Effect of Incorporating Foamed Glass on the Flexural Behaviour of Reinforced Concrete Beams

The flexural behaviour of concrete containing Foamed glass as partial replacement of coarse aggregate is investigated. The coarse aggregate was replaced with 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% Foamed glass. All other constituents were maintained the same. Reinforced concrete beams were cast using 2 bars of 8mm in diameter in the tensile zone. The density and compressive strength of concrete decreased as the percentage of Foamed glass in the concrete increased. The maximum flexural load and the load at which the first crack appears increased the presence of Foamed glass. However, there seems to be an improvement in the ductitily of the reinforced concrete beams for the majority of beams containing Foamed glass, in that the deflection at failure is noticeably higher than that of the control.