Drying shrinkage properties of expanded polystyrene (EPS) lightweight aggregate concrete: A review
Mehdi Maghfouri, Vahid Alimohammadi, Rishi Gupta, Mohammad Saberian, Pejman Azarsa, Mohammad Hashemi, Iman Asadi, Rajeev Roychand
Abstract
Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is currently being utilized in sustainable materials owing to its ultra-low density and superior thermal performance. It can be incorporated in concrete mixtures to replace coarse aggregate to produce lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC). Concerning the high shrinkage development in LWAC, the present study reviews the available published articles regarding the drying shrinkage of lightweight concretes containing expanded polystyrene. According to the previous studies, the drying shrinkage development in expanded polystyrene concrete (EPSC) has been reported to be greater than that in conventional concrete, which must be considered for its application in the construction industry. It is mainly attributed to the low elastic modulus and mechanical properties of the EPS. However, incorporating additives and fibers can improve its shrinkage resistance properties. A comprehensive comparison of drying shrinkage magnitude between various LWAC showed that the drying shrinkage strain of EPSC is not generally higher than other types of LWAC; however, the density of EPSC was measured lower than that in other types of lightweight aggregate concretes.