Structural Behavior of Reinforced Lightweight Concrete Beams made of Recycled Wood Aggregates

This research includes the study of structural behavior of sustainable lightweight reinforced concrete beams with waste wood particles as aggregates. Wood particles of aggregate size have been used in variation with percentages (0%, 5%, 10%, and 15%) of the cement weight. The concrete produced becomes light weight reaching 1600 kg/m3 (33% reduction) The workability kept constant by controlling mix properties by a superplasticizer SP doses. Reference beams were made also for comparative purposes. Compressive strength ranged between 60 MPa for control samples to 30 MPa for 15% wood particle concrete and respective flexural strengths were 22 to 12 MPa. Twelve beams are molded of (100×150×900mm) dimension with different steel reinforcement ratio (ρ). Load-deflection relationships of beams were established. The effects of steel reinforcement ratio (ρ) on the displacement ductility of reinforced concrete beams were concluded. The lightweight beams have a softer response in terms of structural behavior, with more ductility than those made by reference concretes. These findings provide encouragement to use the wood particles lightweight concrete in structures. However, durability remains the main concern. The concrete should be protected from severe exposure and humidity. Therefore, it is recommended to be used in indoor exposure.