Grant: Engage Grants Program

Our infrastructure is in need of materials that are not only durable but ones that are also sustainable. Concrete is one such material that is widely used in the construction industry throughout the world. With the recent concerns with global warming and high levels of carbon di oxide emissions, the need to use high volumes of supplementary cementing materials (SCMs) is on the forefront. Also, various attempts have been made over the years to make concrete lighter in weight. Introduction of air or foam in concrete is one method to produce light weight concrete or cellular light weight concrete (CLC) and has been successfully used for years. However, CLC is generally used for non-structural applications. This proposed research project will aim at producing CLC with high volumes of fly-ash for use in light gauge steel wall construction. The CLC will have to be designed to meet some stringent specifications for strength, shrinkage, cracking and insulative properties.