Mechanical behavior of low density concrete mixtures with thermally expanded clay from the metropolitan area of Cúcuta Mechanical behavior of low density concrete mixtures with thermally expanded clay from the metropolitan area of Cúcuta Comportamiento mecánico de mezclas de concreto de baja densidad con arcilla expandida térmicamente del área metropolitana de

Abstract

In order to develop construction materials with greater efficiency and performance than conventional materials, mixtures of lightweight concrete (LWC) made from thermally expanded clay (TEC) have been generated. In this article we study the mechanical properties (equilibrium density, compressive strength) of the LWC mixtures produced with raw material from the metropolitan area of Cúcuta, contrasting their characteristics with conventional concrete (CC) mixtures. For this, the lightweight aggregates were developed by calcining clay pellets in a rotary kiln at a pilot plant scale at a temperature of 1050 ° C, generating an expansion of 1.60 times of its initial size. Following the methodology ACI 211.2-98 two concrete mixtures were designed: the first, with fine and coarse aggregate of TEC; and the second, with coarse aggregate of TEC and fine aggregate of sand. It was determined that the LWC mixture with the highest efficiency is the one that uses fine and coarse aggregate of TEC, since the density of the LWC decreased by 25% with respect to the density of the CC, maintaining the resistance to compression after 28 days Under the same conditions. In conclusion, LWC mixtures made from TEC with raw materials from the metropolitan area of Cúcuta have a lower equilibrium density and compressive strength similar to that of CC.