In recent years, lightweight concrete has attracted many attention due to features such as light weight, thermal and sound insulation and adequate resistance to cold and heat.
At present, Liapur aggregates or expanded shale, which is produced by dry process in the horizontal rotary furnace, is one of the most important type of artificial aggregates that is widely used in the production of lightweight concrete. In this research, in order to determine the effect of diameters on specific gravity, water absorption and mechanical properties of Liapur aggregate, various experiments were carried out on three classes of liapur aggregates. Also, by combining liapur aggregates, sand and cement mortar and making specimens with volumetric percentages of 10-30 percent of lightweight aggregate and determining the single-axial compressive strength, the mechanical properties of composite materials have been investigated.
The results of the experiments indicate that the size of the diameters of the expanded shale aggregates is significant on the mechanical properties of the aggregates and concrete made from them.