Microstructural, mechanical, and acoustic analyses of concrete with EPS and silica fume

Abstract

Abstract The incorporation of expanded polystyrene (EPS) into concrete reduces its density, but also its mechanical properties. Therefore, the concrete with EPS is generally considered as a non-structural material. In this study, destructive and nondestructive techniques were used to analyze the microstructural, mechanical, and acoustic performances of a concrete produced by the particle packing method, replacing an increasing percentage (5 to 20%) of the coarse aggregate volume by EPS. The mechanical properties decreased, but not enough for the EPS concrete to be considered as non-structural; the microstructure showed disorder in its transition zone, and this disorder was captured by the acoustic analysis. Moreover, the sound wave attenuation increased at 10 and 20% of EPS.

Keywords

• axial resistance
• particle packing method
• sound wave attenuation
• water absorption
• scanning electron microscopy