Indian J.Sci.Res.

17(2): 245 - 248, 2018 ISSN: 0976-2876 (Print)

ISSN: 2250-0138(Online)

A REVIEW OF LIGHT WEIGHT CONCRETE USING VERMICULITE

1
Nandhini.R, 2Vallabhy.S
1
Department of Structural Engg, Prathyusha Engg College, Thiruvallur
2
Department of Civil Engg, Prathyusha Engg College,Thiruvallur

Abstract - It is evident from literature review that in the recent decades the thrust for finding an alternative to the costly
steel reinforcement is increasing, several alternatives have been tested across the globe. Some viable alternatives are found,
also many techniques of replacing the sand and addition of compressive strength to concrete is studied. The methods which
are found to be cost effective and feasible are also tried in construction in various areas. Once, such alternative technique is
providing subsidiary reinforcement in the way of addition of vermiculite to the concrete. This project is to be carried out on
concrete cubes with various percentage of vermiculite 5%, 10% and 20% by volume of sand. Experiments were conducted
on testing cubes after casting which increases the strength considerably by adding vermiculite. In addition to that,
Vermiculite plays a major filler role in concrete instead to sand. By using this material, the wastes are recycled. Because
Vermiculite is an abundantly available waste from the vehicle production industry. This is recycled without emitting as
solid waste into the environment.

Keywords- Compressive strength, Flexural strength, Vermiculite, Density

I. Introduction
Lightweight concrete can be defined as a type of still scarce. This paper presents experimental data about
concrete which includes an expanding agent in that it the strength and durability performance of vermiculite, fly
increases the volume of the mixture while giving ash based concrete. An effective way to reduce the impact
additional qualities such as nail ability and lessened the on the environment is to use supplementary cementitious
dead weight. It is lighter than the conventional concrete. materials (SCM) as a partial substitute for cement. This
The use of lightweight concrete has been widely spread strategy has the potential to reduce costs, save energy and
across countries such as USA, United Kingdom and reduce waste volumes. There are so many studies in the
Sweden. The main specialties of lightweight concrete are literature focusing on the improvement of concrete
its low density and thermal conductivity. Its advantages are performance by replacement of Portland cement to some
that there is a reduction of dead load, faster building rates extents of various mineral admixtures; such as, fly ash,
in construction and lower haulage and handling costs. silica fume, blast-furnace slag, etc. Generally, the effects
Focused were on the performance of aerated lightweight of mineral admixtures may be assessed as improvement in
concrete such as compressive strength tests, water workability, durability to thermal cracking, durability to
absorption and density and supplementary tests and chemical attacks, and production of high performance
comparisons made with other types of lightweight concrete. In addition to their positive environmental
concrete. impact, SCMs may improve concrete workability,
mechanical properties, and durability. SCMs may possess
Pozzolanic admixtures react with CaOH generating
pozzolanic or latent hydraulic reactivity or a combination
additional CSH phases, resulting in a more compact
of these. The term pozzolan refers to a siliceous material,
concrete with increase durability. Some supplementary
which, in finely divided form and in the presence of water,
cementitious material, like fly ash has very slow hydration
will react chemically with calcium hydroxide to form
characteristics thus providing very little contribution to
cementitious compounds. Pozzolans can be of natural or
early age strength, while others like vermiculite possess a
industrial origin. Natural pozzolans include volcanic ash
high reactivity with calcium hydroxide having the ability
and diatomaceous earth, although pozzolans from
to accelerate cement hydration. Since current concrete
industrial by-products are more commonly used today.
structures present higher permeability levels that allow
Recently, there has been a growing interest in the
aggressive elements to enter, leading corrosion problems,
utilization of high-reactivity vermiculite as a
using pozzolanic admixtures not only reduce carbon
supplementary cementitious material in concrete industry.
dioxide emissions but also allow structures with longer
service life, thus lowering their environmental impact. Types of Lightweight Concrete - Lightweight concrete
Nevertheless, studies on the durability performance of can be prepared either by injecting air in its composition or
concrete containing pozzolanic by-products are recent and it can be achieved by omitting the finer sizes of the

1
Corresponding Author
 A REVIEW OF LIGHT WEIGHT CONCRETE USING VERMICULITE

aggregate or even replacing them by a hollow, cellular or its plastic condition by means of a chemical reaction. This
porous aggregate. Particularly, lightweight concrete can be method is usually used in precast concrete factories where
categorized into three groups: i) No-fines concrete ii) the precast units are subsequently autoclaved in order to
Lightweight aggregate concrete iii) Aerated/Foamed produce concrete with a reasonable high strength and low
concrete . drying shrinkage. The second method, air is introduced
either by mixing-in stable foam or by whipping-in air,
No-fines concrete can be defined as a lightweight
using an air- entraining agent. It is mainly used for in-situ
concrete composed of cement and fine aggregate.
concrete, suitable for insulation roof screeds or pipe
Uniformly distributed voids are formed throughout its
lagging.
mass. The main characteristics of this type of lightweight
concrete is it maintains its large voids and not forming II. Vermiculite in Light Weight Concrete
laitance layers or cement film when placed on the wall. It
A. V. V. Sairam (2017)In this case fine aggregate is
usually used for both load bearing and non-load bearing
partially replacement of vermiculite. Use of vermiculite in
for external walls and partitions. The strength of no-fines
concrete it will enhance the shrinkage and crack resistance,
concrete increases as the cement content is increased.
fire resistance and reduces environmental impact and also
Insufficient water can cause lack of cohesion between the
reduce the cost. In this present study, an attempt has been
particles and therefore, subsequent loss in strength of the
made to study the mechanical properties of M35 grade
concrete. Likewise too much water can cause cement film
concrete with different percentages at a range of 5%, 10%,
to run off the aggregate to form laitance layers, leaving the
15%, 20%, 25% and 30% as partially replacement with
bulk of the concrete deficient in cement and thus weakens
vermiculite to the total weight of fine aggregate along with
the strength.
mineral admixtures like Fly ash (FA) is replace with
Porous lightweight aggregate of low specific gravity is cement by various percentages i.e., 10%, 15% and 20%
used in this lightweight Concrete instead of ordinary and silica fume (SF) as adding of 5%, 7.5%, 10% and
concrete. The lightweight aggregate can be natural 12.5% by weight of cement. Water cement ratio is 0.42.
aggregate such as pumice, scoria and all of those of Optimum percentage of compressive strength is obtained.
volcanic origin and the artificial aggregate such as
expanded blast-furnace slag, vermiculite and clinker
NM Wajid (2016)In this paper, an adsorption Heat
aggregate. The main characteristic of this lightweight
Storage System (AdHS-R134a)/heating system utilizing
aggregate is its high porosity which results in a low
Vermiculite and Calcium Chloride composite adsorbent
specific gravity. The lightweight aggregate concrete can
material was experimentally investigated. The main aim of
be divided into two types according to its Application. One
the experimental investigations is to carry out preliminary
is partially compacted lightweight aggregate concrete and
tests on a small scale Adsorption Heat Storage Systems
the other is the structural lightweight aggregate concrete.
(AdHS-R134a) using a heat pump circuit as the
The partially compacted lightweight aggregate concrete is
regeneration heat source. The test rig was constructed
mainly used for two purposes that is for precast concrete
using Vertical Glass Pipes with a heat pump circuit using a
blocks or panels and cast in-situ roofs and walls. The main
mini compressor for transporting the refrigeration gas a a
requirement for this type of concrete is that it should have
heat source for desorption cycle. The system also
adequate strength and a low density to obtain the best
incorporates condenser coils, evaporator coils, and an
thermal insulation and a low drying shrinkage to avoid
expansion valve. The integration with a heat pump circuit
cracking. Structurally lightweight aggregate concrete is
is to analyze the performance of an AdHS-R134a using
fully compacted similar to that of the normal reinforced
off-peak power in desorption/charging cycle or utilizing
concrete of dense aggregate. It can be used with steel
renewable energy sources to minimize conventional
Reinforcement as to have a good bond between the steel
energy generated from fossil fuels. Firstly, desorption
and the concrete. The concrete should provide adequate
phase occurs during night hours, when cheap off-peak
protection against the corrosion of the steel. The shape and
electricity is available under the 'Economy 7' tariff that is
the texture of the aggregate particles and the coarse nature
more suitable for households with night storage heaters or
of the fine aggregate tend to produce harsh concrete mixes.
if we use lots of electricity at night. Secondly, in the heat
Aerated concrete does not contain coarse aggregate, pumping phase/adsorption loop which will occur during
and can be regarded as an Aerated mortar. Typically, the day. The useful heat of adsorption in the adsorbent pipe
aerated concrete is made by introducing air or other gas could be used for under floor heating (35°C-40°C), or for
into a cement slurry and fine sand. In commercial practice, domestic hot water production (55°C-60°C) during the
the sand is replaced by pulverized fuel ash or other day. The maximum temperature lift observed from the
siliceous material, and lime maybe used instead of cement. adsorption process is 68.67°C (inside adsorption pipe) with
There are two methods to prepare the aerated concrete. the corresponding COP of 0.55-1.39.
The first method is to inject the gas into the mixing during

Indian J.Sci.Res. 17(2): 245 - 248, 2018

 A REVIEW OF LIGHT WEIGHT CONCRETE USING VERMICULITE

S Syed Abdul Rahman (2016)In recent development Praveen Kumar E(2015)In the present study,
scenario, the lightweight concrete is a versatile material, exfoliated vermiculite is studied, it is used as a filler
which offers a range of technical, economic and material because of its low bulk density, high
environmental –enhancing and preserving advantage and is refractoriness, low thermal conductivity and adequate
designed to become a dominant material in the chemical inertness. All along vermiculite has high amount
millennium. For structural application of light weight of silica content. Thus effective utilization of silica based
concrete, the density is often more important than the materials as a building material. Presently, vermiculite is
strength. A decreased density for the same strength level used for its light weight in the construction industry as a
reduces the self weight, foundation size and construction filler material above the deck slab. Experimentally some of
cost. Structural lightweight aggregate concrete is generally cases are studied by using vermiculite in some of the
used to reduce dead weight of the structure as well as to applications in the construction industry. Case 1: One of
reduce the risk of seismic damage to a structure because the famous for tradition was originated in India at
the seismic forces that will influence the civil engineering conventional tile which is especially designed for
structures are proportional to the mass of those structures. Chettinad. Following some same methodology of the
In this study, structural light weight aggregate concrete traditional tiles designed some of the mix proportions by
was designed with the use of natural vermiculite aggregate increasing the usefulness of the tile. The tile which accepts
that will provide an advantage of reducing dead weight of the heat resisting parameters we designed the tile fulfilling
structure and to obtain a more economical structural light the heat insulation property, flooring tile, roofing tile and
weight concrete by the use of vermiculite power as a as well as in weathering course tile replacing conventional
partial replacement of sand. Three mixes were produced weathering coarse tiles. Various mixes were prepared
with the cement content of 479kg/m3 in M30 grade and using different percentage of vermiculite and water cement
water cement ratio is 0.40. More over the group had ratio. The developed vermiculite cement tiles exhibited
proportion of 0%, 5%, 10%, as vermiculite replacement. low water absorption, better strength properties compared
with the tradition famous conventional tiles used for
L.Vijayan (2016)In this paper the exfoliated
flooring tile purpose. Thus it involves a continuous study
vermiculite is used as a replacement of fine aggregate.
and it combined by introducing the material which is
This project is mostly related in places where the
suited for construction industry with vermiculite.
ecological temperature is very high. The Replacements
Vermiculite insulated tile which is light in weight which is
were done in 5, 10 and 15% of fine aggregate. And finally
easy to handle. Designed some vermiculite mortar with
conclude that the Vermiculite replaced concrete shows
various mix design ratios. Second case if it is implemented
insignificant decrease in density up to 15% when
in concrete the strength parameters and some of the
compared to normal concrete. In split tensile test no much
physical properties of the vermiculite insulated products.
variation in split tensile strength when compare to normal
The special characteristics and usage of this material
concrete.
would decrease the structural weight can be decreased.
S Syed Abdul Rahman (2016)In their study, structural Considering some other characteristics it is quite good
light weight aggregate concrete was designed with the use material if it is replaced partial form gives better result.
of natural vermiculite aggregate that will provide an
F.P. Alvaraz Rabanal (2013)Present work is to study
advantage of reducing dead weight of structure and to
the effect of mixing of vermiculite in weathering coarse
obtain a more reasonable structural light weight concrete
and flooring works. Vermiculite, in ore concentrate and
by the use of vermiculite power as a partial replacement of
exfoliated state, may contain small quantities of crystalline
fine aggregate. Three mixes were created with the cement
silica, as quartz. This is usually only present as non-
content of 479kg/m3 in M30 grade and water cement ratio
respirable particles but mechanical action such as milling
is 0.40.The proportion of 0%, 5% and 10%, as vermiculite
may reduce any quartz that may be present to a respirable
replacement to fine aggregate. And lastly they concluded
particle size. Silica is a very abundant material in a variety
that the 10% replacement of vermiculite to fine aggregate
of forms and accounts for approximately 20% of the earths
well compared to control mix.
crust with 95% being quartz. It is present in nearly all
M.R.Divya (2016) have study on M30 grade concrete mining operations, and as an extremely common mineral
using vermiculite as partial replacement with 40%, 50% has been the subject of many detailed studies, summarized
and 60% to the total weight of fine aggregate. The aim of in the Crystalline Silica Primer published by the US
their project is to study the strength parameters such as Bureau of Mines. Trace amounts of free silica are often
compressive strength, split tensile & flexural strength of found in silicate minerals while materials such as sand and
concrete. Result shows the optimum strength in compare gravel consist mainly of free silica. It has been known for
the strengths for different vermiculite percentage was centuries that prolonged and excessive exposure to high
observed to be 50%. concentrations of respirable free silica in dust can cause a
related lung disease of occupational origin, silicosis. This

Indian J.Sci.Res. 17(2): 245 - 248, 2018

 A REVIEW OF LIGHT WEIGHT CONCRETE USING VERMICULITE

is a non-cancerous, but extremely serious lung disease. [1] Papadopoulos A.M. (2005)“State of art in thermal
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III. Conclusion [8] A.V.V Sairam and K Sailaja (2017) “ An

Experimental Study on Strength Properties of
This review was conducted to evaluate the effect of Vermiculite Concrete Using Flyash as Partially
using Vermiculite as the partial replacement of fine Replacement of Cement and Silica Fume as Mineral
aggregate in concrete composites and also give an idea Admixture” , International Research Journal of
using these materials within specific range. Several Engineering and Technology, Volume 4, Issue 5,
tests were conducted on the materials of the concrete pages 659-664.
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References

Indian J.Sci.Res. 17(2): 245 - 248, 2018