Osman, Mohamad Hairi (2023) Mechanical properties of expanded polystyrene beads - palm oil fuel ash concrete and its reinforced concrete beam performance. Doctoral thesis, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia.

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Abstract

Normal-weight concrete is the common material for constructing reinforced concrete (RC) beams. However, there is also a need for lighter, more efficient, and more environmentally-friendly RC beams to meet the current industrial demand. This study was conducted to develop RC beam using Palm Oil Fuel Ash (POFA) and Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) as substitutes for cement and sand respectively. This study explored the potential of incorporating EPS and POFA into the RC beams as a novel approach. POFA and EPS offer various benefits as sustainable materials, including affordability, renewability, and recyclability. POFA's pozzolanic properties make it suitable for inclusion in concrete, while EPS can potentially reduce concrete density as a structural element. EPS and POFA in concrete are limited from 10% to 30% replacement. Experiments and numerical simulation using finite element analysis (FEA) was conducted for the EPS-POFA RC beam. This study also investigated the mechanical properties of EPS-POFA concrete and its RC beam performance subjected to a three-point bending test. Experiments followed established standards and recommended methods, while numerical simulations utilized ABAQUS software for FEA analysis. The experiments measured parameters such as density, compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, and ultimate load capacity in the EPS-POFA RC beam. Some of these parameters served as inputs for the ABAQUS software. Results show that the presence of POFA in concrete improved the properties such as compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and ultimate load capacity of RC Beam. The performance of concrete containing 10% POFA and 10% EPS was comparable to that of normal concrete with a lower density and decreased crack width. Based on the finding and contribution, it is found that the new development of RC Beam has certain advantages that are lighter in mass, higher in strength and capacity, and also could reduce the crack width. To summarise, the RC beam consists of 10% POFA, and EPS is recommended due to the reduction structure self-weight with comparable performance

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