Evaluation of the mixing mode effect on properties of cork concrete

This paper aims to present an experimental study on the effect of mixing mode on workability, hardened density and mechanical properties of cork concrete. Mixing mode variables include three order of constituents introduction, three times of mixing (5 minutes, 8 minutes and 11 minutes) and three types of mixer (vertical axis mixer, drum mixer and double whisk mixer). The cork concrete contained cement, sand, coarse aggregates, cork, water and superplasticizer). The cork concrete mixtures were obtained by replacing, in volume, 50% of mineral aggregates by their equivalents in size of cork granules. Results show that introducing cork granules first gives better properties in both fresh and hardened state. Increasing time of mixing till to 11minutes improves mixture homogeneity. However, 5minutes mixing allows better mechanical properties. By using drum mixer and double whisk mixer, several problems were observed. Thus, the vertical axis mixer is strongly recommended for this type of concrete.