Effects of aggregate size on the mechanical properties of lightweight concrete (LC) were investigated. Four gradings of lightweight aggregate (LWA) were designed and used to prepare the specimens for compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and flexural strength tests. An estimating method for compressive strength of LC was then established. The compressive strength of tested LC was up to 95 MPa at 90-day curing time. The test results suggested that the absence of medium-size particles decreased the compaction of LC, therefore the density and compressive strength were negatively affected. Specimens having single size of aggregate showed lower splitting tensile and flexural strengths than that having three sizes of LWA. The parameters of the estimating model were determined according to the test results, and the compressive strength predictions of estimation model were compared with the results from other literature.

The impact of carbon and polypropylene fibers in both single and hybrid forms on the properties of lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC), including the slump, density, segregation resistance, compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, and compressive stress–strain behavior, were experimentally investigated. The toughness ratio and ductility index were introduced for quantitatively evaluating the energy-absorbing capacity and post-peak ductility. A positive synergistic effect of hybrid carbon and polypropylene fibers was obtained in terms of higher tensile strength, toughness, and ductility. The toughness ratio and ductility index of hybrid fiber-reinforced LWAC were increased by 26%–37% and 12%–27% compared with plain LWAC, respectively. The fiber in both single and hybrid forms had a smaller effect on the linearity ascending branch of the stress–strain curves, whereas the post-peak patterns in terms of the toughness and ductility for the hybrid fiber-reinforced LWAC were significantly improved when the fiber in hybrid form.

Nine beams reinforced with glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars and one reinforced with steel rebars fabricated using high-strength lightweight aggregate concrete (HSLC) were tested under four-point bending with different steel fiber contents, reinforcement ratios, and bar diameters to investigate their flexural strength and serviceability performance. The test results showed that specimens with steel fibers exhibited a lower deflection and a higher load-carrying capacity. The reinforcement ratio significantly affected serviceability performance, but bar diameter had a marginal effect. Generally, at service-load levels, the specimens exhibited acceptable midspan deflections but greater crack widths compared to the limits recommended by the codes. The experimental ultimate strengths, midspan deflections, and crack widths were used to assess the accuracy of prediction equations in standards in the US, China, and Canada. Rational deflection models for GFRP-reinforced normal weight concrete (NWC) beams were proposed based on the results from the available literature and were modified by introducing two correction factors of 0.85 and 1.35 for the GFRP-reinforced lightweight aggregate concrete (LC) and steel fiber-reinforced lightweight aggregate concrete (SFLC) beams, respectively.

A one-fifth scale, two-story, two-bay reinforced lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC) frame subjected to quasi-static cyclical loading was analyzed to investigate the seismic behavior of this innovative system, primarily focusing on the failure modes, plastic hinge mechanism, load-deformation response, skeleton curves, stiffness degradation and energy dissipation capability. Overall, the test demonstrates that the LWAC frame meets the requirement of a “strong-column and weak-beam, strong-joint and weak-member” design criteria, exhibiting a mixed failure mechanisms consisting of both the beam hinge mechanism and column hinge mechanism. The former was the predominant failure mechanism and was fully developed after reaching the peak load point, while the latter was the inevitable result in the final failure of the LWAC frame. The fatter hysteretic loop and the displacement ductility factor Δ u / Δ y of 3.49 observed from LWAC frame indicate excellent energy dissipation and reliable displacement ductility capability, which are comparable to those of NWC frames. The test data observed in this study can provide theoretical guidance for the application of LWAC frames in seismic regions.