ABSTRACT
Lightweight concrete is a building material with a density not exceeding 2000 kg/m 3 . Its structure is determined by the structure of the used components and manufacturing methods. The advantages of these building materials are their low density, good thermal insulation, frost resistance, high thermal resistance, and ease of use of blocks, which is due to their large size and low weight; also important is their wide range, which allows you to choose the optimal material composition suitable for operating conditions. 248In lightweight concrete production, pumice, along with binders, is one of the main components of their composition. Pumice, or porous volcanic glass, is formed during a volcanic eruption in conditions of strong lava boiling. These minerals are frothy, have a low volumetric weight, high porosity, and high toughness. All these properties make them valuable mineral raw materials that are mainly used as additives for lightweight concretes and hydraulic cements. Pumice is abundant in Georgia (more than 35 million m 3 ). The prospects for the use of these minerals are great, so the study of their physical and chemical properties is relevant and obligatory.
We studied six pumice samples from four different locations in the Javakheti region of Georgia (two Khulgumo samples, two Okami samples, one Modegami sample, and one Paravani sample). Chemical, X-ray diffractometric, infrared spectroscopic, petrographic, and granulometric methods were used for investigations. The chemical and mineralogical compositions of the analyzed samples, peculiarities of their structures, bulk and compacted samples’ volume masses, and their granulometric compositions were determined. The slags with the best properties will be recommended as additives for use in lightweight concrete production.
