PROPERTIES OF POLYSTYRENE CONCRETE BRICKS WITH
SILICA FUME
John Kho Han Shyan
A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of
the degree of Bachelor of Engineering with Honours
(Civil Engineering)
Faculty of Engineering
UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SARAWAK
2009
UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SARAWAK
BORANG PENGESAHAN STATUS TESIS
JUDUL: PROPERTIES OF POLYSTYRENE CONCRETE BRICKS WITH
SILICA FUME
SESI PENGAJIAN :2008/2009
Saya, JOHN KHO HAN SHYAN
(HURUF BESAR)
mengaku membenarkan tesis * ini disimpan di Pusat Khidmat Maklumat Akademik,
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak dengan syarat-syarat kegunaan seperti berikut:
1. Tesis adalah hakmilik Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.
2. Pusat Khidmat Maklumat Akademik, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak dibenarkan membuat
salinan untuk tujuan pengajian sahaja.
3. Membuat pendigitan untuk membanguankan Pangkalan Data Kandungan Tempatan.
4. Pusat Khidmat Maklumat Akademik, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak dibenarkan membuat
salinan tesis ini sebagai bahan pertukaran antara institusi pengajian tinggi.
5. ** Sila tandakan (√) di kotak yang berkenaan.
SULIT (Mengandungi maklumat yand berdarjah keselamatan atau kepentingan Malaysia
seperti yang termaktub di dalam AKTA RAHSIA RASMI 1972).
TERHAD (Mengandungi maklumat TERHAD yang telah ditentukan oleh organisasi/badan di
mana penyelidikan dijalankan).
TIDAK TERHAD
Disahkan oleh
______________________ ______________________ (TANDATANGAN PENULIS) (TANDATANGAN PENYELIA)
Alamat tetap: No. 65, Lorong 5, Ms. Idawati Ismail
Jalan Resak, Nama Penyelia
93300 Kuching,
Sarawak.
Tarikh: _______________ Tarikh: _______________
CATATAN * Tesis dimaksudkan sebagai tesis bagi Ijazah Doktor Falsafah, Sarjana dan Sarjana Muda
** Jika tesis ini SULIT dan TERHAD, sila lampirkan surat daripada pihak berkuasa/organisasi
berkenaan dengan menyatakan sekali sebab dan tempoh tesis ini perlu dikelaskan sebagai
SULIT dan TERHAD.
The following Final Year Project report:
Title : Properties of Polystyrene Concrete Bricks with Silica Fume
Name : John Kho Han Shyan
Matric No. : 14215
had been read and approved by:
…………………………….. ……………………..
Ms. Idawati Ismail Date
Supervisor
ii
Dedicated to my beloved parents, my dearest siblings and Jacqueline Lam
who had give me strength to carry on.
iii
AKNOWLEDGEMENT
First of all, a sincere appreciation goes to my supervisor, Ms. Idawati Ismail for her
enthusiastic guidance, invaluable help and advice in conducting my study. Her numerous
comments, critisms and suggestions during the preparation of this study are gratefully
acknowledged.
I also would like to thanks the technician of Civil Engineering Laboratory who helped
me a lot in my laboratory works, especially Mr. Nur Adha Abdul Wahab.
Cooperation from all the staff of Faculty of Engineering is really appreciated.
Here, I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to my family
for supporting me in my study. Without their loves and encouragements, I may never
have overcome this long journey in my studies.
Last but not least, acknowledgement also goes to my friends and those who had helping
me in my study. Their advices and supports to me has been a great encouragement for
me to successfully complete my final year project.
iv
ABSTRAK
Laporan projek ini menunjukkan keputusan eksperimen penyelidikan ke atas sifat bata-
bata konkrit yang mengandungi biji-bijian polistirena padat dan wasap silika. Dalam
kajian ini, konkrit polistirena yang ringan dapat dihasilkan dengan mengantikan
sebahagian agregat kecil dengan bahan lain. Biji-bijian polistirena padat digunakan
sebagai agregat ringan bagi pengantian pasir. Tambahan pula, simen digantikan sebagai
wasap silika supaya meningkatkan sifat konkrit. Sejumlah 216 bata disediakan untuk
kajian ini. Tujuan utama projek ini adalah mengkaji sifat bata-bata konkrit polistirena
seperti kekuatan mampatan, berat dan kepadatan, peyerapan air, hakisan sulfat, hakisan
air laut, dan akhirnya pengembangan dan pengecutan bata-bata konkrit polistrena.
Sampel-sampel dikaji dalam empat keadaan seperti keadaan makmal, air paip, air laut, 5%
asid sulfurik. Sampel-sampel ini dibandingkan antara satu sama lain dengan mengguna
air paip sebagai sampel kawalan. Kajian ini mendapati bahawa bata-bata konkrit
polistirena adalah lemah dalam kekuatan mampatan, namun dengan kehadiran wasap
silika, kekuatan mampatan dapat ditingkatkan dan penyerapan air dapat dikurangkan.
Selain itu, terdapat juga perubahan sifat-sifat fizikal seperti warna dan dimensi. Kajian
ini menunjukkan bahawa sifat-sifat bata konkrit polistirena dipengaruhi oleh kandungan
wasap silika dan kandungan biji-bijian polistirena padat di dalam sampel. Kajian ini juga
menunjukkan kebolehan penggunaan bahan kitaran dalam industri pembinaan.
v
ABSTRACT
This project reports the results of experimental investigation on the properties of
concrete bricks containing expanded polystyrene beads and silica fume. In the study,
lightweight polystyrene concrete can be produced by partial replacement of fine
aggregate. Expanded polystyrene beads were used as lightweight aggregate for
replacement of sand. In addition, cement was partially replaced by silica fume in order
to improve the properties of concrete. A total of 216 samples of bricks were prepared for
this study. The main purpose of this project is to investigate the properties of polystyrene
concrete bricks such as the compressive strength, weight and density, water absorption,
sulphate attack, sea water attack and finally, expansion and contraction of polystyrene
concrete bricks. The samples were tested in four conditions such as laboratory condition,
tap water, sea water and 5% sulphuric acid. These samples were compared to each other
by taking tap water condition as control. It was found that the bricks have low
compressive strength with high water absorption but with presence of silica fume, the
strength was increased and the water absorption was decreased. There are also changes
in physical properties such as colour and dimension. The experimental study shows that
the properties of polystyrene concrete bricks were mainly influenced by the content of
silica fume and expanded polystyrene beads in the mix. This study also shows the
potential use of recycle materials in construction industry.
vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Pages
Dedication ii
Acknowledgement iii
Abstrak iv
Abstract v
Table of Content vi
List of Tables ix
List of Figures x
List of Equations xiii
List of Symbols xiv
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Problem Statements 2
1.3 Objectives 3
1.4 Scope of Study 3
1.5 Project Outline 4
1.6 Gantt Chart of Progress 6
CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction 7
2.2 Concrete 8
2.3 Admixture in Concrete 9
2.4 Silica Fume 10
2.5 Bricks 12
2.6 Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Beads in Concrete 14
2.7 Previous Researches 16
vii
2.7.1 Compressive Strength 16
2.7.2 Workability 18
2.7.3 Chemical Attack 18
2.7.4 Water Absorption 20
2.7.5 Weight and Density 21
2.8 Conclusion 21
CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction 22
3.2 Mixture Material 23
3.2.1 Cement 24
3.2.2 Sand 25
3.2.3 Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Bead 25
3.2.4 Silica Fume 26
3.2.5 Water 26
3.2.6 Superplasticizer 27
3.3 Equipments 28
3.3.1 Measuring Cylinder 28
3.3.2 Tamping Rod 29
3.3.3 Brick Mould 30
3.3.4 Ratio Box 30
3.3.5 Electronic Weighing Machine 31
3.3.6 Sieve Machine 32
3.3.7 Concrete Mixer 32
3.3.8 Slump Cone and Compacting Rod 33
3.4 Procedures of Preparation 34
3.5 Experimental 37
3.5.1 Workability Test (Slump Test) 37
3.5.2 Compressive Strength Test 38
3.5.3 Absorption Test 40
3.5.4 Weight and Density Test 42
viii
3.5.5 Dimension Test 42
3.5.6 Sea Water Attack 44
3.5.7 Sulphate/Acid Attack 45
3.6 Expected Problems 45
CHAPTER 4 RESULT AND ANAYSIS
4.1 Introduction 46
4.2 Sieve Anaysis 47
4.3 Workability 49
4.4 Compressive Strength 50
4.5 Dimension Test 53
4.6 Weight and Density 56
4.6.1 Laboratory Condition 57
4.6.2 Tap Water 59
4.6.3 Sea Water Resistance 61
4.6.4 Acid Resistance 63
4.7 Water Absorption Test 68
4.8 Correlation between Testing Conditions 70
4.9 Conclusion 77
CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Conclusion 78
5.2 Limitations 81
5.3 Recommendations 81
REFERENCES 82
APPENDIXES 86
ix
LIST OF TABLES
Table No. Pages
3.1 Ratio of materials in concrete mix 23
3.2 Materials replacement 23
3.3 Content of materials 24
3.4 Number of samples for each type of test 24
4.1 Sieve analysis 47
4.2 Standard sieve analysis for upper and lower limits
according to BS 882: 1992 48
4.3 Slump Height for each type of mix 50
4.4 Load bearing classification according to MS 76: 1972 52
4.5 Average dimension of bricks 54
4.6 Dimension of bricks according to MS 76: 1972 55
4.7 Dimension of bricks for reduction tolerance 56
4.8 Changes of weight and density of bricks 77
x
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure No. Pages
3.1 EPS waste 26
3.2 Cruched EPS waste 26
3.3 Superplasticizer 27
3.4 Measuring cylinder 29
3.5 Tamping rod 29
3.6 Brick moulds 30
3.7 Ratio box 31
3.8 Electronic weighing machine 31
3.9 Sieve machine 32
3.10 Concrete mixer 33
3.11 Slump cone and compacting rod 33
3.12 Measuring material 34
3.13 Concrete mixing in process 35
3.14 Pouring EPS beads into the mortar 35
3.15 Performing slump test 36
3.16 Placing the concrete into the mould 36
3.17 Curing the bricks in water tank 37
3.18 Measuring the slump 38
3.19 Compressive test machine 40
3.20 Tested bricks 40
3.21 Weighing the brick using electronic weighing machine 41
3.22 Measuring length of bricks 43
3.23 Measuring width of bricks 43
3.24 Measuring thickness of bricks 44
3.25 Bricks submerged in sea water 44
3.26 Bricks submerged in sulphuric acid 45
xi
4.1 Size distribution for sand and EPS 48
4.2 Development of compressive strength with age 52
4.3 Graph of compressive strength versus age 52
4.4 Measuring length of bricks 53
4.5 Measuring width of bricks 53
4.6 Measuring thickness of bricks 53
4.7 Relationship between density and time (Laboratory
condition) 58
4.8 Relationship between weight and density of different
samples after 12 weeks (Laboratory condition) 59
4.9 Relationship between density and time (Tap water) 60
4.10 Relationship between weight and density of different
samples after 12 weeks (Tap water) 61
4.11 Relationship between density and time (Sea water) 62
4.12 Relationship between weight and density with different
samples after 12 weeks (sea water) 63
4.13 Samples taken out from the acid 64
4.14(a) Sample A (before) 64
4.14(b) Sample A (after) 64
4.15(a) Sample B (before) 64
4.15(b) Sample B (after) 64
4.16(a) Sample C (before) 65
4.16(b) Sample C (after) 65
4.17(a) Sample D (before) 65
4.17(b) Sample D (after) 65
4.18(a) Sample E (before) 65
4.18(b) Sample E (after) 65
4.19(a) Sample F (before) 66
4.19(b) Sample F (after) 66
4.20 Relationship between density and time (Sulphuric acid) 67
4.21 Relationship between weight and density with different 68
xii
samples after 12 weeks observation (Sulphuric acid)
4.22 Relationship between water absorption and time 70
4.23 Relationship between density and time (Sample A) 71
4.24 Relationship between density and time (Sample B) 71
4.25 Relationship between density and time (Sample C) 72
4.26 Relationship between density and time (Sample D) 72
4.27 Relationship between density and time (Sample E) 73
4.28 Relationship between density and time (Sample F) 73
4.29 Density changes of each samples subjected to different
testing conditions 75
4.30 Compressive strength after 100 days in different condition 76
xiii
LIST OF EQUATIONS
Equation No. Pages
3.1 Compressive strength = ������� ����� ���� ���
������ ���� � ������ ����� 39
3.2 Percentage of water absorption = ������� ���
�� 41
3.3 Volume $ length �)� width �)� height �)� 42
3.4 Density = weight of brick �kg�
volume of brick �m3� 42
xiv
LIST OF SYMBOLS
m1 Wet brick weight
m2 Dry brick weight
N Newton
m meter
mm millimeter
kg kilogram
1
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
Concrete is a building material that is widely used in the construction field.
Concrete is produced by mixing cement and water with various inert materials such as
aggregates. The most commonly used inert materials are sand and gravel. As time goes
by, a lot of changes have been done to the proportion of concrete mix in order to
improve the performance of the hardened concrete.
Construction technology is growing in advance nowadays and many researches
have been conducted to replace the conventional material (cement, sand and gravel) with
waste material in partly or fully proportion. Solid wastes from daily lives and by-
products from industries which cannot be disposed or not properly managed will
consequence in environmental pollution. Therefore, using wastes such as expanded
polystyrene (EPS) to replace the aggregates can be an alternative way of waste
management and using industries by-product such as silica fume as supplementary
cementitious material.
2
1.2 Problem Statement
Nowadays, the amount of solid wastes such as polystyrene, plastic bags, bottles and
so forth are increasing drastically but the actions taken to manage the waste materials are
not effective. This directly affects the pollution to environment and may consequence in
health problem. Besides, industrial by-products such as silica fume, carbide, slag, fly ash
and others are also produced in large amount everyday. These by-products can be used
as admixture for concrete mix since the properties of the materials are essential to
improve the performance of concrete.
Furthermore, lightweight concrete bricks are very demanding nowadays. The usage
of lightweight concrete is very wide because eventually, it is much cheaper than
ordinary concrete. The self weight or density of the lightweight concrete is also one of
the main issues to be studied. Lightweight concrete is required to be light and possess
sufficient strength for its use. However, lightweight concrete strength level, workability
and durability are still below satisfactory level. Hence, further improvement is needed to
be done to produce lightweight concrete with desired properties.
This study is conducted to examine the ability of the wastes and by-products in
improving the strength, workability and durability of concrete. In addition, this study
may contribute to management of solid wastes and industries by-products in the future.
3
1.3 Objectives
Followings are objectives to be achieved in this study:-
i) To develop the concrete bricks mix which consists of EPS to replace partial
proportion of aggregates with gradually added percentage of silica fume.
ii) To determine the mechanical properties and durability of EPS concrete bricks
with silica fume.
1.4 Scope of study
This study focuses on investigating the properties of the proposal concrete mix of
high strength lightweight concrete. Among the properties investigated for were
compressive strength, and permeability for durability while maintaining the high
workability. Besides, the resistance of the concrete mix to the chemical attack will be
conducted in this study as well. In addition, the study will also consider the water-
cement ratio and the important role of the hydration process that produces hardened
concrete of higher strength and durability.
This study was conducted by replacing the fine aggregates with expanded
polystyrene (EPS) in partial proportion. EPS concrete is a lightweight, low strength
material with good energy-absorbing characteristic. Due to the light weight nature and
hydrophobic surface of EPS beads, EPS concrete is prone to segregation during casting
4
which results in poor workability and lower strength. The water is an important element
that might affect the strength of the hardened concrete. Therefore, wet expansion and dry
shrinkage were monitored.
In this study, silica fume was added to EPS concrete to improve the bond between
the EPS beads and cement paste and increased the compressive strength of EPS concrete.
The addition of silica fume was to improve the strength of the concrete. The purpose of
this study was to investigate the physical and mechanical properties of EPS concrete
bricks with silica fume. The physical properties investigated on the EPS concrete bricks
with silica fume were changes on the dimension and colour. On the other hand,
mechanical properties of EPS concrete bricks with silica fume such as workability,
compressive strength, weight and density, durability against chemical attack and sea
water attack, water absorption, and dimension would be determined. The test and
investigation of properties of concrete are according to the Malaysian Standard;
Specification for Bricks and Blocks of Fired Brickearth Clay or Shale Part 2, Metric
Units (MS 76: 1972).
1.5 Project Outline
This thesis consists of five chapters. Chapter 1 presents the general information
regarding the background, problem statement, objectives, scope of study and the project
outline. This chapter also outlines the duration and work progress of the project.
5
Chapter 2 provides the literature reviews on the different topics that are related to
this study. This chapter reviews on the materials properties and information of concrete.
This chapter also outlines the behavior of concrete with the lightweight aggregate such
as expanded polystyrene and silica fume as the cement replacement material.
Chapter 3 describes the methodology used to carry out this study. It provides
overall experimental program for the study. This chapter includes the procedures of the
preparing testing the samples. Proper methods and procedures are outlined in this
chapter as well.
Chapter 4 presents the results and discussion from the laboratory testing. This
chapter includes the properties of concrete bricks derived from the results obtained from
the laboratory testing. This chapter also includes the changes of physical properties of
the samples observed in the study.
Chapter 5 presents the conclusion of the major findings in this study and
recommendation for future work on the related topic to the present study. This chapter
also discuss about the limitations of faced in this study.
6
1.6 Gantt Chart of Progress
Activity/
Duration
JULY
2008
AUG
2008
SEPT
2008
OCT
2008
NOV
2008
DEC
2008
JAN
2009
FEB
2009
MAC
2009
APR
2009
May
2009
Literature
Review
Lab
Preparation.
Data
Collection.
Data Analysis
Report
Writing.
6
7
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
Concrete is one of the economical materials that can be easily obtained from the
industry for construction. Concrete is also stable and high strength material which is
produced by mixture of cement, aggregates and water, hence it is suitable to be used in
construction. Concrete brick is produced from the same method from a controlled
mixture of cement, aggregates and water. Concrete can be used for other purposes such
as manufacturing of concrete blocks for constructing concrete wall and even paving too.
There are certain measures to classify the concrete quality. The quality of concrete
must satisfy the performance requirement in its fresh state and also hardened state after
placing. The most important measure to determine the quality of concrete is the
compressive strength of the hardened concrete. When concrete is hardened, the concrete
should gain the satisfactory workability, durability and strength.
8
2.2 Concrete
Concrete is a controlled proportion mixture of cement, aggregates and water. A
normal concrete mixture generally takes 6 to 10 hours for setting and 1 to 2 days for
achieving a strength level (Mehta and Monteiro, 2006). Fresh concrete has good
workability if it can be formed, compacted and finished into its final shape and texture
with minimal effort and without segregation. Good workability is required to produce
concrete that is both economical and high in quality. Fully cured hardened concrete must
be strong enough to withstand the structural and service loads which applied to it and
must be durable to withstand the environmental exposure for which it is intended (Beall,
2004).
Concrete can be classified into three broad categories based on the unit weight.
Concrete containing natural sand and gravel or crushed rock aggregates, generally
weighing about 2400kg/m3 is called normal-weight concrete and it is commonly used for
structural purposes. Heavy weight concrete used for radiation shielding, is a concrete
produced from high-density aggregates and generally weighs more than 3200 kg/m3.
The term lightweight concrete is used for concrete that weighs less than 1800kg/m3. It is
produced by reducing the unit weight of concrete using natural or pyro-processed
aggregates with lower bulk density (Mehta and Monteiro, 2006).
Increment in the fineness of the Portland cement usually increases the early
strength of the concrete. It is due to higher surface area in contact with water of the
concrete which lead to a more rapid hydration (Neville, 2003). It is best to use fine
