests were performed on moist-
cured specimens rather than on the specimens that had
been moist cured for 7 days and air dned for 21 days To
estimate the 28-day strengths for the latter curing
conditions, the values reported in Table 6 should be
increased by about 5%.
Young's modulus of elasticity
The 28-day Young's moduh of the reference concrete
and the concrete incorporating fly ash and sdlca fume
range from 23 8 to 27.0GPa (Table 6) The concretes
incorporating mineral admixtures show marginally higher
values of the modulus than the reference concretes, but
the difference is of little practical significance
Air-drying shrinkage
Drying shrinkage strains on concrete pnsms were
determined over a period of 448 days following an m~tlal
molst-cunng period of 28 days The reference concrete
prisms (mixtures R500, R400 and R300) show an
increase in shrinkage strains with increasing cement
content (Table 7 and Fig 5), strains range from a low of
469 x 10 -6 to a high of 566 x 10 - 8 The stratus of
concrete incorporating the mineral admixtures (m~xtures
T500, T400 and T300) are comparable with those of the
reference prisms, ranging from 485 to 525 x 10 -6. in
spite of the fact that the latter concrete has more paste
volume than the former
Moist-cured expansion
Expansson strains on continuously wet-cured test prisms
were determined over a period of 448 days These are
relatively small compared to the air-dry shrinkage strains
A maximum expansion strain of 287 x 10 -6 was
obtained on the reference concrete prisms with a
cement content of 500 kg/m 3 (Table 8 and Fig 6)
Creep strains
There is considerable vanation in creep of hghtwelght
concrete of a given density, the magnitude depending on
the cement content, modulus of elasticity of the
aggregate and the rate of moisture loss The creep
° 89
Wilson and Malhotra
stratus for lightweight concrete are generally higher than
those for normal weight concrete, ranging from 860 to
1100 x 10 -6 In this study, the creep tests were begun at
the end of about one year of moist cunng of the test
specimens, when creep testing jigs became available.
The stratus were then measured over a period of one
year The values for the reference concrete were 652 and
848 x 10 -6 for concrete mixtures R500 and R300
respectively The corresponding strains for the concrete
incorporating mineral admixtures (mixture T300. T400
and T500) ranged from 466 to 514 x 10 -6 (Table 9) The
lower creep strains of the concrete incorporating the
mineral admixtures, compared with those of the refer-
ence concrete, are probably due to the large amount of
the fly ash still remaining unreacted at one year which
would behave as an aggregate material and provide
increased restraint
Freezing and thawing
The reference concrete and the concretes incorporating
the mineral admixtures performed excellently m the
freezing and thawing tests made in accordance with
ASTM C 666 Procedure A, freezing in water and thawing
in water The durability factors at the completion of 500
cycles of freezing and thawing were greater than 90, the
only exceptions being the reference prisms from mixture
R300 for which a durability factor of 68 was obtained
(Tables 10 and 11 ) This anomalous result is unexplained,
because in spite of the relatlvey low durablhty factor
compared with other concrete prisms, the residual
flexural strength was 93% Air-vo~d parameters of the
hardened concrete were not determined so the above
anomaly cannot be explained in terms of the poor bubble
spacing factors
The type of conditioning of the specimens, l e
35-day moist curing followed by 17 days drying in the
laboratory air and finally five days of moist curing or moist
curing for 57 days, did not affect significantly the
durability factors
CONCLUDING REMARKS
1. High strength concretes with densities of less than
2000kg/m 3 can be made with an expanded shale
aggregate of Canadian origin. The highest compressive
strength obtained was 6 6 5 M P a at 365 days at a
cementltlous factor of 638kg/m 3 The highest sphttmg-
tensile strength achieved was 4 2MPa at 28 days at a
cementltious factor of 300 kg/m 3
2. The compressive strengths, of the concretes
increase with increasing cement or cementltious factors,
However, it is doubtful if compressive strengths beyond
70MPa can be achieved by further increases in the
cementltlous content because of the strength limitations
of the expanded shale aggregate and the type of cement
used
3. High strengths can be achieved with or without the
use of the mineral admixtures, but the use of a superplas-
tlclzer is mandatory to obtain satisfactory slumps. If
Development of high strength I~ghtwelghtconcrete for structural apphcat~ons
design cntena require that concretes achieve h=gh
strengths at early ages, the use of condensed sd=cafume
becomes necessary. The contnbut.on of fly ash to
strength both at early and later ages is not clear and
further research should be done in this d=rectlon
4. The h~ghstrength hghtwe=ght concretes investigated
have sat=sfactory res=stance to cychc freezing and
thawing according to ASTM C 666 Procedure A, prov=ded
they are properly a=r entrained
REFERENCES
1 Wdlson, C 'Concrete ship resists sea water th=rty-
four years', Concrete. Vol 62, No. 1, 1954, pp 5-8
2 Spratt, B H 'The structural use of hghtwelght
90
W~lsonand Ma/hotra
aggregate concrete', Cement and Concrete Associa-
tion, 1974
3 Wischers,G and Manns, W 'Technology of structu-
ral hghtwe=ght concrete', Lightweight Aggregate
Concrete Technology and World Applications,
CEMBUREAU, 1974
4 Iguro,M, Suzuk=,T and Niwa, M 'Quality manage-
ment for arctic offshore structures', Presented at
International Workshop. on Concrete for Offshire
Structures, St John's Newfoundland, Canada,Sept-
ember, 1986, Avadable from CANMET, Energy.
Mines and Resources, Canada, Ottawa, Canada
5 Wdson, H S 'A comparat=ve study of hghtwe=ght
aggregates ~nstructural concrete', CANMET Report
79-10, Energy, Mines and Resources, Canada,
1979