, D. Nieves-Mendoza

Currently, the expanded polystyrene foam (EPS) is one of the industrial wastes that produces more pollution to the environment, since they do not break down or integrates to the nature. This paper presents the results of an experimental study on mechanical properties and corrosion effect with lightweight concrete with expanded polystyrene thermally modified (MEPS). The MEP received a heat-treatment maintaining the EPS in a hot air oven at 110 ºC for 10 minutes. 5 lightened concrete mixes were designed by replacing the gravel to the levels of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75 % and 100 % in volume by MEPS and a w/c ratio=0.65. The corrosion behavior was monitored for 105 days, under these conditions: 3.5 % NaCl at a temperature of 23 °C. It was used the electrochemical corrosion potentials (Ecorr) and resistance to linear polarization (Rp) techniques. Furthermore, the results were related to the technique of mechanical resistance (f'c), the ultrasonic pulse speed (VPU), and the capillary absorption coefficient (k). Under the conditions of this study it was observed a close relationship between the different techniques to infer the behavior of the lightweight concrete with MEPS, which determined that the concrete blocks lightened with the 75 and 100 % of MEPS presented mechanical resistances lower than 15 MPa, but enough to the provisions of the Mexican standard NMX-C-404-ONNCCE