STRUCTURAL BEHAVIOR OF SELF-CURED LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE COLUMNS BEFORE AND AFTER EXPOSURE TO ELEVATED TEMPERATURE

Abstract

Structural lightweight concrete is an “important in modern construction. This concrete offers technical, environmental benefits, so it’s designed to become material in the millennium. For structural applications of lightweight concrete, the density is often more important than the strength”. A decreased density for the same strength level reduces the self-weight, “foundation size and construction costs. In addition, further benefits such as heat and sound isolation could be gained by using lightweight concrete instead of normal weight concrete. Special type “self-cured lightweight concrete” has been produced to use the voids in lightweight aggregate” water reservoirs for providing water needed for curing. Experimental work was carried out to study the structural behavior of self-cured lightweight concrete columns before and after exposure to elevated temperatures. The experimental investigation was conducted on twenty-four reinforced concrete columns that were prepared and tested. From each mix, one column was tested at room temperature and two columns were exposed to elevated temperature, as for the cubes it was conducted on ninety-six concrete cubes were prepared and tested at room temperature and after exposure to elevated temperature.