STUDY OF PONTOON AND USING STYROFOAM AND FIBER GLASS AS ADDITIONAL MIXTURECIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENTPOLYTECHNIC KUCHING SARAWAK

ABSTRACTThis study is carried on to produce pontoon which is a lightweight concrete that able to float on water. The pontoon is made of cement and Styrofoam and fiber glass are added as additional material into the mixture. The fiber glass is used as bonding material in the mixture so the mix is strong and not fragile while the Styrofoam acts as the floating material for the pontoon.The main objective of this study is to produce pontoon that strong in compressive strength and able to float steadily on water. The mixture is mix in 3 type of mixture and each mixture is used to produce 1 test cube. Each of the cube will be test in compressive strength where each cube is test for 7 day strength. The result for the test, the higher the density of the mix, the higher the compressive strength of cube. The conclusion from the test is the test cube does not able to achieved the standard compressive strength for lightweight concrete which is 15-17kN/mm2, however the cube did not break such as the fail mod for normal concrete because of the Styrofoam physical characteristic is elastic. The produced pontoon is able to float on the water where the lower the density of the concrete, the higher the buoyancy of the concrete.Keyword: lightweight concrete, additional mixture, Styrofoam, fiber glass, pontoon.

INTRODUCTION

Concrete is a construction material that is used widely in construction application where the cement acts as the bonding material in preparation of concrete. The construction material which based on concrete fulfilled the characteristic of strength and the durability of concrete is better compare to other material such as wood and steel. The main ingredient for preparation of concrete is cement, aggregate and water.Cement is the main ingredient which acts as the bonding material between aggregate while aggregate is the reinforcing material that harden the mix which is largely used in the mixture and it also form 70% of the strength of the concrete.Water is the material that reacts with the cement powder to form hydrated cement that have the cohesive and sticky characteristic. The cement will be easy to stick to the aggregate and form a strong bond. The process of hydration will start immediately with the present of water and cement powder, the mix will eventually harden and form a new composite called concrete. The different usage of additional material in the mix with produce a high quality concrete or produce a specific characteristic of concrete that suited with the user.Concrete also can be mixed with additional material such as wood dust, fiber glass, Styrofoam and so on that have a different effect on the final production of the concrete. The study and the making of the product will able to produce a lightweight concrete that able to float on water. Styrofoam is an alternative ways to producing a lightweight concrete and reduce cost while fiber glass helps to strengthen the bond of the concrete mix so that final product is stronger and solid.S.G (Specific Gravity) is the density ratio between the material and sample. In this study, we use S.G to estimate and calculate the density of concrete mixture.

Formula Specific Gravity:

PROBLEM STATEMENT

1. To reduce the uses for cement by using Styrofoam and fiber glass as admixture

OBJECTIVE

1. To study the compressive strength of the lightweight concrete by adding Styrofoam and fiber glass as additional mixture.

2. Produce a pontoon that able to float on water by using Styrofoam and fiber glass.

SCOPE

1. This study is carried out to study the compressive strength of the lightweight concrete by using Styrofoam and fiber glass as admixture and not adding sand in the mix.

METHODOLOGY

The study is conduct to produce designed lightweight concrete sample. To achieve the objective of this study, the compressive strength test conducts when the age of the concrete is 7 day.

Chart 1.1 The methodology of work

Designing of concrete

In this study, the designing of the pontoon is based on the required density of lightweight concrete. The design is based on each of the material specific gravity where the design mix is shown in the table below.

MixSample(Age)DayDensity (KG/mm2)Water (KG)Cement (KG)Additional Material (KG)

PolystyreneFiber

1179186.512.50.20.3

2278716100.20.1

33780057.50.20.5

Table 1.1

Chart 1.1 The progress for work for the pontoon.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction to Concrete

According to Abdullah A. Siam (2007, 634) Concrete is a structural material that contains some simple elements but when mixed with water would form a rock like material. Concrete mix is comprised of coarse aggregates usually gravel, fine aggregates usually sand, cement, water, and any necessary additives. Concrete possesses many favorable properties as a structural material, among which are its high compressive strength and its property as a fire-resistant element to a considerable extent. The unfavorable properties include a relatively weak tensile strength as compared to its compressive strength and the ability to form cracks in unpredictable areas. With steel bars as internal reinforcement, the cracks can be controlled to some degree. Unlike other building materials such as steel and plastic, concrete is not a uniform material due to the fact that it contains a ratio of gravel and sand, thus failure mode or location of the failure is unpredictable..The strength of concrete is one of the important properties of concrete to provide a comprehensive picture of quality in relation to the concrete because force is directly related to the structure of hardened cement paste. Concrete strength also increases with age and increased strength continues for some time. However, the concrete at the age of 28 days were used as a measure of the strength. Increase the compressive strength of concrete is highly dependent on temperature and humidity during the process of hardening. Water-cement ratio is among the main factors that control the strength of concrete. Concrete strength is also very dependent on the way or preparation. For example, in the preparation of concrete, if there is a change of quality ingredients mixed or blended rate changes during the measurement, then it will cause the produced concrete strength will change just like concrete added with additional ingredients.

Additional Material

According to Sika Concrete Handbook (2013), concrete admixtures are liquids or powders which are added to the concrete during mixing in small quantities. Dosage is usually defined based on the cement content. Concrete admixtures have significant impact on the fresh and/or hardened concrete properties. Admixtures can act chemically and/or physically. Aggregates can occur naturally (fluvial or glacial), industrially produced like lightweight aggregates as well as recycled aggregates. For high-quality concrete they are cleaned and graded in industrial facilities by mechanical processes such as crushing, washing, screening and mixing together. Concrete aggregates should have a strong bond with the hardened cement paste, should not interfere with the cement hardening, and should not have negative effect on concrete durability.

Fiber

There are various types of fiber have been used in the concrete mix by considering the nature of the mechanical, physical and chemical properties. Generally, fiber materials are materials made of steel, glass, synthetic and natural materials that are available in various sizes and shapes. Fiber used in this study is fiber glass.Fiber glass is a fiber material made of very fine glass. It is used as a reinforcing agent in polymer products: which produces composite materials. Polymers such as fiber reinforced polymer (fiber-reinforced polymerase or FRP) or glass reinforced plastic (glass-reinforced plastic or GRP), more commonly known by the name of the fiber glass.Since ages, glass makers do tests with fiber glass, but mass production of glass fiber can only be done with the creation of a better machine tools. Voltage increases, the strength of a strong chemical resistance and excellent insulating properties. Fiber glass will be soft when experiencing temperatures above 400C. This fiber has high strength, low density, good electrical insulation and sound good conductor. But this fiber has a defect that it is not suitable for use to build bridges and airplane wings.

Types of Fiber Glass

Fiber glass contain different application based on each uses of the fiber its self. (P.V Vijay, 2007). The types of fiber are shown below:

Types of Fiber GlassUses

E-glassLess alkali content and is usually used in high quantities and properties of high mechanical. (Most used and cheap, mean E is the electric-grade)

Z-glassUsed in mortar and concrete through obstacles against alkaline attack

AR-glassContaining zirconium content that serves to resist the corrosion of action alkaline (AR means alkaline resistant)

C-glassUsed in applications requiring corrosion resistance against acid such as chemical applications

S-glassYield strength and high modulus applications (R mean force)

Low K-glassA fiber produced attempts to reduce the electrical properties of content in electronic applications and similar D-glass (Dielectric Glass)

Table 1.2: Types of Fiber Glass

Polystyrene (Styrofoam)

Styrofoam is composed of ninety-eight percent air, making it lightweight and buoyant. Styrofoam can be used under roads and other structures to prevent soil disturbances due to freezing and thawing. Polystyrene(PS) is a synthetic aromatic polymer made from the monomer styrene where can be solid or foamed. General purpose polystyrene is clear, hard, and rather brittle. It is an inexpensive resin per unit weight and it is a rather poor barrier to oxygen and water vapor and has a relatively low melting point. Polystyrene is one of the most widely usedplastics, the scale of its production being several billion kilograms per year. Polystyrene can be naturallytransparent, but can be colored with colorants. Uses include protective packaging (such as packing peanuts and CD andDVDcases), containers (such as "clamshells"), lids, bottles, trays, tumblers, and disposablecutleryPolystyrene is very slow tobiodegradeand is therefore a focus of controversy. It is often abundant as a form oflitterin the outdoor environment, particularly along shores and waterways, especially in its foam form.

Expanded Polystyrene Concrete (EPScrete)

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) concrete(also it known as EPScrete, EPS concrete or lightweight concrete) is a form ofconcreteknown for its light weight made from cement and EPS (Expanded Polystyrene). It is a popular material for use in environmentally "green" homes. It has been used as road bedding, in soil or geo-stabilization projects and as sub-grading for railroad track age.It is created by using small lightweightStyrofoamorEPSballs as an aggregate instead of the crushed stone that is used in regular concrete. It is not as strong as stone-based concrete mixes, but has other advantages such as increased thermal and sound insulation properties, easy shaping and formed by hand with sculpturing and construction tools.EPS concrete combines the construction ease of concrete with the thermal and hydro insulation properties of EPS and can be used for a very wide range of application where lighter loads or thermal insulation or both are desired.

Concrete Strength

The main factors affecting the strength of concrete are the number of voids left in concrete, more compressible and this phenomenon will reduce strength. Therefore, it is important to be compacted concrete as possible. Concrete strength also increases with age, but the rate increases is greatly affected by proper curing method. Preferably concrete stored in moist conditions to enable the cement hydration occurs well. BS1881: Part 111 (1985) noted that quality of concrete shall comply with the minimum force in accordance with the design and grade of concrete produced at the age of 7 days, 14 days and 28 days, one of the properties is the compressive strength of concrete strength.

Compressive Strength

Compressive strength is one of the most important aspects in determining the quality of a concrete, whether good or not. To achieve these goals and objectives, the concrete should be prepared carefully starting materials for concrete mixes up to during and after providing concrete free from any defects in a vacuum or a fine cavity. However, the mechanical properties such as strength of concrete are difficult to explain in detail. (A.M Neville, 2004)

Concrete can resist compression better than other forms of stress and generally in many cases, the compressive strength of concrete may be the most important. Compression test results can be used for control purposes and comparison. Compression testing on these cubes does not provide information about the strength of concrete directly but instead represent potential strength concrete mix when produced. However, these tests are useful and if interpreted correctly made and it can be used to determine the quality of concrete.

RESULT

The lightweight concrete compressive strength is using different for each 3 different mixture that made from 7 days before the test. The result from the compressive strength is recorded in Table 1.2.

Based on Table 1.2, each mix contains different compressive strength when tested to the compressing machine. It is shown that the first batch that has 918kg/m3 density having a higher compressive strength that the other 2. This is because the ratio of the material and the added additional material is suitable that cause the first cube is more reinforce and stronger that the other 2.

MixSampleAge(Day)Density(kg/m3)Weight(kg)Compressive Strength(kN)Compressive Strength(N/mm2)

1179183.102.30.10

2278712.9400

3378002.7000

Table 1.2: Result from the compressive strength

DISCUSSION

Based on observation, the fail mode occurred on the 3 test cube is shown in figure below.

Figure 4.1: One of the sample cube with the added Styrofoam and fiber glass as admixture.Based on observation, the failure mode happen on each cube does not differ on each other. It did not break like normal concrete due to present of Styrofoam that have elastic characteristic. All the tested cubes fail because of cracking and not the same as fail mode for normal concrete.CONCLUSION

From the study, the compressive strength of concrete using admixtures of Styrofoam and fiber glass cannot cope with the concrete compressive strength of the concrete is usually caused by the use of Styrofoam and fiber glass has no coarse aggregate.The optimum density of the mix in this study is the mix that has a density of 918 kg / m3 for concrete compressive strength is higher and more stable and buoyant force equal to the density of the mixture compared with 2 and 3. This lightweight concrete has a high ruggedness and not easily broken because of the fiber glass as a binder and also lightweight Styrofoam properties make it suitable for use in construction, such as pontoon, structural walls, concrete block and thermal insulation on the roof. This research is also little to raise awareness about recycling and reduce disposal Styrofoam.Overall, there are two objectives in this study. The first objective is to study the properties of lightweight concrete compressive strength by using Styrofoam and fiber glass as an additional material and adding sand into the mix. The first objective was not achieved due to the compressive strength of lightweight concrete produced does not meet the standards of lightweight concrete that is 15-17kN / mm2. Comparison between all concrete light that has been generated, the maximum compressive strength reaches only 0.10N / mm2 at 7 days of curing of the mix first, third sample. The second objective is to produce pontoon that can float on the water surface using Styrofoam and fiber glass. The second objective can be achieved in this study because the buoyancy of lightweight concrete is high.Overall conclusion of the study is; the lower the density of each concrete mix, the higher buoyancy of concrete cubes. But the higher the density of the concrete, the higher the compressive strength can be obtained on the concrete compression test.

REFERENCE

1. British Standard Institution (1983 a), Testing Concrete Part 116: Method for Determination of Compressive Strength of Concrete Cubes (BS1881) Ltd: London 2. Buku Sifat Konkrit by A.M. Neville (Penterjemah oleh: Abd Ghafar Abd Rahman dan ZuberHj. Din). A.M. Neville (1994) Sifat Konkrit Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. 3. American Concrete Institute, Detroit (1992), Specifications of Masonry Structures ACI 530.1-92/ASCE 6-92/TMS 602-92, Reference manual 4. C.H. Whitney, E.M. Robert (1981) Building Construction; Materials and Types of Construction Fifth Edition Short, W. Kinniburgh (1963) Lightweight Concrete C.R. Books 5. J. Aspdin(1918) Cement from Rock Quarrying for Cement Manufacture 6. D.J. Cook, Surrey University (1983) Expanded Polystyrene Concrete, Concrete Technology and Design, New Concrete Materials, Vol. 1, pp. 41-69 7. Surrey University (1983) FIP Manual of Lightweight of Lightweight Aggregate Concrete: Second Edition 8. BK. Marsh (1997) Design of Normal Concrete Mixes Second Edition, Construction Research Communications Ltd: UK

9. Shan Somayaji (2000) Civil Engineering MaterialSecond Edition, ISBN13: 9780130839060 10. M. Sidney, J.F Young, D. Darwid (1990) Concrete Second Edition.

11. Abdullah A. Siam (2007,634) Properties of Concrete Mixes with Waste Glass

12. Yuan Li (2008) Standardized Physical Property Testing of Self-consolidating Concrete (SCC).

13. Sika Concrete Handbook (2013), Dipl.-Ing. HTL Jrg Schlumpf, Sika Services AG, Dipl.-Ing. Bastian Bicher, Sika Services AG, Dipl.-Ing. Oliver Schwoon, Sika Services AG.