A

Seminar Report on

LIGHT WEIGHT CONCRETE

Submitted

in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of

Bachelor of Technology

(Bikaner Technical University, Bikaner)

in

Civil Engineering
Submitted By: - Guided By: -
SACHIN KUMAR MEENA Dr. GANPAT SINGH
(20EEACE048) (HOD, Civil Engineering Department)

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

ENGINEERING COLLEGE AJMER

(2023-2024)

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 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that SACHIN KUMAR MEENA (20EEACE048) of VII Semester, B.Tech
(Civil Engineering) 2023-24, has submitted the Seminar titled “LIGHT WEIGHT
CONCRETE” in partial fulfillment for the award of the degree of Bachelor of Technology in
Civil Engineering from Bikaner Technical University, Bikaner.

Dr. Ganpat Singh

Supervisor

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my deep and sincere gratitude to my guide Dr. Ganpat Singh (HOD &
Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering department). For this unflagging support and
continuous encouragement through Out the seminar. Without his guidance and persistent help
this report would not have been possible. I must acknowledge the faculties and staffs of Civil
Engineering Dept. I am especially grateful to Mr. Vishal Srivastava (Seminar coordinator,
Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering department) for guiding us.

SACHIN KUMAR MEENA

College ID: 20CE048
Roll No: 20EEACE048

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 ABSTRACT

With increasing concern over the excessive exploitation of natural aggregates,

synthetic lightweight aggregate produced from environmental waste is a viable
new source of structural aggregate material. The uses of structural grade
lightweight concrete reduce considerably the self-load of a structure and permit
larger precast units to be handled. In this paper, the mechanical properties of a
structural grade lightweight aggregate made with fly ash and clay will be
presented. The findings indicated that water absorption of the green aggregate
is large but the crushing strength of the resulting concrete can be high. The 28-
day cube compressive strength of the resulting lightweight aggregate concrete
with density of 1590 kg/m3 and respective strength of 34 MPa. Experience of
utilizing the green lightweight aggregate concrete in prefabrication of concrete
elements is also discussed.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

 INTRODUCTION

 WHAT IS LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE

 CLASIFICATION OF LIGHT WEIGHT CONCRETE

 TYPES OF LIGHT WEIGHT AGGREGATE

 PROPERTIES OF LIGHT WEIGHT AGGREGATE

 LIGHT WEIGHT CONCRETE USED IN INDIA

 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF LIGHT WEIGHT

CONCRETE

 GOVERNMENT OF INDIA ABOUT LIGHT WEIGHT CONCRETE

 CLASSIFICATION AND PRODUCTION OF LIGHT WEIGHT

CONCRETE IN INDIA

 MAJOR CHARATERISTICS OF CELLULAR LIGHT WEIGHT

CONCRETE

 CONCLUSION

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 INTRODUCTION

Concrete is a plastic medium and has incredible potential for creating

fluid, sculptural forms. It should be admitted that some of the dullest
structures around us are made of concrete but dullness isn't a limitation
inherent in the material.

Light weight concrete differs from heavy concrete by it's use of

naturally light weight materials (aggregates) such as pumice (volcanic
stone) in place of the sand and gravel used in ordinary structural
concrete mixes. It only weighs half as much. Not all concrete is ugly,
hard, cold and difficult to work with. There exists a whole range of light
weight concretes "which have a density and compressive strength very
similar to wood. They are easy to work with, can be nailed with ordinary
nails, cut with a saw, drilled with woodworking tools, and easily
repaired. We believe that ultra-light weight concrete is one of the most
fundamental bulk building materials of the future."

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 HISTORY

Lightweight concrete has been used since the eighteen centuries by the Romans.
The application on the ‘The Pantheon’ where it uses pumice aggregate in the
construction of cast in-situ concrete is the proof of its usage. In USA and England
in the late nineteenth century, clinker was used in their construction for example
the ‘British Museum’ and other low cost housing. The lightweight concrete was
also used in construction during the First World War. The United States used
mainly for shipbuilding and concrete blocks. The foamed blast furnace-slag and
pumice aggregate for block making were introduced in England and Sweden
around 1930s. Nowadays with the advancement of technology, lightweight
concrete expands its uses. For example, in the form of perlite with its outstanding
insulating characteristics. It is widely used as loose-fill insulation in masonry
construction where it enhances fire ratings, reduces noise transmission, does not rot
and termite resistant. It is also used for vessels, roof decks and other applications.

Light weight concrete is about one half the weight of hard structural concrete. It
can be mixed from a variety of light weight aggregates including vermiculite,
perlite, scoria, and pumice. Some form of suitable aggregate is available most
everywhere in the world. Our locally available aggregate here in San Miguel is a
type of pumice (espumilla or arenilla) which we typically mix 8:1 or 10:1 (by
volume) with cement for walls, and 5:1 for roofs. Most lightweight concrete has a
good R-value and is a good insulator of heat and sound. It is used as soundproofing
in subway stations. It has tremendous sculptural possibilities and is ideal for
monolithic, wall-roof construction.

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Lightweight concrete, weighing from 35 to 115 pound per cubic foot, has been
used in the United States for more than 50 years. The compressive strength is not
as great as ordinary concrete, but it weathers just as well. Among its advantages
are less need for structural steel reinforcement, smaller foundation requirements,
better fire resistance and most importantly, the fact that it can serve as an insulation
material! It can cost more that sand and gravel concrete, and it may shrink more
upon drying.

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 WHAT IS LIGHTWEIGHT
CONCRETE
Lightweight concrete can be defined as a type of concrete which includes an
expanding agent in that it increases the volume of the mixture while giving
additional qualities such as nailability and lessened the dead weight. It is lighter
than the conventional concrete with a dry density of 300 kg/m3 up to 1840 kg/m3;
87 to 23%lighter.

Lightweight concrete has been used in USA for more than 50 years. Its strength is
roughly proportional to its weight and its resistance to weathering is about the
same as that of ordinary concrete. As compared with the usual sand and gravel
concrete it has certain advantages and disadvantages. Among the former are the
savings in structural steel supports and decreased foundation sizes because of
decreased loads, and better fire resistance and insulation against heat and sound. Its
disadvantages include greater cost (30 to 50 percent), need for more care in
placing, greater porosity, and more drying shrinkage.

The principal use of lightweight concrete in Bureau work is in construction of

underbeds for floors and roof slabs, where substantial savings can be effected by
decreasing dead load. It is also used in some insulated sections of floors and walls.
Lightweight concrete may be obtained through use of lightweight
aggregates, as discussed in the following sections, or by special methods of
production. These methods include the use of foaming agents, such as aluminum
powder, which produces concrete of low unit weight through generation of gas
while the concrete is still plastic. Lightweight concrete may weigh from 35 to 115
pounds per cubic foot, depending on the type of lightweight aggregate used or the
method of production. In Bureau construction, lightweight concretes have been
limited to those whose lightness depends on inorganic aggregates which are light
in weight.

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Lightweight concrete may be made by using lightweight aggregates, or by the use
of foaming agents, such as aluminum powder, which generates gas while the
concrete is still plastic. Natural lightweight aggregates include pumice, scoria,
volcanic cinders, tuff, and diatomite. Lightweight aggregate can also be produced
by heating clay, shale, slate, diatomaceous shale, perlite, obsidian, and vermiculite.

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 TYPES OF LIGHT WEIGHT
AGGREGATE
Lightweight aggregates are produced by expanding clay, shale, slate, diatomaceous
shale, perlite, obsidian, and vermiculite through application of heat; by expanding
blast-furnace slag through special cooling processes; from natural deposits of
pumice, scoria, volcanic cinders, tuff, and diatomite; and from industrial cinders.
Lightweight aggregates are sold under various trade names.

(a) Cinders –

Cinders used as aggregates are residues from high-temperature combustion

of coal or coke in industrial furnaces. Cinders from other sources are not
considered suitable. The Underwriters Laboratories limit the average
combustible content of mixed fine and coarse cinders for manufacturing
precast blocks to not more than 35 percent by weight of the dry, mixed
aggregates. Sulfides in the cinders should be less than 0.45 percent and
sulfate should be less than 1 percent. Stockpiling of cinders to permit
washing away of undesirable sulphur compounds is recommended.
Cinders have been used in concrete construction with satisfactory results
for more than 50 years. Cinder concrete weighs about 85 pounds per cubic
foot, but when natural sand is used to increase workability in monolithic
construction the weight is from 110 to 115 pounds per cubic foot.

(b) Expanded Slag –

Expanded slag aggregates are produced by treating blast-furnace slag with

water. The molten slag is run into pits containing controlled quantities of
water or is broken up by mechanical devices and subjected to sprays or
streams of water. The products are fragments that have been vesiculated by
steam. The amount of water used has a pronounced influence on the
products, which may vary over wide ranges in strength and weight.
Concrete in which the aggregate is expanded slag only has unit weights
ranging from 75 to 110 pounds per cubic foot.

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 All expanded shale and clay aggregates are made by heating prepared
materials to the fusion point where they become soft and expand because
of entrapped expanding gases. With the exception of one product made
from shale, the raw material is processed to the desired size before it is
heated. In some cases the particles are coated with a material of higher
fusion point to prevent agglomeration during heating. In general, concrete
made with expanded shale or clay aggregates ranges in weight from 90 to
110 pounds per cubic foot.

(c) Natural Aggregate –

Pumice, scoria, volcanic cinders, tuff, and diatomite are rocks that are light
and strong enough to be used as lightweight aggregate without processing
other than crushing and screening to size. Of these, diatomite is the only
one which is not of volcanic origin.

Pumice is the most widely used of the natural lightweight aggregates. It is a

porous, froth-like volcanic glass which is usually white-gray to yellow in color, but
may be red, brown, or even black. It is found in large beds in the Western United
States and is produced as a lightweight aggregate in several States, among which
are California, Oregon, and New Mexico. Concrete made with sound pumice
aggregate weighs from 90 to 100 pounds per cubic foot. Structurally weak pumice
having high absorption characteristics may be improved in quality by calcining at
temperatures near the point of fusion.

Scoria is a vesicular glassy volcanic rock. Deposits are found in New Mexico,
Idaho, and other Western States. Scoria resembles industrial cinders and is usually
red to black in color. Very satisfactory lightweight concrete, weighing from 90 to
110 pounds per cubic foot, can be made from scoria.

When obsidian is heated to the temperature of fusion, gases are released which
expand the material. The interiors of the expanded particles are vesicular and the
surfaces are smooth and quite impervious. Expanded obsidian has been produced
experimentally. The raw material was crushed and screened to size and coated with
a fine material of higher melting point to prevent agglomeration.

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The rock from which perlite lightweight aggregate is manufactured has a structure
resembling tiny pearls compacted and bound together. When perlite is heated
quickly it expands with disruptive force and breaks into small expanded particles.
Usually, expanded perlite is produced only in the sand sizes. Concrete made with
expanded perlite has a unit weight ranging from 50 to 80 pounds per cubic foot. It
is a very good insulating material.

Vermiculite is an alteration product of biotite and other micas. It is found in

California, Colorado, Montana, and North and South Carolina. The color is
yellowish to brown. On calcination, vermiculite expands at right angles to the
cleavage and becomes a fluffy mass, the volume of which is as much as 30 times
that of the material before heating. It is a very good insulating material and is used
extensively for that purpose. Concrete made with expanded vermiculite aggregate
weighs from 35 to 75 pounds per cubic foot; the strengths range from 50 to 600
pounds per square inch.

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 PROPERTIES OF LIGHT WEIGHT
AGGREGATES
Properties of various lightweight aggregates, as reflected by those of the resulting
concrete, vary greatly. For example:-
Strength: -
Strength of concrete made with expanded shale and clay is relatively high and
compares favorably with that of ordinary concrete. Pumice, scoria, and some
expanded slags produce a concrete of intermediate strength; perlite, vermiculite,
and diatomite produce a concrete of very low strength.
Insulation properties: -
The insulation properties of the low-strength concretes, however, are better than
those of the heavier, stronger concretes. The insulation value of the heaviest
material (crushed shale and clay concrete) is about four times that of ordinary
concrete.
Shrinkage:-
All the lightweight aggregates, with the exception of expanded shales and clays
and scoria, produce concretes subject to high shrinkage.
Nailing and sawing:-
Most of the lightweight concretes have better nailing and sawing properties than do
the heavier and stronger conventional concretes. However, nails, although easily
driven, fail to hold in some of these lighter concretes.

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 DURABILITY OF LWC
Durability is defined as the ability of a material to withstand the effect of its
environment. In a building material as chemical attack, physical stress, and
mechanical assault:-

1. Chemical attack is as aggregate ground-water particularly sulphate, polluted

air, and spillage of reactive liquids LWC has no special resistant to these
agencies: indeed, it is generally move porous than the ordinary Portland
cement. It is not recommended for use below damp-course. A chemical
aspects of durability is the stability of the material itself, particularly at the
presence of moisture.

2. Physical stresses to which LWC is exposed are principally frost action and
shrinkage and temperature stresses. Stressing may be due to the drying
shrinkage of the concrete or to differential thermal movements between
dissimilar materials or to other phenomena of a similar nature. Drying
shrinkage commonly causes cracking of LWC if suitable precautions are not
taken.

3. Mechanical damage can result from abrasion or impact excessive loading of

flexural members. The lightest grades of LWC are relatively soft so that they
subject to some abrasion were they not for other reasons protected by
rendering.

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 TYPES OF LWC

- LWA CONCRETE

In the early 1950s, the use of lightweight concrete blocks was accepted in the UK
for load bearing inner leaf of cavity walls. Soon there after the development and
production of new types of artificial LWA (Lightweight aggregate) made it
possible to introduce LWC of high strength, suitable for structural work. These
advances encouraged the structural use of LWA concrete, particularly where the
need to reduce weight in a structure was in a structure was an important
consideration for design or for economy.

Listed below are several types of LWA suitable for structural reinforced concrete:-

i. Pumice –
is used for reinforced concrete roof slab, mainly for industrial roofs in
Germany.

ii. Foamed Slag –

was the first LWA suitable for reinforced concrete that was produced in
large quantity in the UK.

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 iii. Expanded Clays and Shales –
capable of achieving sufficiently high strength for prestressed concrete.
Well established under the trade names of Aglite and Leca (UK),
Haydite, Rocklite, Gravelite and Aglite (USA).

iv. Sintered Pulverised –

fuel ash aggregate – is being used in the UK for a variety of structural
purposes and is being marketed under the trade name Lytag.

-AERATED CONCRETE

Concrete of this type has the lowest density, thermal conductivity and strength.
Like timber it can be sawn, screwed and nailed, but there are non-combustible. For
works insitu the usual methods of aeration are by mixing in stabilized foam or by
whipping air in with the aid of an air entraining agent. The precast products are
usually made by the addition of about 0.2 percent aluminums powder to the mix
which reacts with alkaline substances in the binder forming hydrogen bubbles. Air-
cured aerated concrete is used where little strength is required e.g. roof screeds and
pipe lagging. Full strength development depends upon the reaction of lime with the
siliceous aggregates, and for the equal densities the strength of high pressure steam
cured concrete is about twice that of air-cured concrete, and shrinkage is only one
third or less.

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Aerated concrete is a lightweight, cellular material consisting of cement and/or
lime and sand or other silicious material. It is made by either a physical or a
chemical process during which either air or gas is introduced into a slurry, which
generally contains no coarse material. Aerated concrete used as a structural
material is usually high-pressure steam-cured. It is thus factory-made and available
to the user in precast units only, for floors, walls and roofs. Blocks for laying in
mortar or glue are manufactured without any reinforcement. Larger units are
reinforced with steel bars to resist damage through transport, handling and
superimposed loads. Autoclaved aerated concrete, which was originally developed
in Sweden in 1929, is now manufactured all over the world.

-NO-FINES CONCRETE

The term no-fines concrete generally means concrete composed of cement and a
coarse (9-19mm) aggregate only (at least 95 percent should pass the 20mm BS
sieve, not more than 10 percent should pass the 10mm BS sieve and nothing should
pass the 5mm BS sieve), and the product so formed has many uniformly
distributed voids throughout its mass. No-fines concrete is mainly used for load
bearing, cast in situ external and internal wall, non load bearing wall and under
floor filling for solid ground floors (CP III: 1970, BSI). No-fines concrete was
introduced into the UK in 1923, when 50 houses were built in Edinburgh, followed
a few years later by 800 in Liverpool, Manchester and London.

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This description is applied to concrete which contain only a single size 10mm to
20mm coarse aggregate (either a dense aggregate or a light weight aggregate such
as sintered PFA). The density is about two-third or three quarters that of dense
concrete made with the same aggregates. No-fines concrete is almost always cast
in situ mainly as load bearing and non load bearing walls including in filling walls,
in framed structures, but sometimes as filling below solids ground floors and for
roof screeds.

No-fines concrete is thus an agglomeration of coarse aggregate particles, each

surrounded by a coating of cement paste up to about 1·3 mm (0·05 in.) thick.
There exist, therefore, large pores within the body of the concrete which are
responsible for its low strength, but their large size means that no capillary
movement of water can take place. Although the strength of no-fines concrete is
considerably lower than that of normal-weight concrete, this strength, coupled with
the lower dead load of the structure, is sufficient in buildings up to about 20
storeys high and in many other applications.

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 ADVANTAGES AND
DISADVANTAGES OF
LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE

ADVANTAGES

 Reduced dead load of wet concrete allows longer span to be poured

unpropped. This save both labour and circle time for each floor.

 Reduction of dead load, faster building rates and lower haulage and handling
costs. The eight of the building in term of the loads transmitted by the
foundations is an important factor in design, particular for the case of tall
buildings. The use of LWC has sometimes made its possible to proceed with
the design which otherwise would have been abandoned because of
excessive weight. In frame structures, considerable savings in cost can be
brought about by using LWC for the construction floors, partition and
external cladding.

 Most building materials such as clay bricks the haulage load is limited not
by volume but by weight. With suitable design containers much larger
volumes of LWC can haul economically.

 A less obvious but nonetheless important characteristics of LWC is its

relatively low thermal conductivity, a property which improves with
decreasing density in recent years, with the increasing cost and scarcity of

20
 energy sources, more attention has been given the formerly to the need for
reducing fuel consumption while maintaining, and indeed improving,
comfort conditions buildings. The point is illustrated by fact that a 125mm
thick solid wall of aerated concrete will give thermal insulation about four
times greater than that of a 230mm clay brick wall.

DISADVANTAGES

 Very sensitive with water content in the mixtures.

 Difficult to place and finish because of the porosity and angularity of the
aggregate. In some mixes the cement mortar may separate the aggregate and
float towards the surface.

 Mixing time is longer than conventional concrete to assure proper mixing.

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LIGHT WEIGHT CONCRETE USED
IN INDIA

EABASSOC Foamed Concrete is used for making lightweight blocks in

India, China and Thailand. The lightweight foamed concrete blocks are
mainly used to build partition walls. The lightweight nature of the blocks
means that they impose a minimum loading on the building. Foamed
concrete blocks also provide good thermal insulation and sound
insulation. Setting up a foamed (cellular/CLC) concrete block making
factory requires a minimum financial outlay for equipment. Blocks can
be made with virtually any dimension.

EABASSOC Foamed Concrete has low water absorption and a closed

cell structure. When it rains water does not pass through the foamed
concrete. When paster is applied to foamed concrete walls, water
remains in the plaster so that the plaster does not crack, which it can do
with other types of block.

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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA ABOUT
LIGHT WEIGHT CONCRETE
The Govt. of India has supported the effort of improving the environment, through
conversion of waste into useful building product, by providing some import
concession. This has enabled even normal walling masonry done using these
Cellular Light-weight Concrete blocks, to complete favorably with conventional
clay brick alternative. There are different types of light-weight concretes available
internationally even in India. They are a very useful building products, helping to
reduce dead weight of the structures and accelerating pace of construction, when
used as pre-cast elements for walling and flooring etc.

Unfortunately the basic cost of the product, as delivered to the project site, has so
far been too high to be offset by the economic gain accuring due to speed and
lighter structure. It is for this reason, that the normally available varieties of light-
weight concrete in India have not proved very successfully.

It is, however, reported with some satisfaction, that work initiated in the country in
the recent past, to improve environment friendliness of one of the relatively
simpler international technologies of producing this light-weight concrete, has
yielded encouraging results. This simpers technology has been made to be more
environment friendly by incorporating use of fly-ash, as one of the major (over
25% by weight) constituent.

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 CLASSIFICATION LIGHT WEIGHT
CONCRETE
AND
PRODUCTION OF LIGHT WEIGHT
CONCRETE IN INDIA :

The commonly known types of Light-weight Concrete are;

(a) Plant produced aerated concrete versions manufacture using combination of

Cement, Lime, Pulverized sand, Flash and an aeration agent.The process requires
heavy investment in plant and machinery including high-pressure steam curing
autoclaves. Some of the internationally known patented technologies are being
offered by "Siprex", "Yutong", "Celerate", Dorstener" etc.
(b) Concrete produced with the use of naturally mined Light-weight aggregates
(Bulk density in the range of 880 kg/m3) or or manmade light - weight aggregates
like "Aardelite", Lytag" (Bulk density 800 kg/m3).

Normally cured Cellular Lightweight Concrete (CLC) based on use of Cement,

Sand and pre-formed stable foam from patented "Neopor" Foaming Agent.

The first involves setting up of plants with an optimum capacity of 400-500

M3/day. Four such plants have been set-up in India, out of which two have
discontinued production.

In the case of second, the alternative of natural aggregate

has very limited application, due to non-availability of appropriate raw materials at
most locations. The alternative of man made aggregate, as per available know-
how, again involves heavy investment in plant and equipment and high
temperature (1300°C) furnace for sintering. This would in addition mean
substantial energy consumption.

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The third alternative, involving least investment and making use of ordinary
concrete making equipment at a project site with normal water spray curing, has a
better appeal for a developing country environment. This process based on pre-
formed foam, as per technology of "Neopor" of Germany is being successfully
used in over 45 countries of the world for the last 25-years.

New fly-ash based version of cellular ligh-weight concrete

The light-weight concrete, that is now finding wide scale acceptance with major
builders on all India basis, is slightly more environment friendly. The processing is
exactly the same as per the "Neopor" system, except that fly-ash of specified
quality, constitute an additional input material. The fly-ash content is between one
third to one fourth of total dry raw materials, depending on the target density of the
final product. This fly-ash partially substitutes for the cement and sand in the
original "Neopor" mixes, thereby also saving on costs.The ability of the contractor
to easily produce the material himself, at the project site, using normal concrete
making equipment (supplemented with a 'Neopor" Foam Generator) and ordinary
labour and water spray cured at ambient temperature, is a major advantage. It saves
him on the transportation, breakage and taxation incidence and gives him complete
control over his critical input. The production could easily be matched to the
consumption requirements of the project.

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 THE USE OF LWC

01.Screeds and thickening for general purposes especially when such screeds or
thickening and weight to floors roofs and other structural members.

02.Screeds and walls where timber has to be attached by nailing.

03.Casting structural steel to protect its against fire and corrosion or as a

covering for architectural purposes.

04.Heat insulation on roofs.

05.Insulating water pipes.

06.Construction of partition walls and panel walls in frame structures.

07.Fixing bricks to receive nails from joinery, principally in domestic or

domestic type construction.

08.General insulative walls.

09.Surface rendered for external walls of small houses.

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 MAJOR CHARATERISTICS OF
LIGHT WEIGHT CONCRETE

This Cellular Light-weight Concrete (CLS) is a far more versatile material, than
the other versions. The salient characteristics of the materials are:

Can be produced in wider density range:

It is feasible to produce this material in a wide range of controlled densities
varying from 400 kg/m3 to 1,800 kg/m3. The built-in control mechanism in the
"Neopor" Foam Generator ensure and accuracy of ±5% in the target density. This
diversity of density is not feasible in the other two versions stated. Above. Diverse
Applications of CLC: The lower density range of 400-600 kg/m3 is used as
insulation over roofs or in cold storage or as filling in sunken areas of floors. The
range of 800-1000 kg/m3 is good for making nonload-bearing cladding panels or
pre-cast blocks for nonstructural filler wall masonry. The density range of 1.200-
1,800 kg/m3 (having 28-day cube crushing strength of 65 kg/cm2) is used in the
form of structural elements-either as reinforced components or in the form of
block-work for load bearing walling masonry. Closed cellular structure : The
intrinsic structure of the CLC has tiny sized unconnected individual air bubbles,
uniformly spread over the body of the material. It may be worthwhile mentioning
that in the case of autoclaved blocks invariably produced using aeration process,
the lightness is achieved due to interconnected air channels, just like a cake
produced in an oven using baking powder.
Pre-cast or In-situ :
Since CLC is produced like an ordinary concrete, it may be Cast into pre-cast
blocks or pre-cast reinforced panels for walling, Fascia, rooting etc. or Poured in-
situ, into appropriately reinforced dwelling unit or specific structural element in a
building.

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Lower water absorption :
As a consequence of closed cellular structure of the material, the water absorption
of CLC is lower, being in the range of 5% to 12%, depending on density. This is
much better than the water absorption of over 45% exhibited by the factory made.
Autoclaved Aerated Blocks or 18% to 23% permissible for the light-weight
aggregate blocks as per I.S. 2185 (Part II)-1989. In view of better resistance to
water penetration, it is not obligatory to pre-coat steel bars in reinforces elements,
which is mandatory for the aerated autoclaved version. A higher concrete cover,
than specified for normal reinforced concrete is, however, recommended.
Ease of production :
As already stated above, it is very easy to produce CLC at any project site. It can
also be easily produced in hilly areas or in deserts since it has limited requirement
of input materials. Other advantages of CLC Cost competitiveness.

In view of much lower investment in Plant & Equipment (being less than 5% of
investment required for a full fledged Aerated Autoclaved Block plant) clubbed
with on site production, the cost of CLC works out to be in the range of 50-65% of
the corresponding delivered cost of factory produced alternative.
In view of larger size of CLC blocks (being 600/500x300/250x200/100 mm), as
against Ordinary Clay Bricks (230x115x75 mm) and much lighter in weight, the
cost of plaster finished CLC block masonry walls, works out as competitive, as the
equivalent plaster finished brick alternatives, analysed as per DSR'97.

Light-weight with superior thermal and sound insulation :

This CLC is much lighter in weight than ordinary bricks or dense concrete blocks.
This can result in substantial savings in structural and foundation costs of high rise
structures, if walling masonry of bricks/concrete hollow blocks is substituted with
CLC block masonry or panels. CLC is also four to five times more efficient
thermally.
 Ease of working with CLC: CLC blocks can be sawn like timber. Cutting chases
for electric conduits or water lines is very easy. In fact it can be done very fast
with the help of chase-cutting machine. One can easily drive nails into CLC,
just as in timber. The fixing of Door/Window frames can easily be done in dry

28
 state, by means of anchor bolts, thus avoiding the necessity of wet fixing of
anchor fasteners.

As a result of the above, the speed of work with use of CLC blocks or reinforced
panels is much higher.

 Environmental friendly :
In view of fly-ash being 26% to 33% constituent of this material, it is helping
to convert a nuisance - creating industrial waste into a useful building product.
Moreover, acting as a highly competitive substitute for the clay bricks in
walling masonry, it is helping to save depletion of fertile top-soil in brick
making, thus helping the country to meet the other basic need of agricultural
production.

 Saving on energy and reducing pollution :

The factory production of light-weight concrete in the form of blocks or light-
weight aggregate, warrants high energy inputs.

Likewise, coal is needed for baking of ordinary clay bricks. Since the CLC matures
at ambient temperature with water spray, it saves on energy and also avoids the
environmental pollution created by chimneys of the brick kilns. CLC gains
strength with time : It would be worth while mentioning that this CLC, being a
type of normal concrete gains strength with time, so long as it can draw some
moisture from the atmosphere. That is not true of the alternative of autoclaved
material of ordinary brick, which deteriorate with time.

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 FIELD APPLICATION
Some of the major construction agencies have got increased in the material and
they have started producing and using it for different applications, in project all
over the country. It is estimated, that since introduction of this material about three
years ago, nearly 5 million ft. of constructions must have been completed with the
use of this material.

CLC block-work masonry in high rise buildings:

One of the major applications, that this material, in the density range of 800-1, 000
kg/m3, has found, has been as internal and external walling masonry in multistorey
buildings. Block-work made with blocks of size 600x250x190/90 mm has
substituted conventional clay brick masonry. One Delhi based company, which
initiated use of this material, has totally switched over to use of this material for
their dwelling blocks, rising upto 27 floors above ground level.

The Chairman of the group, in a press conference, has confirmed definite savings
in construction cost by substituting brickwork by this CLC block-work. Similar
applications have been done in the construction of super deluxe hotels and
office/residential blocks at Chennai and Bangalore.

Roof Insulation & Filling on Suspended Floors:

There has been extensive application of this CLC in the lower density ranges as
insulation against heat and provision drainage slope on roofs of offices, hotels and
residential apartments in Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

The material has also found favour as a in-situ filling material in depressions in the
floors or as a sound barrier between suspended structural floors, in super deluxe
hotels at Chennai and Bangalore.

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Reinforced CLC as load bearing structural elements:

In an application for four storey high EWS housing in Phase-IV of DLF-city.

Gurgaon, two group housing blocks of 64 dwelling units, had their 150 mm thick
reinforced load bearing CLC walls, poured in-situ for full storey height. CLC of
density varying from 1,800 kg/m3 for the ground floor walls to 1,200 kg/m3 for
the fourth storey was used, to cater to varying structural strength requirements. All
suspended floors slabs were cast in-situ using normal reinforced cement concrete.

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 CONCLUSION

The deliberations above conclusively establish, that air cured fly-ash based
Cellular light-weight concrete to be a far superior alternative to factory made
aerated concrete or manmade light-weight aggregate blocks.

This CLC is even a better alternative to ordinary clay bricks for walling masonry.
Moreover, CLC has other diverse applications and properties, some of which
cannot be offered by the conventional alternatives.
Above all, it is an environment friendly and energy efficient material, which is the
need of the day. The promotional efforts of national agencies like BMTPC,
HUDCO< NTPC, fly-ash Mission and the provision for custom duty exemption by
the Govt. of India, is for a just and worthy cause.

It is therefore, no surprise that more and more builders are progressively opting for
this material in their constructions.

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 REFERENCES
1. Short and W. Kimniburgh. Lightweight Concrete, 3rd ed., Applied Science
Publishers, London, 1978.

2. FIP Manual of Lightweight Aggregate Concrete, 2nd ed., Surry University

Press, Glasgow and London, 1983.

3. Satish Chandra and Leif Berntsson. Lightweight Aggregate Concrete, Noyes

Publications, New York, USA, 2002.

4. Lo,Y., Cui, H.Z., and Li, Z.G. “Influence of Aggregate Prewetting and Fly Ash
on Mechanical Properties of Lightweight Concrete.” Journal of Waste
Management. (in press).

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