Reduction of the Carbon Footprint of Precast Columns by Combining Normal and Light Aggregate Concrete

To reduce the global emission of CO2 from the building industry, researchers, architects and manufacturers must consider new ways of constructing precast concrete buildings. Modern concrete columns and walls are not optimized to the applied load, and there is potential to save material. By creating a stronger column core and a lightweight concrete cover, it is possible to reduce the carbon footprint. A method is proposed to calculate such eccentrically loaded columns of two or more materials. The analytical method is developed for straight columns and columns with Entasis. Production of curved Entasis columns is possible by using textile molds due to the low mold pressure from the light aggregate concrete. Two column types are load tested to confirm the method. The CO2 emission is calculated for some column examples, and it shows that an optimized column geometry often leads to a reduced carbon footprint compared to regular columns. The concept is especially efficient for slender columns. Furthermore, the external light aggregate concrete layer ensures protection against fire if high-strength concrete is applied as the column core.

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