Quality of heavy bricks with addition of pre-expanded polystyrene beads (EPS)

Abstract

Zoquite company, which is in the city of Guanajuato, in one of its facets, is dedicated to the production of vibrocompressed, being the bricks the best seller, whether light or heavy, whose main difference is the stone supplies, which for the former is made by pumice and the seconds by sand. In this research, sand-bricks were developed with a water-cement ratio of 0.5 and a Portland cement-sand ratio of 1:3 as a mortar type I, in which the sand was replaced by EPS with a 0.5 mm of nominal diameter in 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 percent by volume. After guaranteeing the quality of the material supplies through the laboratory tests and in accordance with the EPS technical sheet, heavy blocks were made and cured in the curing chamber of the University of Guanajuato, and then they were characterized in accordance with the NMX and with the ASTM standards. With the results, it was concluded that the mixing water has a marked effect on absorptions and contraction since its rationing is carried out considering the need for water for accommodation by vibrocompression and not so much for hydration of the Portland cement, likewise, the mechanical properties of the blocks increased until all cases reach the greatest values at 28 days of curing, with 11.42 MPa of simple compression resistance for the control blocks, whose value increased for the addition of 10, 20 and 30% EPS. Likewise, the modulus of rupture also is positively influenced by the addition of EPS.