Making Lightweight Concrete and Mortar by using Scoria instead of Sand

In this paper, the mechanical properties and workability of lightweight concrete and mortar made with a different percentage of scoria instead of sand (SIS) and different water-cement ratios and cement contents have been studied. In the first part, 0, 20, 30, & 40% SIS has applied to make lightweight concrete with 0.5, 0.55, & 0.60 water-cement ratio and 300, 350, 400 Kg/m3 cement content. The mechanical properties of the samples were measured and the best results were selected to make lightweight mortar using 0, 5, 10, 15, …, 100 % SIS in 0.55 water-cement ratio and 350 Kg/m3 cement content. The results indicate that the mixture with more than 40% SIS for concrete and 60% for mortar is defined as the lightweight mixture. Also due to larger water absorption of scoria, the mixture made with different percentages of scoria need larger water-cement ratio for suitable workability.