A Study On Light Ceramsite Concrete In Bridge Paving

Light high performance (strength, workability and durability) concrete (LHPC) is one of the new research directions in concrete materials science. LHPC can reduce bridge weight, thus increasing bridge safety performance. In old bridge paving maintenance works, LHPC is the protection layer as well as the supporting layer; it thus must be strong, durable, water-proofing, and adaptable to temperature variations. This study examines the utilization of light ceramsite shale concrete in the old bridge paving renovation works.This study consists of three steps. Based on the available ceramsite shale, water-reducing materials, mixtures, via orthogonal design, it first examines how these variables may affect the strength of the concrete, and identifies the optimal mix proportion based on the strength of the shale concrete. The second step, through experiments, aims to produce a light shale concrete that can meet bridge paving construction work requirements such as strength and workability. The third step, based on the optimal mixing proportion derived in the early work, examines the contraction, anti-freezing ability, and durability of the light shale concrete. The experiments suggest that the designed light shale concrete can meet technique requirements of bridge paving and thus can be used in old bridge paving renovation works.The light ceramsite shale concrete, developed via experiments, has been used in an old bridge renovation works in Heibei province. It has successfully reduced the weight of the bridge, improved the transportation capacity of the bridge, and met technique requirements such as anti-freezing and durability.