Influences of Physical Properties of Pumice on Its Dry Unit Volume Weight and Thermal Conductivity

This study aimed to determine the influences of particle size and density of pumice on its dry unit volume weight (loose) values. The study also aimed to investigate the thermal conductivities of building blocks prepared using pumice samples having different specific gravities. For the tests, as-received pumice sample, obtained from Isparta province, Turkey, was classified in four different size fractions between 4.75 mm and 50 mm. Each sized pumice sample was subjected to laboratory scale float-sink tests in heavy medium liquids, prepared using zinc chloride (ZnCl2), between 1.2 g/cm3 and 1.8 g/cm3 in order to get pumice samples with different densities. The results showed that dry unit volume weight (loose) values of pumice samples varied depending on the density and particle size of pumice samples. The pumice samples having lower densities and bigger particle sizes displayed lower dry unit volume weight values, compared to those of higher densities and smaller particle sizes. The results also showed that building blocks prepared using pumice samples having lower densities provided better thermal conductivities than high-density pumice samples