A study on mechanical properties and durability of vermiculite concrete

Authors Details :
Kiran Kumar Narasimhan,
B Damodhara Reddy,
C.sasidhar

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Concrete is a material which is used in construction. Weight of concrete plays a major role in the construction industry. If the weight of the concrete is increased, it will pose more structural problems on the later date of construction. It also increases the cost of construction, without any specific benefit. So if lightweight concrete is used, it not only reduces cost of construction, but also not poses any structural problems unnecessarily. Light weight concrete also aids workers in smooth handling of materials. In this study, vermiculite in the form of exfoliated form is used to replace partially natural sand. By this action dead weight of the structure is reduced. Once the dead weight of structure is reduced, it in turn reduces cost of construction. In this study three mixes were casted with the cement content of 383 kg/m3 in M20 concrete and the water cement ratio of 0.45 is chosen. Vermiculite at 10%, 20% and 30% are choosing to partially replace the natural sand. The Tests conducted on concrete for evaluating mechanical properties include compressive strength and split tensile strength. For evaluating durability properties, tests like acid resistance, sulphate resistance, chlorine penetration and water absorption.