INFLUENCE OF CHEMICAL POLYMER ADDITIVE ON THE PHYSICAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF EXPANDED POLYSTYRENE CONCRETE

Authors

  • John Wasiu Afe Babalola University, College of Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, P.M.B. 5454, 23400 Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti state, Nigeria
  • Daoud Mohammad Baba Afe Babalola University, College of Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, P.M.B. 5454, 23400 Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti state, Nigeria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14311/AP.2020.60.0158

Keywords:

Expanded polystyrene (EPS), waste material, concrete, light-weight concrete, density, compressive strength

Abstract

This research investigated the effect of Renolith chemical polymer additive (RCPA) on the properties of expanded polystyrene (ESP) concrete. Renolith chemical additive is a polymer-based product in a liquid form made up of latex and cellulose. Polystyrene panels were collected as a waste materials and grinded into smaller beads. An experimental investigation was carried out on the EPS replacement ranging from 0% to 100% on the M30 (C25/C30) mix design. Engineering properties, such as workability, density, water absorption, compressive strength, split tensile strength, and flexural strength tests, were studied for both the conventional and EPS concrete. The results indicate that workability increases with increasing amount of EPS contents. Water absorption, compressive, tensile, and flexural strength yielded a satisfactory result at 0-50% replacement. The density of the EPS concrete at 0-37.5% replacement revealed similar values to a conventional concrete; and light-weight concrete (1817.5 - 1030 kg⁄m3) was achieved at a 50-100% replacement. Generally, the addition of the RCPA to the concrete mix has caused an improvement in the properties of the EPS concrete. It was concluded that EPS beads can be used as a partial replacement for coarse aggregates in the production of both structural light-weight and dense concrete. The replacement of coarse aggregate with EPS beads showed a positive application as an alternative material for the construction industry.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

  • John Wasiu, Afe Babalola University, College of Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, P.M.B. 5454, 23400 Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti state, Nigeria

    Department of Civil Engineering,

    Senior Lecturer.

Downloads

Published

2020-04-30

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Wasiu, J., & Baba, D. M. (2020). INFLUENCE OF CHEMICAL POLYMER ADDITIVE ON THE PHYSICAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF EXPANDED POLYSTYRENE CONCRETE. Acta Polytechnica, 60(2), 158-168. https://doi.org/10.14311/AP.2020.60.0158
Received 2019-08-01
Accepted 2020-02-18
Published 2020-04-30