DEVELOPMENT OF GREEN HIGH STRENGTH LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE IN MALAYSIA

摘要

High strength lightweight aggregate concrete offers numerous benefits compared to normal weight high strength concrete, and these include reduction in dead load and construction costs. One of the most common methods of producing structural lightweight concrete is the use of artificial lightweight aggregates. However, the cost of producing these aggregates is high because of energy and materials costs. In countries like Malaysia these aggregates are imported and this has resulted in high cost of producing lightweight concrete and therefore not economical and attractive to the construction industry. Oil Palm Shell (OPS), which is about 50% lighter than normal aggregates, is an agricultural solid waste from the palm oil industry. Using this waste as a lightweight aggregate to produce lightweight concrete will significantly reduce the environmental impact and energy consumption. This paper reports a comparative study between mechanical properties of lightweight concretes made of OPS with that of an artificial lightweight aggregate, namely Leca. Results showed that OPS lightweight concrete can yield higher strengths, as well as provide better or similar mechanical properties when compared to Leca lightweight concrete. Therefore OPS is the attractive alternative aggregate to Leca in producing high strength lightweight aggregate concrete. These initial findings will benefit the construction and agricultural industries of a nation.