Dimensionamento de elementos estruturais em concreto leve
Resumen
The lightweight concrete for structural purposes is a material that has great potential for
application in various construction areas. Its main feature is the reduced density
compared to conventional concrete. This characteristic is a great advantage, since one of
the main shortcomings of conventional concrete is its heavy weight. Thus there is a
reduction in foundation loads, reduction in moving cost due to smaller weight, low
consumption cost of cement and, in some cases, improved thermal and acoustic
performance. However, despite the great potential application of lightweight concrete,
there is a lack of studies regarding the design criteria of elements made of this material
type. The lightweight concretes have different strength properties when compared to
conventional concrete, thus require special design criteria. As there is no specific
Brazilian standard, the design is taken to be similar to the design principles of
conventional concrete. In this context, the present study aims to evaluate design criteria
for lightweight concrete elements in compression, shear and bending available in national
and international standardization and specific technical literature. The study includes both
the analysis of the design criteria for the Ultimate Limit State (ULS) and for checking the
Limit State Service (LLS). Finally, cases are compared assessing beams, slabs and walls
on four different types of lightweight concrete, taking into account factors such as
material consumption, cost, weight and cement consumption.