Advantages of Lightweight Concrete Foam

lightweight concrete foam is a unique material that is a mixture of cement and fine sand with a multitude of micro/macroscopic discrete air cells uniformly spread throughout the mixture.

It is a highly versatile material because of its high flowability, low self-weight, minimal consumption of aggregate, controlled low strength and excellent thermal insulation properties. It can be used in a variety of construction applications, and is gaining popularity for its many advantages.

The most important factor that determines the strength of foam concrete is the ratio of water and cement (w/c) & sand to cement ratio (s/c). These parameters are often adjusted with the addition of a super plasticizer.

Optimum w/c: This is determined by a number of factors, including the type of water and the dilution rate of a foaming agent that is then mixed into the mix. Foaming agents can be protein based or synthetic based.

Density: The density of a concrete mix is the amount of solid matter in kilograms per cubic meter. When comparing different mixes, the density is generally lower for foam concrete than for regular concrete because of its low self-weight and less volume of aggregate.

Consistency: The consistency of foamed concrete depends on the mixing and forming procedure as well as weathering conditions at the time of placement, and drying. The concrete is also affected by the quality of the water reducing agent and plasticizer, which are usually mixed with the foaming agent before being used.