PROPERTIES OF POLYSTYRENE CONCRETE BRICKS WITH SILICA FUME. John Kho Han Shyan

Transcription

1 PROPERTIES OF POLYSTYRENE CONCRETE BRICKS WITH SILICA FUME John Kho Han Shyan A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Bachelor of Engineering with Honours (Civil Engineering) Faculty of Engineering UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SARAWAK 2009

2 UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SARAWAK BORANG PENGESAHAN STATUS TESIS JUDUL: PROPERTIES OF POLYSTYRENE CONCRETE BRICKS WITH SILICA FUME SESI PENGAJIAN :2008/2009 Saya, JOHN KHO HAN SHYAN (HURUF BESAR) mengaku membenarkan tesis * ini disimpan di Pusat Khidmat Maklumat Akademik, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak dengan syarat-syarat kegunaan seperti berikut: 1. Tesis adalah hakmilik Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. 2. Pusat Khidmat Maklumat Akademik, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak dibenarkan membuat salinan untuk tujuan pengajian sahaja. 3. Membuat pendigitan untuk membanguankan Pangkalan Data Kandungan Tempatan. 4. Pusat Khidmat Maklumat Akademik, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak dibenarkan membuat salinan tesis ini sebagai bahan pertukaran antara institusi pengajian tinggi. 5. ** Sila tandakan ( ) di kotak yang berkenaan. SULIT TERHAD (Mengandungi maklumat yand berdarjah keselamatan atau kepentingan Malaysia seperti yang termaktub di dalam AKTA RAHSIA RASMI 1972). (Mengandungi maklumat TERHAD yang telah ditentukan oleh organisasi/badan di mana penyelidikan dijalankan). TIDAK TERHAD Disahkan oleh (TANDATANGAN PENULIS) (TANDATANGAN PENYELIA) Alamat tetap: No. 65, Lorong 5, Ms. Idawati Ismail Jalan Resak, Nama Penyelia Kuching, Sarawak. Tarikh: Tarikh: CATATAN * Tesis dimaksudkan sebagai tesis bagi Ijazah Doktor Falsafah, Sarjana dan Sarjana Muda ** Jika tesis ini SULIT dan TERHAD, sila lampirkan surat daripada pihak berkuasa/organisasi berkenaan dengan menyatakan sekali sebab dan tempoh tesis ini perlu dikelaskan sebagai SULIT dan TERHAD.

3 The following Final Year Project report: Title Name : Properties of Polystyrene Concrete Bricks with Silica Fume : John Kho Han Shyan Matric No. : had been read and approved by:.. Ms. Idawati Ismail Supervisor.. Date

4 Dedicated to my beloved parents, my dearest siblings and Jacqueline Lam who had give me strength to carry on. ii

5 AKNOWLEDGEMENT First of all, a sincere appreciation goes to my supervisor, Ms. Idawati Ismail for her enthusiastic guidance, invaluable help and advice in conducting my study. Her numerous comments, critisms and suggestions during the preparation of this study are gratefully acknowledged. I also would like to thanks the technician of Civil Engineering Laboratory who helped me a lot in my laboratory works, especially Mr. Nur Adha Abdul Wahab. Cooperation from all the staff of Faculty of Engineering is really appreciated. Here, I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to my family for supporting me in my study. Without their loves and encouragements, I may never have overcome this long journey in my studies. Last but not least, acknowledgement also goes to my friends and those who had helping me in my study. Their advices and supports to me has been a great encouragement for me to successfully complete my final year project. iii

6 ABSTRAK Laporan projek ini menunjukkan keputusan eksperimen penyelidikan ke atas sifat batabata konkrit yang mengandungi biji-bijian polistirena padat dan wasap silika. Dalam kajian ini, konkrit polistirena yang ringan dapat dihasilkan dengan mengantikan sebahagian agregat kecil dengan bahan lain. Biji-bijian polistirena padat digunakan sebagai agregat ringan bagi pengantian pasir. Tambahan pula, simen digantikan sebagai wasap silika supaya meningkatkan sifat konkrit. Sejumlah 216 bata disediakan untuk kajian ini. Tujuan utama projek ini adalah mengkaji sifat bata-bata konkrit polistirena seperti kekuatan mampatan, berat dan kepadatan, peyerapan air, hakisan sulfat, hakisan air laut, dan akhirnya pengembangan dan pengecutan bata-bata konkrit polistrena. Sampel-sampel dikaji dalam empat keadaan seperti keadaan makmal, air paip, air laut, 5% asid sulfurik. Sampel-sampel ini dibandingkan antara satu sama lain dengan mengguna air paip sebagai sampel kawalan. Kajian ini mendapati bahawa bata-bata konkrit polistirena adalah lemah dalam kekuatan mampatan, namun dengan kehadiran wasap silika, kekuatan mampatan dapat ditingkatkan dan penyerapan air dapat dikurangkan. Selain itu, terdapat juga perubahan sifat-sifat fizikal seperti warna dan dimensi. Kajian ini menunjukkan bahawa sifat-sifat bata konkrit polistirena dipengaruhi oleh kandungan wasap silika dan kandungan biji-bijian polistirena padat di dalam sampel. Kajian ini juga menunjukkan kebolehan penggunaan bahan kitaran dalam industri pembinaan. iv

7 ABSTRACT This project reports the results of experimental investigation on the properties of concrete bricks containing expanded polystyrene beads and silica fume. In the study, lightweight polystyrene concrete can be produced by partial replacement of fine aggregate. Expanded polystyrene beads were used as lightweight aggregate for replacement of sand. In addition, cement was partially replaced by silica fume in order to improve the properties of concrete. A total of 216 samples of bricks were prepared for this study. The main purpose of this project is to investigate the properties of polystyrene concrete bricks such as the compressive strength, weight and density, water absorption, sulphate attack, sea water attack and finally, expansion and contraction of polystyrene concrete bricks. The samples were tested in four conditions such as laboratory condition, tap water, sea water and 5% sulphuric acid. These samples were compared to each other by taking tap water condition as control. It was found that the bricks have low compressive strength with high water absorption but with presence of silica fume, the strength was increased and the water absorption was decreased. There are also changes in physical properties such as colour and dimension. The experimental study shows that the properties of polystyrene concrete bricks were mainly influenced by the content of silica fume and expanded polystyrene beads in the mix. This study also shows the potential use of recycle materials in construction industry. v

8 TABLE OF CONTENTS Pages Dedication Acknowledgement Abstrak Abstract Table of Content List of Tables List of Figures List of Equations List of Symbols ii iii iv v vi ix x xiii xiv CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction Problem Statements Objectives Scope of Study Project Outline Gantt Chart of Progress 6 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction Concrete Admixture in Concrete Silica Fume Bricks Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Beads in Concrete Previous Researches 16 vi

9 2.7.1 Compressive Strength Workability Chemical Attack Water Absorption Weight and Density Conclusion 21 CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction Mixture Material Cement Sand Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Bead Silica Fume Water Superplasticizer Equipments Measuring Cylinder Tamping Rod Brick Mould Ratio Box Electronic Weighing Machine Sieve Machine Concrete Mixer Slump Cone and Compacting Rod Procedures of Preparation Experimental Workability Test (Slump Test) Compressive Strength Test Absorption Test Weight and Density Test 42 vii

10 3.5.5 Dimension Test Sea Water Attack Sulphate/Acid Attack Expected Problems 45 CHAPTER 4 RESULT AND ANAYSIS 4.1 Introduction Sieve Anaysis Workability Compressive Strength Dimension Test Weight and Density Laboratory Condition Tap Water Sea Water Resistance Acid Resistance Water Absorption Test Correlation between Testing Conditions Conclusion 77 CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 5.1 Conclusion Limitations Recommendations 81 REFERENCES 82 APPENDIXES 86 viii

11 LIST OF TABLES Table No. Pages 3.1 Ratio of materials in concrete mix Materials replacement Content of materials Number of samples for each type of test Sieve analysis Standard sieve analysis for upper and lower limits according to BS 882: Slump Height for each type of mix Load bearing classification according to MS 76: Average dimension of bricks Dimension of bricks according to MS 76: Dimension of bricks for reduction tolerance Changes of weight and density of bricks 77 ix

12 LIST OF FIGURES Figure No. Pages 3.1 EPS waste Cruched EPS waste Superplasticizer Measuring cylinder Tamping rod Brick moulds Ratio box Electronic weighing machine Sieve machine Concrete mixer Slump cone and compacting rod Measuring material Concrete mixing in process Pouring EPS beads into the mortar Performing slump test Placing the concrete into the mould Curing the bricks in water tank Measuring the slump Compressive test machine Tested bricks Weighing the brick using electronic weighing machine Measuring length of bricks Measuring width of bricks Measuring thickness of bricks Bricks submerged in sea water Bricks submerged in sulphuric acid 45 x

13 4.1 Size distribution for sand and EPS Development of compressive strength with age Graph of compressive strength versus age Measuring length of bricks Measuring width of bricks Measuring thickness of bricks Relationship between density and time (Laboratory condition) Relationship between weight and density of different samples after 12 weeks (Laboratory condition) Relationship between density and time (Tap water) Relationship between weight and density of different samples after 12 weeks (Tap water) Relationship between density and time (Sea water) Relationship between weight and density with different samples after 12 weeks (sea water) Samples taken out from the acid (a) Sample A (before) (b) Sample A (after) (a) Sample B (before) (b) Sample B (after) (a) Sample C (before) (b) Sample C (after) (a) Sample D (before) (b) Sample D (after) (a) Sample E (before) (b) Sample E (after) (a) Sample F (before) (b) Sample F (after) Relationship between density and time (Sulphuric acid) Relationship between weight and density with different 68 xi

14 samples after 12 weeks observation (Sulphuric acid) 4.22 Relationship between water absorption and time Relationship between density and time (Sample A) Relationship between density and time (Sample B) Relationship between density and time (Sample C) Relationship between density and time (Sample D) Relationship between density and time (Sample E) Relationship between density and time (Sample F) Density changes of each samples subjected to different testing conditions Compressive strength after 100 days in different condition 76 xii

15 LIST OF EQUATIONS Equation No. Pages 3.1 Compressive strength = Percentage of water absorption = Volume length width height 42 weight of brick kg 3.4 Density = volume of brick m 3 42 xiii

16 LIST OF SYMBOLS m 1 m 2 N m mm kg Wet brick weight Dry brick weight Newton meter millimeter kilogram xiv

17 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction Concrete is a building material that is widely used in the construction field. Concrete is produced by mixing cement and water with various inert materials such as aggregates. The most commonly used inert materials are sand and gravel. As time goes by, a lot of changes have been done to the proportion of concrete mix in order to improve the performance of the hardened concrete. Construction technology is growing in advance nowadays and many researches have been conducted to replace the conventional material (cement, sand and gravel) with waste material in partly or fully proportion. Solid wastes from daily lives and byproducts from industries which cannot be disposed or not properly managed will consequence in environmental pollution. Therefore, using wastes such as expanded polystyrene (EPS) to replace the aggregates can be an alternative way of waste management and using industries by-product such as silica fume as supplementary cementitious material. 1

18 1.2 Problem Statement Nowadays, the amount of solid wastes such as polystyrene, plastic bags, bottles and so forth are increasing drastically but the actions taken to manage the waste materials are not effective. This directly affects the pollution to environment and may consequence in health problem. Besides, industrial by-products such as silica fume, carbide, slag, fly ash and others are also produced in large amount everyday. These by-products can be used as admixture for concrete mix since the properties of the materials are essential to improve the performance of concrete. Furthermore, lightweight concrete bricks are very demanding nowadays. The usage of lightweight concrete is very wide because eventually, it is much cheaper than ordinary concrete. The self weight or density of the lightweight concrete is also one of the main issues to be studied. Lightweight concrete is required to be light and possess sufficient strength for its use. However, lightweight concrete strength level, workability and durability are still below satisfactory level. Hence, further improvement is needed to be done to produce lightweight concrete with desired properties. This study is conducted to examine the ability of the wastes and by-products in improving the strength, workability and durability of concrete. In addition, this study may contribute to management of solid wastes and industries by-products in the future. 2

19 1.3 Objectives Followings are objectives to be achieved in this study:- i) To develop the concrete bricks mix which consists of EPS to replace partial proportion of aggregates with gradually added percentage of silica fume. ii) To determine the mechanical properties and durability of EPS concrete bricks with silica fume. 1.4 Scope of study This study focuses on investigating the properties of the proposal concrete mix of high strength lightweight concrete. Among the properties investigated for were compressive strength, and permeability for durability while maintaining the high workability. Besides, the resistance of the concrete mix to the chemical attack will be conducted in this study as well. In addition, the study will also consider the watercement ratio and the important role of the hydration process that produces hardened concrete of higher strength and durability. This study was conducted by replacing the fine aggregates with expanded polystyrene (EPS) in partial proportion. EPS concrete is a lightweight, low strength material with good energy-absorbing characteristic. Due to the light weight nature and hydrophobic surface of EPS beads, EPS concrete is prone to segregation during casting 3

20 which results in poor workability and lower strength. The water is an important element that might affect the strength of the hardened concrete. Therefore, wet expansion and dry shrinkage were monitored. In this study, silica fume was added to EPS concrete to improve the bond between the EPS beads and cement paste and increased the compressive strength of EPS concrete. The addition of silica fume was to improve the strength of the concrete. The purpose of this study was to investigate the physical and mechanical properties of EPS concrete bricks with silica fume. The physical properties investigated on the EPS concrete bricks with silica fume were changes on the dimension and colour. On the other hand, mechanical properties of EPS concrete bricks with silica fume such as workability, compressive strength, weight and density, durability against chemical attack and sea water attack, water absorption, and dimension would be determined. The test and investigation of properties of concrete are according to the Malaysian Standard; Specification for Bricks and Blocks of Fired Brickearth Clay or Shale Part 2, Metric Units (MS 76: 1972). 1.5 Project Outline This thesis consists of five chapters. Chapter 1 presents the general information regarding the background, problem statement, objectives, scope of study and the project outline. This chapter also outlines the duration and work progress of the project. 4

21 Chapter 2 provides the literature reviews on the different topics that are related to this study. This chapter reviews on the materials properties and information of concrete. This chapter also outlines the behavior of concrete with the lightweight aggregate such as expanded polystyrene and silica fume as the cement replacement material. Chapter 3 describes the methodology used to carry out this study. It provides overall experimental program for the study. This chapter includes the procedures of the preparing testing the samples. Proper methods and procedures are outlined in this chapter as well. Chapter 4 presents the results and discussion from the laboratory testing. This chapter includes the properties of concrete bricks derived from the results obtained from the laboratory testing. This chapter also includes the changes of physical properties of the samples observed in the study. Chapter 5 presents the conclusion of the major findings in this study and recommendation for future work on the related topic to the present study. This chapter also discuss about the limitations of faced in this study. 5

22 1.6 Gantt Chart of Progress Activity/ Duration JULY 2008 AUG 2008 SEPT 2008 OCT 2008 NOV 2008 DEC 2008 JAN 2009 FEB 2009 MAC 2009 APR 2009 May 2009 Literature Review Lab Preparation. Data Collection. 6 Data Analysis Report Writing. 6

23 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction Concrete is one of the economical materials that can be easily obtained from the industry for construction. Concrete is also stable and high strength material which is produced by mixture of cement, aggregates and water, hence it is suitable to be used in construction. Concrete brick is produced from the same method from a controlled mixture of cement, aggregates and water. Concrete can be used for other purposes such as manufacturing of concrete blocks for constructing concrete wall and even paving too. There are certain measures to classify the concrete quality. The quality of concrete must satisfy the performance requirement in its fresh state and also hardened state after placing. The most important measure to determine the quality of concrete is the compressive strength of the hardened concrete. When concrete is hardened, the concrete should gain the satisfactory workability, durability and strength. 7

24 2.2 Concrete Concrete is a controlled proportion mixture of cement, aggregates and water. A normal concrete mixture generally takes 6 to 10 hours for setting and 1 to 2 days for achieving a strength level (Mehta and Monteiro, 2006). Fresh concrete has good workability if it can be formed, compacted and finished into its final shape and texture with minimal effort and without segregation. Good workability is required to produce concrete that is both economical and high in quality. Fully cured hardened concrete must be strong enough to withstand the structural and service loads which applied to it and must be durable to withstand the environmental exposure for which it is intended (Beall, 2004). Concrete can be classified into three broad categories based on the unit weight. Concrete containing natural sand and gravel or crushed rock aggregates, generally weighing about 2400kg/m 3 is called normal-weight concrete and it is commonly used for structural purposes. Heavy weight concrete used for radiation shielding, is a concrete produced from high-density aggregates and generally weighs more than 3200 kg/m 3. The term lightweight concrete is used for concrete that weighs less than 1800kg/m 3. It is produced by reducing the unit weight of concrete using natural or pyro-processed aggregates with lower bulk density (Mehta and Monteiro, 2006). Increment in the fineness of the Portland cement usually increases the early strength of the concrete. It is due to higher surface area in contact with water of the concrete which lead to a more rapid hydration (Neville, 2003). It is best to use fine 8