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WORKABILITY ASSESSMENT FOR POLYSTYRENE AGGREGATE CONCRETE

Article · January 1999

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Ben Sabaa Sriravindrarajah Rasiah

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 Proceedings of the CONPAT 99: V IBEROAMERICAN Congress of Building Pathologies,
VII Quality Control Congress, 18-21 October 1999, Montevideo, Uruguay.

WORKABILITY ASSESSMENT FOR POLYSTYRENE AGGREGATE CONCRETE

Ben Sabaa* and Rasiah Sri Ravindrarajah**
*Mahaffy Associates, Sydney, **Centre for Built Infrastructure Research,
University of Technology, Sydney, Australia (R.Ravindra@uts.edu.au)

ABSTRACT
Incorporating expanded polystyrene granules in a concrete matrix can produce lightweight
polystyrene aggregate concrete of various densities. This paper examines the suitability of the
DIN 1048: Compaction Index test to the polystyrene aggregate concrete having the unit
weight of 1600, 1800 and 2000 kg/m3, with the cement contents of 350, 420, 490, and 560
kg/m3 . A comparison is made between the compaction index and slump. It was found that
workability of polystyrene aggregate concrete could be classified in terms of the compaction
index. The compaction index ranges are 1.03 to 1.13, 1.14 to 1.29, 1.30 to 1.40, and 1.41 to
1.52 for high, medium, low and very low degrees of workability, respectively. For a given
workability, the slump of concrete is significantly affected by its unit weight.

1. INTRODUCTION
Workability, which is an important property of concrete, affects the rate of placement and the
degree of compaction of concrete. Inadequate compaction leads to reductions in both strength
and durability of concrete. Therefore, testing for workability of concrete is required to
achieve good quality in-situ concrete. The fundamental characteristics to define the
workability include viscosity, cohesion, mobility, stability, compactability, pumpability and
finishability. Most national and international standards consider the workability tests namely,
the slump test, the compacting factor test and the vebe test, depending on the degree of
workability by measuring one or more of the characteristics of concrete. These workability
measurements are influenced by the unit weight of concrete. Therefore, an assessment of
workability for lightweight concrete using these tests often subjected to judgment based on
experience and susceptible to misinterpretation by non-experienced persons.
Lightweight concrete can be produced by partially replacing the normal weight coarse
aggregate particles with expanded polystyrene granules. The particle and bulk densities for
the polystyrene aggregate used are 58 and 17kg/m3, respectively. The expanded polystyrene
aggregate is commercially available with suitable chemical coating, which is necessary to
achieve a uniform dispersion of the beads in the fresh concrete mixture and to avoid
segregation during mixing and handling of concrete. The polystyrene has negligible water
absorption due to its closed cellular structure. Cook (1983) reported that the standard
workability tests are not suitable for the polystyrene aggregate concrete, since they are
sensitive to the unit weight of concrete. Bartos (1992) found that compaction index based on
the German Standard DIN 1048.1 (1977) is more suitable for assessing the workability of
lightweight concrete. Suitability of the compaction index test to assess the workability of
polystyrene aggregate concrete is investigated in this study. The workability of polystyrene
aggregate concrete is classified, in terms of the compaction index and an empirical
relationship between the compaction index and slump will be discussed. This paper forms a
part of an extensive study at the University of Technology, Sydney on the production and
properties of polystyrene aggregate concrete. Some of the findings were reported elsewhere
(Sri Ravindrarajah (1993, 1994, 1999)).
Ben Sabaa and R.Sri Ravindrarajah 2/8

2. EXPERIMENTAL DETAILS
2.1 Materials
General purpose Portland cement (ASTM Type I) was used as the binder in the concrete
mixtures. Dune sand and river sand, in equal weight proportions, were used as fine aggregate.
The dune and river sands were 87 and 57% finer than the 600µm size, respectively. Crushed
expanded polystyrene granules angular in shape with a non-toxic chemical coating and
having a mean diameter of 3.7mm were used in the concrete mixtures. Basalt, having a
maximum aggregate size of 10mm with a fineness modulus of 6.95 was used as coarse
aggregate.
2.2 Mix compositions
Normal weight concrete mixtures with cement contents of 350, 420, 490, and 560kg/m3 and
the fine aggregate content of 45% of the total aggregates were used in the reference mixtures.
The polystyrene aggregate concrete mixtures having the unit weights of 1600, 1800 and
2000kg/m3 were produced by replacing 70, 50 and 30% of the coarse aggregate by volume,
respectively with the polystyrene aggregate. In addition, for the 1800kg/m3 concrete mixture
the fine aggregate content was varied to 35, 45, and 55% of the total aggregate. The water
content was varied from 180 to 270kg/m3 to achieve concrete mixtures with a wide range of
workability.
2.3 Compaction Index test (DIN 1048: Part 1)
The compaction index test is based on the assumption that the denseness of uncompacted
fresh concrete is controlled by its workability and the volume of uncompacted concrete
increases with the decrease in workability. Therefore, a measure for the workability of
concrete can be obtained by filling a cylinder with loose fresh concrete, in a standard way,
and relating its volume to its fully compacted volume. Hence, the compaction index of
concrete is the ratio of the height of the cylinder to the height of compacted concrete and it
decreases with the increase in the degree of workability of concrete.
A perspex cylinder with 150mm diameter and 300mm high was loosely filled with fresh
concrete. A tamping steel rod fitted with a 50mm diameter steel disc was used to compact the
concrete by hand and a total of 75 strokes were used to achieve full compaction. The cylinder
size, diameter of the disc attached to the tamping rod and the number of strokes used for
compaction were determined after an extensive preliminary investigation. A perspex collar to
fit the inside of the cylinder was used to assist the measurement of the height of compacted
concrete.
2.4 Mixing and testing of fresh concrete
In order to achieve a proper mixing of the polystyrene aggregate, it was necessary to mix all
other ingredients in the normal way prior to the gradual addition of the polystyrene aggregate.
The concrete produced was tested for the unit weight, the slump and the compaction index. In
addition, the concrete mixtures in the perspex cylinder were subjected to vibration to
determine the time required for the first air bubbles to escape. Since the entrapped air bubbles
can easily escape from wet mixes, the first air bubbles escaping time to some degree can
indicate the degree of the workability of concrete.

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

3.1 Effect of mix compositions on compaction index
Figure 3.1 shows the effect of water to cement ratio on the compaction index for the
reference and polystyrene aggregate concrete mixtures. The compaction index decreased with
the increase in the water to cement ratio. From the steepness of the plots, it can be said that
the workability of the concretes with the cement content of 350 kg/m3 is less sensitive to the

Workability assessment for polystyrene aggregate concrete

Ben Sabaa and R.Sri Ravindrarajah 3/8

change in the w/c ratio compared to the concretes with the cement content of 560 kg/m3.
Figure 3.2 typically shows the effect of water content on the compaction index for the
polystyrene aggregate concrete. When the water content is increased the compaction index is
decreased indicating the increase in the workability of concrete.

1.50
Cement content, kg/m3 Nominal unit weight, kg/m3
1.40 25%
35%
2340
2090
2000
ratio
ratio
1.30 1800
1920
ratio
1600
ratio
1715
ratio
1.20

1.10
560 350

1.00
0.30 0.40 0.50 0.60 0.70 0.80
Water/cement Ratio

Figure 3.1: Influence of cement content on the workability of

polystyrene aggregate concrete

1.50
Water content, kg/m 3

1.40
200

1.30

210
1.20

1.10
220

230
1.00
1400 1600 1800 2000 2200 2400

Nominal Unit weight - kg/m3

Figure 3.2: Effect of water content and unit weight on compaction index
(Cement content = 350 kg/m3)

Workability assessment for polystyrene aggregate concrete

Ben Sabaa and R.Sri Ravindrarajah 4/8

3.2 Effect of unit weight

Beecrof (1992) found that an equal slump for the lightweight and normal weight concretes
would not represent the same degree of workability. The results given in Figure 3.2 shows
that the unit weight of concrete does not have any definite effect on the compaction index.
This is not surprising as the compaction test does not utilise the weight of the concrete.
Therefore, the workability of polystyrene aggregate concrete is not significantly affected by
the unit weigh of the concrete when the workability is assessed by the compaction index
method.

1.40

Water content, kg/m3

180
1.30

200
1.20

220
1.10

230
1.00
0.35 0.40 0.45 0.50 0.55 0.60

Fine Aggregate/Total Aggregate Ratio

Figure 3.3: Effect of fine aggregate content and water content on compaction index
(Unit weight = 1800 kg/m3)

1.60
Apparent Workability:
VL: very low
1.50 L : low
M : medium
Very low H : high
1.40
Low
1.30

1.20
Medium

1.10
High

1.00
VLVLVLVLL L L L L L L LLMMMMMMMHMH H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H

Visual Observation

Figure 3.4: Relation between compaction index and visual judgement of workability.

Workability assessment for polystyrene aggregate concrete

Ben Sabaa and R.Sri Ravindrarajah 5/8

3.3 Effect of fine aggregate content (or aggregate grading)

Figure 3.3 shows that when the fine aggregate content is increased the compaction index of
the polystyrene aggregate concrete mixture is increased, indicating the reduction in its
workability. The sensitivity of the fine aggregate content on the workability is increased
when the water content of the concrete mixture is reduced. In wet concrete mixtures, the
availability of sufficient cement paste counter-balances the effect of the increasing surface
area of the aggregate particles.

3.4 Interpretation of the test results

DIN 1048 (1977) specifies three ranges for the workability of concrete, in terms of the
compaction index: 1.04 to 1.10 (high), 1.11 to 1.25 (medium) and 1.26 to 1.40 (low). In order
to categorise the workability of polystyrene aggregate concrete, using either the compaction
index or slump, the workability of the concretes were visually examined and judged. In
addition, the air bubble escape time, which is the time taken for the first air bubble to reach
the concrete surface during the compaction, was monitored.

50 1.60

Compaction Index 1.50

40
Air bubble escape time
1.40
30
Apparent Workability: 1.30
VL: very low
20 L : low
M : medium 1.20
H : high
10
1.10

0 1.00
H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H MMMMMM L L L L L L LVLVLLVL
Visual Observation

Figure 3.5: Relation among air bubble escape time, compaction index
and visual observation

The visual appraisal of workability involved touching, patting, trowelling, and other similar
actions; to experience several properties of the concrete mixtures, such as wetness, mobility,
compatibility, plasticity, and cohesiveness. Neville (1987) emphasised that the visual
appraisal, apart from its subjective nature, if carried out by a sufficiently experienced person,
is probably no less useful as an index of workability than any other methods for measuring
workability. Figure 3.4 shows the relationship between workability, as judged by visual
observation, and the compaction index. Demarcation of any changes in the workability for
the concrete mixtures is indicated by the scatter and discontinuity at the points of transition.
Within a given range of workability, the results showed that visual assessment by an
experienced person is a reliable method for assessing the workability of polystyrene
aggregate concrete.

Workability assessment for polystyrene aggregate concrete

Ben Sabaa and R.Sri Ravindrarajah 6/8

Table 3.1: Classification of workability for polystyrene aggregate concrete

Apparent From Fig. 3.4 From Fig. 3.5 Mean Compaction
workability Index
Very low 1.41-1.52 1.41-1.52 1.41-1.52
Low 1.30-1.40 1.29-1.40 1.30-1.40
Medium 1.14-1.29 1.13-1.28 1.14-1.29
High 1.03-1.13 1.04-1.12 1.03-1.13

Spindel (1964) stated that the minimum time of vibration required to achieve full compaction
gives a good indication of the workability of fresh concrete. Since it is difficult to determine
the end point during compaction, the air bubble escape time was used to assess the
workability of concrete. The relationship between the air bubble escape time, the compaction
index, and the workability are shown in Figure 3.5. Similar transition points between the
workability zones are noted in Figures 3.4 and 3.5. Table 3.1 classifies the workability of
polystyrene aggregate concrete based on the air bubble escape time and the compaction
index.

1.6
Cement content, kg/m3
Apparent workability:
1.5 350

420
1.4 Low
490
1.3
560
Medium
1.2

1.1 High

1.0
0 50 100 150 200 250

Slump - mm

Figure 3.6: Relationship between Compaction Index and Slump

3.5 Relation between compaction index and slump

Figure 3.6 shows the relationship between the compaction index and the slump for the
polystyrene aggregate concrete. Since the slump test and the compaction index test measure
the stability and compactability of fresh concrete, respectively a general relationship between
them can be seen from the results. Any increase in the slump of concrete is indicated by a
reduction in the compaction index. The results also show that the compaction index is more
sensitive to low workability whereas the slump is more sensitive to high workability.

Workability assessment for polystyrene aggregate concrete

Ben Sabaa and R.Sri Ravindrarajah 7/8

Table 3.2: Characterisation of workability for polystyrene aggregate concrete

Apparent DIN:1048 Compaction Slump
workability Compaction index Index (measured) (mm)
very low > 1.45 1.41 - 1.52 -
low 1.26 - 1.45 1.30 - 1.40 less than 10
medium 1.11 - 1.25 1.14 - 1.29 10 - 40
high 1.04 - 1.10 1.03 - 1.13 greater than 40

The slump of polystyrene aggregate concrete is lower than normal weight concrete of
comparable workability due to the reduction in the unit weight as indicated by Newman and
Bremmer (1980). Using Table 3.1 and Figure 3.6, the workability of polystyrene aggregate
concrete can be classified in terms of the compaction index and the slump. It is interesting to
note that DIN1048 ranges for the compaction index for various degrees of workability for the
normal weight and lightweight concretes are in close agreement with the results obtained in
this study for the polystyrene aggregate concrete.

4. CONCLUSIONS
1. Similar to the normal weight concrete, the workability of polystyrene aggregate concrete
is influenced by the water to cement ratio, fine aggregate content, and water content.
2. The unit weight has no significant influence on the workability as measured by the
DIN1048 compaction index.
3. The DIN compaction index is sensitive to the variations in the composition of concrete
and more sensitive to the low workability than for the high workability.
4. The compaction index ranges for the polystyrene aggregate concrete are 1.03 to 1.13,
1.14 to 1.29, 1.30 to 1.40, and 1.41 to 1.52 for high, medium, low and very low degrees
of workability, respectively.

5. REFERENCES
BARTOS, P. (1992), Fresh concrete: Properties and tests, Elsevier, Amsterdam.
COOK, D.J. (1983), Expanded polystyrene concrete, Concrete Technology and Design,
Volume 1: New Concrete Materials, (ed. R. N. Swamy), Surrey University Press, Surrey, pp.
41 - 69.
DIN 1048 (1977), Part 1, chapter 3.1.1, Concrete according to German Standards, (Ed. B.
Dartsch), Dusselorf: Beton-Verlag, 1977, pp. 50 - 52.
SRI RAVINDRARAJAH, R. and SABAA, B. A. (1992), Properties of semi-structural
concrete incorporating expanded polystyrene aggregate, 19th Conference on Our World in
Concrete & Structures, Vol. XIII., pp. 197-202.
SRI RAVINDRARAJAH, R. and NAJI, B. (1993), Durability of polystyrene concrete due to
internal sulphate attack,. Proc. the RILEM 6th International Conference on Durability of
Building Materials and Components, Omiya, Japan, pp. 316-325.
SRI RAVINDRARAJAH, R. and TUCK, A. J. (1994), Hardened concrete properties of
concrete containing expanded polystyrene aggregate, The International Journal of Cement
Composites, Vol. 16, pp. 273-277.

Workability assessment for polystyrene aggregate concrete

 Ben Sabaa and R.Sri Ravindrarajah 8/8

SRI RAVINDRARAJAH, R. (1999), Bearing Strength of Concrete containing polystyrene

aggregate, Proc. the RILEM 8th International Conference on Durability of Building Materials
and Components, Vancouver, Canada, Vol. 1, pp. 505 - 514.
BEECROF, G. W. (1992), Creep and shrinkage of two lightweight aggregate concretes,
Highway Research Board, Bulletin 307, Washington, DC., USA, pp. 26-41.
NEVILLE, A. M. (1987), Properties of concrete, (3rd edition), Essex, Longman.
PLOWMAN J. M. (1960), Measuring the workability of concrete, The Engineer, Vol. 209,
No. 5447, pp. 1007 - 1009.
POWERS, T.C. (1932), Studies of workability of concrete, Journal of the American Concrete
Institute, Proceedings Vol. 28 February. pp. 419 - 448.
SPINDEL, J. E. (1964), Discussion to the paper entitled: Relation between the change of
water content and consistence of fresh concrete, Magazine of Concrete Research, Vol. 16,
No. 47, pp. 114 - 115.
NEWMAN, J. B and BREMMER, T. W. (1980), The testing of structural lightweight
concrete, Concrete International, The Construction Press, London, pp. 152-171.

Workability assessment for polystyrene aggregate concrete

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