utilizing perlite as the primary aggregate. This guide provides some basic mix designs, which may be used as stated or as a starting point for your own custom mixes. Perlite lightweight concrete is used in many differentapplications. These include lightweight tile mortar, garden sculpture, decorative brick, gas-fireplace logs and floor fills. Some Perlite Concrete Applications Chimney Lining Statuary Floor Systems Tank Bases Fuel Tanks Tank Insulation Pool Base Tile Mortars Sound/Firewalls Underground Pipe DEFINITION: Flyash is defined in Cement and Concrete Terminology (ACI Committee 116) as “the finely divided residue resulting from the combustion of ground or powdered coal, which is transported from the firebox through the boiler by flue gases.” Flyash is a by-product of coal-fired electric generating plants. Flyash is one of three general types of coal combustion byproducts (CCBP’s). The use of these byproducts offers environmental advantages by diverting the material from the wastestream, reducing the energy investment in processing virgin materials, conserving virgin materials, and allaying pollution. Thirteen million tons of coal ash are produced in Texas each year. Eleven percent of this ash is used which is below the national average of 30 %. About 60 – 70% of central Texas suppliers offer flyash in ready-mix products. They will substitute flyash for 20 – 35% of the portland cement used to make their products. Fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) is concrete containing fibrous material which increases its structural integrity. It contains short discrete fibers that are uniformly distributed and randomly oriented. Fibers include steel fibers, glass fibers, synthetic fibers and natural fibers. Within these different fibers that character of fiberreinforced concrete changes with varying concretes, fiber materials, geometries, distribution, orientation and densities. Fibers are usually used in concrete to control cracking due to both plastic shrinkage and drying shrinkage. They also reduce the permeability of concrete and thus reduce bleeding of water. Some types of fibers produce greater impact, abrasion and shatter resistance in concrete. Generally fibers do not increase the flexural strength of concrete, and so cannot replace moment resisting or structural steel reinforcement. Indeed, some fibers actually reduce the strength of concrete The amount of fibers added to a concrete mix is expressed as a percentage of the total volume of the composite (concrete and fibers), termed volume fraction (Vf). Vf typically ranges from 0.1 to 3%. Aspect ratio (l/d) is calculated by dividing fiber length (l) by its diameter (d). Fibers with a non-circular cross section use an equivalent diameter for the calculation of aspect ratio Improve mix cohesion, improving pumpability over long distances Improve freeze-thaw resistance Improve resistance to explosive spalling in case of a severe fire Improve impact resistance Increase resistance to plastic shrinkage during curing Improve structural strength Reduce steel reinforcement requirements Improve ductility Reduce crack widths and control the crack widths tightly thus improve durability Improve impact & abrasion resistance Improve freeze-thaw resistance What Is polimer concrete ? Polymer concrete is a material made up of different types of aggregates adhered by polyester resins. This material's lightweight nature, and its practically zero percentage of water absorption guarantees complete watertightness. Furthermore, its stability toward the freezing-thawing cycles, its high resistance to most chemicals and shock, and its minimum wear from abrasion are other characteristics that make polymer concrete a high quality material. Composition In polymer concrete, thermosetting resins are used as the principal polymer component due to their high thermal stability and resistance to a wide variety of chemicals. Polymer concrete is also composed of aggregates that include silica, quartz, granite, limestone, and other high quality material. The aggregate must be of good quality, free of dust and other debris, and dry. Failure of these criteria can reduce the bond strength between the polymer binder and the aggregate. Uses * Polymer concrete may be used for new construction or repairing of old concrete. The adhesion properties of polymer concrete allow patching for both polymer and cementitious concretes. * The low permeability of polymer concrete allows it to be used in swimming pools, sewer pipes, drainage channels, electrolytic cells for base metal recovery, and other structures that contain liquids. It can also be used as a replacement for asphalt pavement, for higher durability and higher strength. Rapid curing at ambient temperatures High tensile, flexural, and compressive strengths Good adhesion to most surfaces Good long-term durability with respect to freeze and thaw cycles Low permeability to water and aggressive solutions Good chemical resistance Good resistance against corrosion Lightweight May be used in regular wood and steel formwork May be vibrated to fill voids in forms Allows use of regular form-release agents Dialectric Some safety issues arise out of the use of polymer concrete. The monomers can be volatile, combustible, and toxic. Initiators, which are used as catalysts, are combustible and harmful to human skin. The promoters and accelerators are also dangerousPolymer concretes also cost significantly more than conventional concrete. Plasticizers (UK = plasticisers) or dispersants are additives that increase the plasticity or fluidity of a material. The dominant applications are for plastics, especially polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The properties other materials are also improved when blended plasticizers including concrete, clays, and related products. Ester plasticizers Plasticizers used in PVC and other plastics are often based on esters of polycarboxylic acids with linear or branched aliphatic alcohols of moderate chain length. Plasticizers or water reducers, and superplasticizer or high range water reducers, are chemical admixtures that can be added to concrete mixtures to improve workability Plasticizers are also often used when pozzolanic ash is added to concrete to improve strength. This method of mix proportioning is especially popular when producing high-strength concrete and fiberreinforced concrete. Adding 1-2% plasticizer per unit weight of cement is usually sufficient. Adding an excessive amount of plasticizer will result in excessive segregation of concrete and is not advisable. Depending on the particular chemical used, use of too much plasticizer may result in a retarding effect Superplasticizers have generally been manufactured from sulfonated naphthalene condensate or sulfonated melamine formaldehyde, although newer products based on polycarboxylic ethers are now available. Traditional lignosulfonatebased plasticisers, naphthalene and melamine sulfonate -based superplasticisers disperse the flocculated cement particles through a mechanism of electrostatic repulsion Epoxy or polyepoxide is a thermosetting epoxide polymer that cures when mixed with a catalysing agent or 'hardener'. Most common epoxy resins are produced from epichlorohydrin and bisphenol-A. They have excellent adhesion, chemical and heat resistance, mechanical strength and electrical insulating properties extensive and include coatings, adhesives and composite materials such as those using carbon fiber and fiberglass reinforcements good-to-excellent mechanical properties and very good electrical insulating properties. Many properties of epoxies can be modified (for example silver-filled epoxies with good electrical conductivity are available, although epoxies are typically electrically insulating screed is a thin, top layer of material (traditionally sand and cement), poured in situ on top of the structural concrete or insulation, on top of which other finishing materials can be applied, or it can be left bare to achieve an effect similar to that in buildings by Tadao Ando. It is becoming more common to use "self levelling" poured screeds which use materials other than cement as their binder. Concrete has relatively high compressive strength, but significantly lower tensile strength, and as such is usually reinforced with materials that are strong in tension . Concrete has a very low coefficient of thermal expansion, and as it matures concrete shrinks The density of concrete varies, but is around 2,400 kg/m³ (150 pounds per cubic foot or 4,050 lb/yd³) The ultimate strength of concrete is influenced by the water-cementitious ratio (w/cm), the design constituents, and the mixing, placement and curing methods employed All concrete will crack independent of whether or not it has sufficient compressive strength. In fact, high Portland cement content mixtures can actually crack more readily due to increased hydration rate Cast-in-place concretes Decorative purpose Fiber Cement Green roof Building design White Topping Beams, drain tiles, piers, steps Post, Beam and Deck Pilasters and round column forms Brickledge application Hardscape < Pavers High Performance Admixtures Masonry Soil solidification Stucco < Tilt-up Insulating Concrete Form Motorways/roads, overpasses and parking structures Brick/block walls and bases for gates, fences and poles Building structure, fences and poles What is High Performance Concrete? High Performance Concrete is concrete designed to exceed the performance of ordinary concrete.