Investigation of physical and mechanical properties of fresh lightweight concretes subjected to cold weather

Lightweight concretes have advantages such as being very light, providing heat and sound insulation and being more fire resistant than normal concrete. The lightweight properties of concretes produced with lightweight aggregate provide engineers with flexibility in the design phase. By reducing dead load in buildings, significant advantages such as reduced structural elements dimensions, less basement cost, heat and sound insulation performance and increased performance against seismic effects are obtained. However, since the physical and mechanical properties of concrete are directly related to the properties of aggregates in the concrete composition, lightweight aggregate concretes can sometimes be more negatively in terms of their elastic properties, even if they reach sufficient strength. In this study, lightweight concrete samples, produced with the one of the lightweight and natürel apgregeles of pumice obtainek from Bitlis province were subjected to frost effect in the fresh state. Prepared concrete samples were produced under fresh conditions and under normal conditions and they were exposed to different cold air temperature (0OC, -5OC, -10OC) under 4 different conditions. Concrete samples were produced with and without antifreeze additives used in case of exposed to frost effect. Fresh concrete samples exposed to cold weather conditions, after gaining the final strength on these samples; mechanical and physical properties such as compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, apparent density, apparent void ratio, capillary water absorption, capillarity, impermeability, and abrasion. This study reveals the resistance of cold pumice lightweight concrete to cold weather conditions. As the temperature decreased, the compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and abrasion resistance values decreased too. Under the same temperature effect, the use of antifreeze slow the decreases of compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and wear resistance.