SUBSTITUTION OF NATURAL COARSE AGGREGATE BY EXPANDED POLYSTYRENE: LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE

Abstract

The prevention of the extinction of nature, whatever the type, is found, in the case of civil construction, in the use of new methods as to how to build. One of the methods that I suggest in this scientific article is the replacement of coarse aggregate, commonly known as gravel, by expanded polystyrene (EPS) in the manufacture of concrete. It is no secret that concrete, manufactured in its popular form, is the most consumed product in many types of construction. The use of expanded polystyrene is quite suitable when not used as a structural element, due to its low resistance to comprehension in face of concrete popularly produced with drinking water, fine aggregate, coarse aggregate and Portland cement. However, using the expandable polystyrene as coarse aggregate, I obtained satisfactory results regarding the reduction of specific mass, thermal and acoustic insulation, besides a much better performance as capillary absorption.