Effect of silica fume on the behavior of lightweight reinforced concrete beams made from crushed clay bricks

Abstract

Crushed over-burnt clay bricks (COBCBs) are a promising alternative to the natural gravel aggregate in lightweight concrete (LWC) production because of their high strength-to-weight ratio. Besides, COBCBs are considered a green aggregate as they solve the problem of solid waste disposal. In this paper, a total of fifteen reinforced concrete (RC) beams were constructed and tested up to failure. The experimental beams were classified into five groups. The control beams were cast with normal weight concrete (NWC), while the remaining four groups of beams were prepared from LWC. The test parameters were the concrete type, reinforcement ratio and silica fume (SF) content. The behavior of beams was evaluated in terms of the crack pattern, failure mode, ultimate deflection, and ductility. The experimental results suggested that the weight and strength of the concrete prepared satisfied the requirements of LWC. In addition, the increase in the reinforcement ratio and SF content improved the behavior of the beams. It is noteworthy that the SF addition caused measurable enhancements to the majority of the performance characteristics of LWC beams. Thus, COBCBs were successfully used as coarse aggregates in the production of high-quality LWC. Both ACI 318-19 and CSA-A23.3-19 made acceptable predictions of the cracking moment, ultimate capacity and mid-span deflection.

Keywords

Recycling / Lightweight concrete / Crushed clay bricks / Silica fume

References

[1] ACI (American Concrete Institute). (2019). Building code requirements for structural concrete and commentary. ACI 318. ACI.

[2] Akhtaruzzaman, A. A., & Hasnat, A. (1983). Properties of concrete using crushed brick as aggregate. Concrete International, 5(2), 58–63.

[3] AlhassanM, Al-rousanR, AbabnehA. Flexural behavior of lightweight concrete beams encompassing various dosages of macro synthetic fibers and steel ratios. Case Studies in Construction Materials, 2017, 7: 280-293

[4] CachimPB. Mechanical properties of brick aggregate concrete. Construction and Building Materials, 2008, 23(3):1292-1297

[5] CSA (Canadian Standards Association). (2019). Design of concrete structures. CAN/CSA-A23.3. CSA.

[6] DangJ, ZhaoJ, HuW, DuZ, GaoD. Properties of mortar with waste clay bricks as fine aggregate. Construction and Building Materials, 2018, 166: 898-907

[7] DebiebF, KenaiS. The use of coarse and fine crushed bricks as aggregate in concrete. Construction and Building Materials, 2008, 22: 886-893

[8] DebnathB, SarkarPP. Characterization of pervious concrete using over burnt brick as coarse aggregate. Construction and Building Materials, 2020, 53: 1-20

[9] DebnathB, SarkarPP. Prediction and model development for fatigue performance of pervious concrete made with over burnt brick aggregate. Materials and Structures, 2020, 53: 86

[10] Gautam, V., & Jaysawal, D. (2018). Use of over burn crushed Brick as Coarse Aggregate in Concrete mix. International Journal for Research in Engineering Application & Management (IJREAM), 4(2), 338–342. https://doi.org/10.18231/2454-9150.2018.0168.

[11] KhalafFM. Using crushed clay brick as coarse aggregate in concrete. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 2006, 18(4):518-526

[12] KhalafFM, DevennyAS. Performance of brick aggregate concrete at high temperatures. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 2004, 16(6):556-565

[13] KhalooAR. Properties of concrete using crushed clinker brick as coarse aggregate. ACI Materials Journal, 1994, 91(4):401-407

[14] MansurMA, WeeTH, CheranLS. Crushed bricks as coarse aggregate for concrete. ACI Materials Journal, 1999, 96(4):478-484

[15] NematzadehM, Baradaran-NasiriaA. Mechanical performance of fiber-reinforced recycled refractory brick concrete exposed to elevated temperatures. Computers and Concrete, 2019, 24(1):19-35

[16] NematzadehM, Baradaran-NasiriA, HosseiniM. Effect of pozzolans on mechanical behavior of recycled refractory brick concrete in fire. Structural Engineering and Mechanics, 2019, 72(3):339-354

[17] Neville, A. M. (2012). Properties of concrete. Prentice Hall, Pearson; 846 pp. ISBN 0273755803 and 978-0273755807;

[18] PraveenK, SathyanD, MiniKM. Study on performance of concrete with over-burnt bricks aggregates and micro-silica admixture. IOP Conference Series Materials Science and Engineering, 2016, 149(1):012061

[19] RashidM, HossainT, IslamMA. Properties of higher strength concrete made with crushed brick as coarse aggregate. Journal of Civil Engineering., 2009, 37(1):43-52

[20] RashwanMMM, DiabHMA, El-fattahYMSA. Improving of lightweight self- curing concrete properties. Journal of Engineering Sciences Assiut University Faculty of Engineering, 2016, 44(3):259-271

[21] RasolMA. Effect of silica fume on concrete properties and advantages for Kurdistan region. International Journal of Scientific and Engineering Research, 2015, 6(1):170-173

[22] UddinT, KrishnaH, HasanA, RahmanN, AwalMA. Flexural performance of RC beams made with recycled brick aggregate. Construction and Building Materials, 2017, 134: 67-74

[23] WangX, GongC, LeiJ, DaiJ, LuL, ChengX. Effect of silica fume and nano-silica on hydration behavior and mechanism of high sulfate resistance Portland cement. Construction and Building Materials, 2021, 279: 122481

[24] ZhangMH, SwaddiwudhipongS, TayKYJ, TamCT. Effect of silica fume on cement hydration and temperature rise of concrete in tropical environment. The IES Journal Part A Civil & Structural Engineering, 2008, 1(2):154-162