Study on carbonation resistance of EPS concrete based on mix proportion design

Abstract

This paper presents a study on carbonization resistance of two mix proportions of EPS concrete with density of 1200kg/m3. Besides, the mechanism of carbonation resistance of EPS concrete is explained by SEM imaging. The results show that the carbonation resistance of EPS concrete increases obviously when mix proportion includes micro beads and silica fume, which results in carbonization depth decrease by 71.3% at 28 days. It is also found that micro beads and silica fume can reduce the harmful pores in the interface transition zone (ITZ) of EPS concrete, and enhance the compactness of cement matrix, leading to great improvement in carbonation resistance of EPS concrete. The research results of this study provide a potential reference for the selection of EPS concrete in engineering practice.