CELLULAR LIGHT-WEIGHT CONCRETE (CLC).

AGARWAL PRATHEEK SHRAWAN KUMAR (08GE1A0102)

Department of Civil Engineering BHASKAR ENGINEERING COLLEGE (Affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, A.P) Yenkapally, P.O. Himayathnagar, Moinabad, Hyderabad 500 075 2012

CELLULAR LIGHT-WEIGHT CONCRETE (CLC) TECHNICAL SEMINAR Report Submitted in partial Fulfillment Of the requirements for the award of degree of

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY

IN

CIVIL ENGINEERING

BY

AGARWAL PRATHEEK SHRAWAN KUMAR (08GE1A0102)

Department of Civil Engineering BHASKAR ENGINEERING COLLEGE (Affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, A.P.) Yenkapally, P.O. Himayathnagar, Moinabad, Hyderabad -500 075

2012

BHASKAR ENGINEERING COLLEGE (Affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad) Yenkapally, P.O. Himayathnagar, Moinabad, Hyderabad-500 075

Department of Civil Engineering

CERTIFICATE Date: 10TH MARCH 2012 This is to certify that the TECHNICAL SEMINAR entitled CELLULAR LIGHT-WEIGHT CONCRETE (CLC) is a bonafide work carried out By AGARWAL PRATHEEK SHRAWAN KUMAR (08GE1A0102) in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of degree of BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY in CIVIL ENGINEERING by the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad during the academic year 2011-2012 The results embodied in this report have not been submitted to any other University or Institution for award of any degree or diploma.

Smt. RAGHAVA RANI Head of dept.

External Examiner ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The satisfaction that accompanies the successful completion of my task would be incomplete without a mention people, who made it possible and whose guidance and encouragement crown all the efforts with success. We would like to express our deep sense of gratitude and extend our best wishes to all people, who guided, inspired and motivated us during this project and given us immense pleasure to acknowledge their cooperation.

We express our deep sense of gratitude to honorable principal Dr.APPALRAO NAIDU, for his valuable guidance.

We are deeply indebted to Smt.RAGHAVA RANI, Head of the Department (CIVIL) for his valuable suggestions and encouragement during the period of mini project.

We would like to thank the faculty members, Department of CIVIL, for the timely help and assistance for the successful completion of this mini project.

Finally we deem it a great pleasure to thank our beloved parents, friends and class mates for their valuable support in course of this mini project.

PRATHEEK AGARWAL SHRAWAN (08GE1A0102)

INDEX
ABSTRACT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6 CELLULAR LIGHT WEIGHT CONCRETE ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 DESCRIPTION ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7

PERFORMANCE SUMMARY ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 Appearance ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 Structural Capability --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 Durability and moisture resistance ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 Toxicity and Breath-ability -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9

Applicability ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 PRESENTATION HARD COPY ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ATTACHED

ABSTRACT
Cellular Lightweight Concrete (CLC) is one of the recent emerging technology in making concrete. By using this type of concrete, there are so many advantages when compared to the normal conventional concrete. This presentation is mainly focused on making cellular light weight concrete based on fly ash. Therefore, fly ash based CLC is considered as environment friendly sustainable material produced with least energy demand. The presentation also include the advantages and other benefits of the cellular lightweight concrete in future construction.

Cellular Light-weight Concrete (CLC)

Description
Cellular Lightweight Concrete (CLC) is produced by the mixing of sand, fly-ash cement foam and water in requisite proportion in ready mix plant or ordinary concrete mixer. The mixed slurry is then poured into moulds of pre-cast blocks / structural components / assembled form-work of building elements or over flat roofs for thermal insulation as per I. S.: 6598. It is essentially aircured, thus can be produced at project site, utilizing equipment and moulds normally in use for conventional concrete.

The foam is produced with the help of a Foam Generator by using a foaming agent. The foam contains isolated air bubbles, which creates million of unconnected tiny voids/cells in the mix resulting in lighter weight of concrete. CLC can be produced in wide range of controlled densities from 400 kg/m3 to 1,800 kg/m3. The density recommended is 1.000kg/m3 (oven-dried) for blocks and 1.200 kg/ m3 to produce prefab elements and walls cast in-situ. CLC has moderate embodied energy content and performs very well as thermal insulation. Blocks are made to very exacting dimensions and are usually laid in thin-bed mortar that is applied with a toothed trowel, although more conventional thick-bed mortar can be used. CLC has a long life and does not produce toxic gases after it has been put in place. It offers a substantial material savings as little cement and no gravel is used.

PERFORMANCE SUMMARY
Appearance
Cellular Light-weight Concrete is very light coloured. The addition of foam into the concrete mixture creates millions of tiny voids or cells in the material, hence the name cellular concrete. Although there is no direct path for water to pass through the material, an appropriate coating is required to prevent water penetrating into the CLC material. The quality of CLC production can be controlled accurately at the project site, just like Concrete. The surface finish depend upon the formwork and moulds used during casting.

Structural Capability
CLC, like conventional concrete ages well, increasing its strength by as much as 50% (!) between 28 and 90 days after pouring, As long as CLC draws humidity from the atmosphere it will keep on increasing its mechanical properties. Curing takes place within the same period as conventional concrete. If cast in the evening, the concrete it could be demoulded the next morning. Curing can be speeded up by heat, steam or chemical (accelerators). CLC is an excellent and competitive material for low -rise, load-bearing construction and outside walls as well as partitioning work in multi storeyed blocks. Thermal properties Air is known to be the best insulation material available. Air voids, if smaller than 2mm each, consequently increase thermal insulation substantially. Normal aggregate concrete has a specific thermal conductivity (Lambda) of 2.1 W/mK, compared to 0.405 only for 1200kg/m3 cellular concrete. To offer identical thermal insulation as a 100 mm thick CLC wall, the equivalent thickness of dense concrete wall would have to be more than 5 times thicker (i.e. 500 mm) and ten times heavier. Sound insulationDue to its high sound insulating properties it is used as a sound barrier between suspended structural floors, where its light weight and strength is a added advantage. Fire and vermin resistanceFire rating of cellular concrete is far superior to that of brickwork or dense concrete. Just a 100 mm thick wall of 1200 kg/m3 CLC, offers a fire endurance (heat transmission) of three hours. Moreover, there are no dangerous fumes or spread of fire as experienced with plywood partitions having rigid (styropore, urethane) insulation material - often the reason for loss of life of entrapped individuals due to toxic fumes during fires. CLC does not harbour or encourage vermin.

Durability and moisture resistance

CLC, like conventional concrete ages well, increasing its strength by as much as 50% (!) between 28 and 90 days after pouring, As long as CLC draws humidity from the atmosphere it will keep on increasing its mechanical properties. 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. But it may require a surface protection to resist moisture penetration, affects of very harsh climatic conditions. Reinforced slabs were produced for tests in CLC of densities between 1000-1400 kg/m3, where the non-protected reinforcement was covered with 25 mm of cellular concrete. After four months, tests confirmed there was no corrosion on the 1200 kg/m3 specimen.

Toxicity and Breath-ability

Our protein-hydrolisation based foaming agent warrants high stability of the foam, successfully withstanding the manifold forces occurring when mixing, conveying (pump-able), casting and during the hydration process. The foam causes no chemical reaction in the concrete but merely serves as wrapping material for the air entrapped. It produces no toxic fumes or emission over its lifetime. Store-life of the foaming agent is guaranteed to be at least 24 months when adhered to instructions (before its integration into the concrete mixtures). However, CLC is a concrete product, and similar precautions should be taken as when handling and cutting concrete products. Personal protective equipment (such as gloves, eye wear, respiratory masks) is required during cutting due to the fine dust that is produced by concrete products. Sustainability (environmental impacts) In view the use of flyash 33% (an environment polluting industrial waste) being a major ingredient of CLC, CLC and this being a good substitute of ordinary clay bricks (which use high energy and precious agricultural topsoil) the Govt. of India has given special import duty concessions for specialized equipment. Its low density, good thermal and sound insulation and long life make it a good choice as a construction material. Buildability, availability and cost This lightweight concrete has higher consistency due to absence of coarse aggregate (gravel) and a ball bearing effect of the foam on the concrete is of great advantage for it flows by itself into the moulds and shuttering and any cavities, thereby doing away with the necessity of compaction or vibration. CLC is an air-cured lightweight concrete that can be produced at project site, utilizing equipment and molds normally in use for conventional concrete. Utilizing, the most traditional mixers and very successful truck mixers to produce cellular concrete, by installing and integrating a foam 9

generator, into the existing concrete or prefab plants, with little investment and maintaining the production procedures being followed. However, a full range of stationary and mobile equipmentto produce and precisely dose the foam, through a conveying system feeding sand and cement to a mixer, with highly effective horizontally operating screw and integrated concrete pump, could be sourced and setup to increase productivity.

Applicability
The wide range in densities and consequently their different thermal and structural properties make CLC equally suitable for use: As reinforced load-bearing in-situ walls and roofs in Low Rise Buildings. Even block-work (made from pre-cast blocks produced at the project site or obtained from a pre-casting plant) can also be used for load-bearing low rise constructions. Non load-bearing internal or external walls in High Rise Buildings. Thermal Insulation of building roofs and walls & roofs of cold storage.

10

PRESENTATION HARD COPY

11