Materials Research Society, 1997 Fall Meeting

Symposium MM: Advances in Materials for Cementitious Composites

December 1-3, 1997, Boston, USA



ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE
CONTAINING CRUSHED EXPANDED POLYSTYRENE WASTE

Ben Sabaa and Rasiah Sri Ravindrarajah
Faculty of Engineering, University of Technology. Sydney, Australia


ABSTRACT
Expanded polystyrene waste in a granular form is used as lightweight aggregate to
produce lightweight structural concrete with the unit weight varying from 1600 to 2000
kg/m
3
. The polystyrene aggregate concrete was produced by partially replacing coarse
aggregate in the reference (normal weight) concrete mixtures with equal volume of the
chemically coated crushed polystyrene granules. The coarse aggregate replacements
levels used were 30, 50 and 70%. This paper reports the results of an experimental
investigation into the engineering properties, such as compressive strength, modulus of
elasticity, drying shrinkage and creep, of polystyrene aggregate concrete varying in
density. The main objectives of this study are the influence of density and cement paste
content on the above properties. The cement contents for the concrete mixtures used
were 410

and 540kg/m
3
.
Experimental results showed that drying shrinkage and creep of polystyrene
aggregate concrete increased, whereas compressive strength and modulus of elasticity
decreased with decrease in the density of concrete. The compressive strength was found
to be more sensitive to the density than the modulus of elasticity. The ultimate creep
coefficient for polystyrene aggregate concrete in the density range of 1600 to
2000kg/m
3
was between 1.90 and 2.37 for the concrete with the cement content of 410
kg/m
3
. For the cement content of 540kg/m
3
, the creep coefficient ranged between 2.12
and 3.04. A maximum drying shrinkage value of 1000 microstrain was observed for
polystyrene aggregate concrete with the density of 1600 kg/m
3
after a drying period of
240 days.

Keywords: Compressive strength, creep, shrinkage, modulus of elasticity, cement
content, polystyrene aggregate, lightweight concrete, concrete testing.

1. Introduction
Expanded polystyrene waste from the packaging industry, in crushed and graded form,
can be used as aggregate in concrete mixtures. The polystyrene granules, when coated
with an inert hydrophilic chemical, can be added to normal weight concrete mixtures to
produce lightweight concrete. Depending upon the amount of expanded polystyrene
(density of about 60 kg/m
3
) aggregate used, lightweight concrete with a wide range of
densities from 1000 to 2000 kg/m
3
can be obtained for structural and non-structural
applications. The coating to the polystyrene aggregate particles is needed to achieve
proper dispersion of the granules in the concrete matrix without any segregation. The
expanded polystyrene aggregate is a thermoplastic form consisting of gas phase in a
polymer matrix. It possesses the property of high compressibility, and can be expected
to provide very little restraint to volume changes of the cement paste reducing from due
to the applied load as well as the changes in the moisture content.
The aggregate and cement paste contents are known to influence the
instantaneous and time-dependent deformations of concrete. For a given strength of
concrete, the use of aggregate with a low elastic modulus will results in a decrease in
the concrete modulus and an increase in the shrinkage and creep potential of concrete.
This paper forms a part of an extensive study (1 - 3) on the use of expanded polystyrene
aggregate in concrete and discusses the engineering properties, such as compressive
strength, elastic modulus, drying shrinkage and compressive creep, for polystyrene
aggregate concrete in the density range from 1600 to 2000 kg/m
3
.

2. Experimental Investigation
2.1 Materials
Ordinary Portland cement (Type GP) conforming to the Australian Standard AS 3972,
dune sand and river sand, in equal weight proportions, were used in the concrete mixes.
The amount of sand particles, passing the 600!m standard sieve were 87 and 57% for
dune sand and river sand, respectively. Crushed basalt, having a maximum size of
10mm and the fineness modulus of 6.95, was used as coarse aggregate. Commercially
available expanded polystyrene aggregate particles are in angular shape and obtained
by crushing the waste polystyrene. They are coated with a hydrophilic chemical to
achieve a uniform distribution of the polystyrene granules in the concrete matrix
without any segregation. The maximum size and the fineness modulus for the
polystyrene aggregate were 3.7mm and 3.68, respectively. The particle and bulk
densities for the polystyrene granules were 58.5 and 26.8 kg/m
3
, respectively.
Naphthalene-based superplasticizer was used in the concrete mixtures when 50 and
70% of the coarse aggregate volume was replaced with the polystyrene aggregate.

2.2 Mixture compositions
Two normal weight concrete mixtures, having 28-day compressive strengths of 40.0
and 57.5 MPa, were used as reference mixtures. The cement content of these mixes
were 410 and 540kg/m
3
and the water to cement ratios were 0.54 and 0.42,
respectively. Table 1 shows the compositions for the reference concrete mixtures. The
polystyrene aggregate concrete mixtures were produced by replacing 30, 50 and 70% of
the solid volume of the coarse aggregate with the polystyrene aggregate.

Table 1: Compositions for the reference concrete mixtures

Mixture
No.
Cement
content
(kg/m
3
)
Fine
aggregate
(kg/m
3
)
Coarse
aggregate
(kg/m
3
)
Water
content
(kg/m
3
)
Water/
Cement
Ratio
A-0 545 750 835 230 0.42
B-0 410 900 805 220 0.54

2.3 Mixing of polystyrene concrete
The required amount of fresh concrete to prepare the test specimens was mixed in a pan-
type mixer. The batched quantities of basalt, river and dune sands were first dry mixed
for a minute. Then, cement was added and mixing was continued for another two
minutes. As the mixing process was in progress, the required amount of water was
2
gradually added and mixing was continued for two minutes. When superplasticiser was
used, it was added at the end of this period and mixing was continued for another two
minutes. Finally, the polystyrene aggregate was added gradually while the mixing
process was in progress. The mixing was continued until a uniform mixture was
obtained.

2.4 Testing of fresh concrete
Freshly mixed concrete mixtures were tested immediately after mixing for the unit
weight in accordance with the procedure given in the Australian Standard AS1012.
Table 2 summarizes the results for the mixtures obtained. As expected, the unit weight
for the concrete decreased as increasing amount of the normal weight coarse aggregate
was replaced with the lightweight polystyrene aggregate. When 70% of the coarse
aggregate volume was replaced with polystyrene aggregate, the unit weight was reduced
from 2375 to 1640 kg/m
3
for the concrete with the water to cement ratio of 0.42 (Series
A). Similar decreases in the unit weight were noted for the Series B mixtures (Table 2).
It was observed that when the polystyrene aggregate content was increased the fresh
concrete mix became rubbery, harsh, difficult to place and compact. Therefore, the use
of a workability aid, such as superplasticiser, was found to be essential for the concrete
mixtures with 50 and 70% of coarse aggregate replacements with polystyrene aggregate.

Table 2: Unit weight for the polystyrene aggregate concrete

Mixture
No.
Coarse aggregate
replacement (%) with
polystyrene aggregate
Polystyrene
aggregate
content (l/m
3
)
Unit weight
of concrete
(kg/m
3
)
A-0 0 0 2375
A-30 30 93 2065
A-50 50 155 1810
A-70 70 216 1640
B-0 0 0 2340
B-30 30 90 2005
B-50 50 150 1835
B-70 70 210 1605

2.5 Casting, curing and testing of concrete specimens
For each concrete mixture, twelve cylinders, 150mm diameter by 300mm high, and two
prisms, 75 by 75 by 285mm, were prepared in standard steel moulds. The cylinders were
used for the compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, drying shrinkage and
compressive creep tests. The prisms were used to determine the free drying shrinkage of
the concretes. A table vibrator was used to obtain full compaction in the moulded
specimens. The specimens were removed from their moulds 24 hours after casting and
were placed in water at 22" 2
o
C. The water-cured cylinders were tested for their
compressive strength and modulus of elasticity at the age of 28 days.
Both the shrinkage and the creep specimens were cured in water for 7 days at 22 +
2
o
C, and then stored in a controlled environment of 22" 2
o
C and 50" 5% R.H. during
the creep and shrinkage tests. For the creep test, 150mm diameter by 300mm high
cylinders were capped with cement mortar prior to the application of a uniaxial
compressive load in a specially designed creep-rig. The creep rig consisted of two
platens (one fixed and the other floating) held by three high tensile steel tie-rods. The
3
load was applied to the concrete specimens by means of a hydraulic jack placed
between the floating platen and a third steel plate at the upper end of the creep frame. A
calibrated load cell placed between the hydraulic jack and the fixed platen was used to
measure the applied load. The load was transmitted through a ball-seating device
placed between the top dummy block and the floating platen.
At the age of 28 days, two identical cylindrical specimens were mounted, one
above the other, with dummy cylinders and loaded in a creep rig to a stress level of
30% of their cylinder strength at the same age. The applied load was sustained for a
period of 150 days before unloading. The load intensity was maintained within 5%
variation by adjusting the load to compensate for the relaxation of load with time. In
addition, another two identical cylinders were used as unloaded companion specimens
to determine the drying shrinkage for the valuation of creep. The creep and shrinkage
strains were monitored over gauge lengths of 200mm with a demountable mechanical
strain gauge to the nearest 10 microstrain. At any time, four readings were taken on two
diametrically opposite position on each cylinder for creep and shrinkage and the
average values are reported here.

3. Results and Discussion

3.1 Workability of polystyrene aggregate concrete
Replacement of the coarse aggregate with polystyrene aggregate reduced the
workability of the concrete mixtures because of the increased surface area of the
aggregates. This was more pronounced in Series B mixtures due to a lower cement
paste content, resulting in a lower degree of compaction in the test specimens, which
partly contributed to the reduction in strength. In order to obtain workable mixtures
with larger quantities of polystyrene aggregate, superplasticiser is needed as the
experience from this study has shown.

3.2 Unit weight, compressive strength and modulus of elasticity
Table 3 summarizes the results of unit weight, compressive strength and modulus of
elasticity determinations for the concrete mixtures studied. Fig. 1 shows the relative
reductions in density, elastic strain, strength and modulus as the functions of unit
weight. The results indicate that the replacement of the normal weight coarse aggregate
with polystyrene aggregate caused the compressive strength and the modulus of
elasticity of concrete to decrease more significantly than density. The compressive
strength is found to be more sensitive to the change in unit weight of concrete than the
modulus of elasticity. For the mixtures with the cement content of 545kg/m
3
(Series A),
30% replacement of coarse aggregate with polystyrene aggregate resulted in 13%
reduction in the unit weight, which caused 44% and 41% reductions in the compressive
strength and the modulus of elasticity, respectively. When the coarse aggregate
replacement was increased to 70%, the corresponding reductions in the unit weight,
strength and modulus were 31, 76, and 67%, respectively.
Similar results are observed for Series B concrete mixtures with the cement content
of 410kg/m
3
. It was found that the reductions in the unit weight with the increase in the
coarse aggregate replacement level were the similar in trend for both series of mixtures.
However, the strength reductions for Series B concretes with the lower cement content
of 410 kg/m
3
were more than those for Series A concretes with the cement content of
540 kg/m
3
, as seen from Table 3.

4
Table 3: Effect of unit weight on strength and elastic modulus of concrete

Mix
No.
Unit
weight
(kg/m3)
28-day
strength
(MPa)
Modulus of
elasticity
(GPa)
Relative
Unit weight
(%)
Relative
strength
(%)
Relative
Modulus
(%)
A-00 2375 57.5 34.7 100 100 100
A-30 2065 32.2 20.3 87 56 59
A-50 1810 20.2 13.3 76 35 38
A-70 1640 13.8 11.4 69 24 33
B-00 2340 43.0 25.6 100 100 100
B-30 2005 21.3 17.1 86 50 67
B-50 1835 12.1 11.6 78 28 45
B-70 1605 8.8 10.0 69 20 39
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1400 1600 1800 2000 2200 2400
Unit weight - kg/m3
Modulus
Elastic strain
Density
Strength

Figure 1: Effect of unit weight on density, compressive strength, elastic strain and
modulus of elasticity for and polystyrene aggregate concrete
(cement content = 410 kg/m
3
)

3.3 Drying shrinkage
The results of the drying shrinkage tests are presented in Figures 2 and 3. The drying
shrinkage of concrete increased gradually with a decreasing rate, due to the reduction in
the drying rate with time. The specimens made from cement rich concrete mixtures
(Series A) showed higher shrinkage than those made from concrete of lower cement
content (Series B). The drying shrinkage after 240 days of drying was 720 microstrain
for the reference concrete in Series A compared to 625 microstrain for the reference
concrete in Series B. This could be due to the lower aggregate content and higher water
content in the Series B mix.
For both Series of test, the results showed that when the normal weight coarse
aggregate particles are partially replaced by the lightweight low modulus polystyrene
5
aggregate, the drying shrinkage of concrete was increased. When 70% of coarse
aggregate was replaced with polystyrene aggregate, the 240-day shrinkage was
increased to 1000 microstrain for Series A concrete and to 880 microstrain to Series B
concrete. In relative term, the shrinkage values for polystyrene aggregate concrete were
increased by 39 and 40%, for Series A and B, respectively, when compared with those
for the corresponding reference concretes. This increase could be due to the low
stiffness and compressibility of the polystyrene aggregate particles and to the reduction
in the amount of rigid coarse aggregate particles.

0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
-6
0 50 100 150 200 250
Drying time - days
A-70
A-50
A-30
A-0

Figure 2: Development of drying shrinkage with time for polystyrene aggregate
concrete (Series A: Cement content 540 kg/m
3
)

0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
0 50 100 150 200 250
Drying time - days
B-70
B-50
B-30
B-0

Figure 3: Development of drying shrinkage with time for polystyrene aggregate
concrete (Series B : Cement content 410 kg/m
3
)

3.3 Instantaneous Strains on Loading
When the creep specimens were loaded to the required loads, the strains immediately
after loading (instantaneous strains) were measured in the direction of loading, using a
demec mechanical strain gauge over 200 mm gauge length on the specimens. Since the
measurements took about 15 to 30 minutes, the measured instantaneous strains likely to
6
include creep strain. In order to estimate the elastic strains on loading, plots of the creep
(specific creep) against ln (t + 1), where t is the time after loading, were used. From the
intercept with the y-axis, the elstic straains were estimated.

Table 4: Instantaneous strain on loading for creep specimens

Mix
No.
Applied
sustained
stress
(MPa)
Measured
instantaneous
strain
(microstrains)
Estimated
elastic strain
(microstrains)
Measured /
Estimated
strain
A-00 17.3 520 550 0.95
A-30 9.69 470 480 0.97
A-50 6.08 450 440 1.02
A-70 4.13 350 350 1.00
B-00 12.9 550 550 1.00
B-30 6.38 370 360 1.03
B-50 4.55? (3.63) 260 240 1.08
B-70 2.64 260 240 1.08

Table 4 compares the estimated elastic strain to the measured instantaneous
strain. The results show good agreement between these two strains, thus indicating that
the required level of loading (30% of the strength) for the creep specimens was
accomplished without any significant period of delay.

0
200
400
600
800
1000
0 50 100 150 200
Time under load - days
A-0
A-30
A-50
A-70

Figure 4: Development of compressive creep for polystyrene aggregate concrete
(Series A: cement content 540 kg/m
3
)

3.4 Creep of polystyrene aggregate concrete
Figures 4 and 5 show the development of compressive creep with time under load for
the concrete specimens from Series A and B concrete mixtures, respectively. The
reference concrete specimens had the largest initial creep rate due to higher sustained
load applied. When the creep results are plotted in relation to the applied stress (ie.
7
specific creep) as in Figure 6, the reference concretes showed significantly lower creep
rate when compared to polystyrene aggregate concrete. In addition, the initial creep rate
increased with the increase in the polystyrene aggregate content. The higher creep
potential for polystyrene aggregate concrete is partly due to the inability of the low
modulus polystyrene aggregate particles to restrain the creep of the cement paste
matrix. Furthermore, the polystyrene aggregate particles are subjected to time-
dependent volume changes because of their compressibility.

Table 5: Creep and shrinkage for polystyrene aggregate concrete after 150 days

Mixture
No.
Creep
strain
10
-6

Creep
coefficient
Specific
creep
10
-6
/MPa
Drying
shrinkage
10
-6

A-00 815 1.57 47.2 390
A-30 740 1.55 76.3 340
A-50 800 1.75 131.6 420
A-70 660 1.89 159.7 400
B-00 665 1.21 51.6 330
B-30 570 1.52 89.3 330
B-50 575 1.96 126.5 330
B-70 545 2.07 206.5 410
0
250
500
750
1000
0
50 100 150 200
Time under load - days
B-0
B-30
B-50
B-70

Figure 5: Development of compressive creep for polystyrene aggregate concrete
(Series B: cement content 410 kg/m
3
)

Figure 6 also shows that creep rate decreased at much faster rate for reference
concretes tha the ploystyrene concrete, indicating the poor restraining ability of the
polystyrene aggregate to the volume changes of cement paste. For the concrete with
70% coarse aggregate replaced with polystyrene aggregate, the creep rate was
significantly higher even after 150days under the sustained load.
The creep coefficients (creep strain / instantanoeus strain) shown in Table 6
indicate that the polystyrene aggregate concrete shows a creep potential compared to
the reference concretes. The 150-day creep coefficient for polystyrene aggregate
8
concrete in the density range of 1600 to 2000 kg/m
3
was between 1.43 and 2.07 for the
concrete with the cement content of 410 kg/m
3
. With cement content of 540 kg/m
3
, the
creep coefficient ranged between 1.55 and 1.89.
Fig. 6 shows the development of specific creep for the concretes in both Series A
and B. The specific creep for the polystyrene aggregate concrete increased with the
decrease in the density of concrete. For 1600 kg/m
3
concrete, the increase in specific
creep after 150 days are 3.00 (Series A) to 4.26 (Series B) times those for the
corresponding reference concrete. Fig. 6 also indicates the differences between the rate
of creep for the normal weight and the polystyrene aggregate concretes. It can be seen
that the creep rate of the normal weight concrete drops faster with time than that of the
polystyrene aggregate concretes.

0
50
100
150
200
250
0 50 100 150 200
Time under load - days
A-0
B-0
A-30
B-30
B-50
A-50
A-70
B-70

Figure 6: Specific creep of polystyrene aggregate concrete

3.5 Ultimate creep
The ultimate creep strains for the polystyrene aggregate concrete were predicted using
the Ross hyperbolic expression.

c ( t , t
0
) $
( t % t
0
)
A & B ( t % t
0
)

where, t
o
and t are age at loading and age of concrete, respectively; and A and B are
constants.
The ultimate creep was obtained from a plot of ( against ( and
Table 6 shows the values of the constants A and B . A mean value of 137 for A/B was
obtained by Ross (4) and a value of 100 has been used to allow for the discrepancies at
early ages. For the polystyrene aggregate concrete a mean value of 50 was obtained
which is higher than the value of 29 obtained by Ross (4) for short period of loading (t
180 days).
t % t
0
) / c ( t , t
0
) t % t
0
)
'




9
Table 6: Constant for ultimate creep prediction

Mix
No.
A
(x 10
-2
)
B
(x 10
-3
)
A / B Coefficient of
determination R
2

A-0 2.9086 1.0346 28.1 0.994
A-30 4.2501 1.1101 38.3 0.993
A-50 4.3306 0.9874 43.9 0.992
A-70 5.2120 1.2102 43.1 0.987
B-0 5.9703 1.1395 52.4 0.982
B-30 7.7086 1.2608 61.1 0.985
B-50 6.0769 1.3866 43.8 0.981
B-70 8.9621 1.2528 71.5 0.973

Table 7: Estimated ultimate creep for polystyrene aggregate concrete

Mix
No.
Ultimate
creep 10
-6

Ultimate
creep
coefficient
Ultimate specific
creep
10
-6
/MPa
Relative
ultimate creep
coefficient.
A-0 970 1.84 56.02 1.00
A-30 900 1.90 93.25 1.03
A-50 1010 2.23 167.11 1.21
A-70 830 2.37 199.58 1.29
B-0 880 1.59 68.02 1.00
B-30 790 2.12 124.11 1.33
B-50 720 2.70 173.5 1.70
B-70 800 3.04 302.35 1.91

0
1
2
3
4
1400 1600 1800 2000 2200 2400
Concrete Density kg/m3
Ultimate Creep Coefficient
150D Creep Coefficient
90D Creep Coefficient
Figure 7: Creep coefficient of polystyrene aggregate concrete
(Series B: cement content 410kg/m
3



10
11
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
3.
4.
Table 7 shows that the ultimate creep values of the polystyrene aggregate concretes
are of the same magnitude as that of the normal weight concrete. It also shows that the
creep coefficients of polystyrene aggregate concretes increase with decreasing concrete
density and that they are higher than those of the normal weight concrete.
Fig. 7 shows the relation between creep coefficient and concrete density. It can be
noted that for the polystyrene aggregate concrete the difference between the creep
coefficient after 150 days under load and the ultimate creep coefficient is much larger
and the difference increases as the density reduces. Therefore, the creep of polystyrene
aggregate concrete would extend over a longer period than the normal aggregate
concrete under similar conditions. However, because of their high creep rate the
limiting creep may be attained within the same time as the normal weight concrete.

4. Conclusion
Partial replacement of normal weight coarse aggregate with polystyrene aggregate
changed the concrete properties in the following ways: unit weight, compressive strength
and modulus of elasticty were reduced depending on the level of replacement.
Compressive strength is more sensitive to the change in the unit weight than the modulus
of elasticity.
Drying shrinkage and creep are significantly increased if the polystyrene aggregate
content is significant.
The rate of creep for the polystyrene aggregate concrete with the density of about 1600
kg/m
3
is significant even after 150 days of loading.
Ultimate creep for polystyrene aggregate concrete are of the same magnitude as the
normal weight concrete, since the ultimate creep coefficient ranged from 1.90 to 3.04,
which is within the same range (2.00 to 5.00) for normal weight concrete.

5. Reference
1. B. A. Sabaa, and R. Sri Ravindrarajah, Properties of semi-structural concrete
incorporating expanded polystyrene aggregate, Proc. Of the 19
th
Conference on
Our World in Concrete & Structures, Singapore, Aug. 1994, pp. 197-202.
2. R. Sri Ravindrarajah, and A. J. Tuck, The Int.. J. of Cem. Comp., 16, 273 (1994).
R. Sri Ravindrarajah, and B., Durability of polystyrene concrete due to internal
sulphate attack, Proceedings of the 6
th
RILEM International Conference on
Durability of Building Materials and Components, Omiya, Japan, 1993, E&FN
Spon, pp. 316-325
A. D. Ross, The Structural Engineer, 15, 314 (1937).