Investigation and Comparison of the Effect of Using Leca and Scoria Lightweight Aggregates on the Strength of Lightweight Concrete

Today, due to the geographical location of Iran, which is a seismic region, the importance of lightening buildings to reduce earthquake damage is felt more than ever. Also, this lightening and reducing the dead load in the structure reduces the dimensions of the foundation, beams and columns. The aim of this study was to compare the compressive strength of lightweight concrete containing Leca and lightweight concrete containing Scoria. In this paper, the results of 12 cubic samples of 10 × 10 × 10 cm3 cubes are analysed. The ratio of water to cement and the use of lightweight aggregates are considered fixed in both designs. Before mixing, both light grains were placed in water for 24 hours to saturate. The test results show that the use of Scoria lightweight aggregate brings the average 28-day compressive strength of concrete to about 800Kg/m2, However, due to the relatively high specific gravity of Scoria, which is about 1823 Kg/m2, the specific gravity of the resulting concrete exceeds the allowable range set for lightweight structural concretes. In contrast to the use of lightweight Leca, concrete with a strength of about 373 Kg/m2 and a specific weight within the defined range of lightweight structural concrete. © 2022 American Institute of Physics Inc.. All rights reserved.