Análise das propriedades de um concreto leve utilizando vermiculita expandida

Abstract

Civil construction is increasingly looking for constructive technologies for the best use of material in its buildings, and based on that, this work seeks to improve the understanding of lightweight aggregates for development of more efficient constructions. This research has the general objective of revealing the properties of using different proportions of a light fine aggregate, in this case using expanded vermiculite, in the making of lightweight concrete. One of the main benefits of using lightweight concrete is the reduction of the specific mass of the material, causing less stress in the structure and lowering the cost of transportation and production of precast structures. Expanded vermiculite is a fine aggregate of great importance due to its low specific mass and has several advantages in its uses in civil construction, some of which are high thermal and acoustic comfort. With that in mind, and with the growing number of researches aimed at understanding the characteristics of lightweight aggregates, the use of expanded vermiculite could move the job market more and more with increasingly efficient products and developing new construction techniques. The studies were performed at the laboratory of the University of Caxias do Sul - UCS, CARVI campus. This work aims to study the performance of specimens with a ratio of 1:2,36:2,64 with the addition of expanded vermiculite in defined replacement proportions to the fine aggregate (10%, 20%, 30%, 40% e 50%) comparing with a conventional reference concrete, understanding the performance of its properties. The results obtained through the test carried out in this work show that the replacement of the fine aggregate influences the properties of the concrete, due to its characteristics. The 40% replacement mix was the one that showed the best results, being classified as a lightweight concrete in four of the five standards studied. We can understand that the greater the replacement portion of sand, there is a decrease in performance in relation to conventional concrete, however even with 40% replacement, this trait can be considered as structural concrete. [resumo fornecido pelo autor]