Strength and Insulating Properties of Building Blocks Made from Waste Materials
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 21, Issue 5
Abstract
This paper presents the results of an investigation to study the possibility of developing concrete blocks using waste materials. The blocks were produced from three waste materials: vermiculite and polystyrene beads, which were used as lightweight aggregates with different proportions in the mix, and cement kiln dust (CKD), which was used as a partial replacement for cement. The strength of the three types of blocks and the strength of masonry columns constructed from the blocks were compared with another two types of normal weight concrete blocks with and without high thermal insulation properties. The thermal insulation property of the developed lightweight concrete blocks was also compared. Results showed that lightweight concrete blocks manufactured from polystyrene had lower thermal conductivity than vermiculite and ordinary concrete blocks despite the variation in the density and compressive strength, and that the addition of up to 15% CKD as a cement replacement has a negligible effect on the strength of the block.
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Acknowledgments
This research was performed under the sponsorship of Sultan Qaboos University Research Grant No. UNSPECIFIEDIG/ENG/CIVL/03/03. The writers also wish to express their gratitude to the Oriental Company personnel for their cooperation.
References
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 21 • Issue 5 • May 2009
Pages: 191 - 197
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Sep 20, 2006
Accepted: Nov 5, 2008
Published online: May 1, 2009
Published in print: May 2009
Notes
Note. Associate Editor: Manoochehr Zoghi
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