Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) application of Expanded Clay Aggregate (ECA) or Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate
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Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) application of Expanded Clay Aggregate (ECA) or Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate

Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) application of Expanded Clay Aggregate (ECA) or Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate

2018-05-14 00:55:14

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  • This presentation is to show the significance of using Expanded Clay Aggregate (ECA) in reinforced cement concrete.
  • A research was carried out at Building & Housing Research Center, which is the research center for Ministry of Housing in Iran.
  • The most significant way for constructing building in reinforced cement concrete is by using Expanded Clay Aggregate. This type of concrete was discovered in 1917.
  • In different countries of the world, lightweight aggregate has been produced and named differently and paid attention with increasing rate. In Iran, this aggregate is named ECA or manufactured aggregate. ECA is abbreviated form of light expanded clay aggregate
  • We will determine the compressive strength for Expanded Clay Aggregate (ECA) reinforced concrete while noting the advanced technology in producing reinforced concrete.
  • In the research carried out, it was found that using Expanded Clay Aggregate (ECA) in the construction of reinforced cement concrete structures, the structures tends to exhibit the following properties:?
  1. High compressive strength
  2. High Tensile strength 
  3. Lower bond strength of reinforcement to concrete
  4. High durability
  5. Resistance freezing and thawing 
  6. Great chemical resistance
  7. Reduce or no drying shrinkage
  8. Excellent thermal and acoustical properties.
  • Expanded Clay Aggregate (ECA) reinforced cement concrete like ordinary one can be prepared by mixing aggregate (ECA or ECA and Sand), cement and water.
  • In Expanded Clay Aggregate (ECA) reinforced concrete instead of using ordinary aggregates one uses ECA aggregate or ECA and ordinary sand. Heating wetted and formed clay soil at 1200 degree centigrade - 1300 degree centigrade in a kiln produces ECA aggregate.
  • In heating process, the gasses are produced, condensed, escaped from aggregate and finally causes voids inside aggregates.
  • Production of Expanded Clay Aggregate (ECA) is accomplished by different means. In India, they are produced by expansion of moist clay soil in a rotary kiln.
  • Substituting ordinary sand for some light fine aggregate results to increase the strength of concrete obtained. This increase of strength is noticeable with this reason:
    - Water absorption in light fine aggregates with angular and rough surface is more than in ordinary fine aggregate with round and smooth surface.
  • Results obtained from this study shows that making reinforced building components from lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate (ECA) concrete is possible
  • In fact it is more economical to use Expanded Clay Aggregate (ECA) reinforced cement concrete rather than ordinary reinforced concrete in constructing building since lighter weight of building also includes:
    - Easy transportation
    - Less reinforcement
    - Reduction in dimensions of foundation
  • With increasing density of Expanded Clay Aggregate (ECA) reinforced concrete it’s strength gets higher; this type of concrete is used for, retaining walls, slopping drainage and thermal resisting elements with low density (400-1000 Kg/m3), non-structural elements with medium density (1000-1300 Kg/m3) and load resisting structural elements with high density (1300-1800 Kg/m3).
  • Reinforced structural components made of Expanded Clay Aggregate (ECA) concrete have been used in America for the past fifty years.
  • Expanded Clay Aggregate (ECA) reinforced concrete with compressive strength of higher than 70.3 Kg/cm2 is considered usable in building construction. Expanded Clay Aggregate (ECA) reinforced concrete, comparing with other lightweight concrete, possesses a very high strength to density ratio.
  • Lightweight reinforced concrete can be used in making structural elements and save money, specially, in:
    - High-rise building
    - Building on a low strength soil
    - Where there are not sufficient coarse aggregate mines.

  • Expanded Clay Aggregate (ECA) reinforced concrete can be used also instead of ordinary concrete in making:
    - Casting concrete for making: bridges, buildings, roads.
    - Pre-casting: joists, walls in different sizes, floor and roof panels and other structural components.
    - Production of: hollow and solid blocks of load bearing and non-load bearing units.

- Gautam

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