Lightweight Concrete Foam

Foam concrete is a lightweight construction material that has honeycomb-shaped closed air cells within its structure. This material can be used in a wide range of applications such as precast blocks, lintels, hollow walls & floors. It requires no forming, can be placed in-situ & offers excellent thermal insulation properties.

Typical materials for this type of concrete include cement, pozzolanic additives, fine aggregate & water. It can also be supplemented with fly ash or white ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) to reduce the amount of cement needed. In addition, protein-based foaming agents such as Greenford & Kemilite PR can be added to the mix to produce a highly aerated mixture.

Air entraining agent is introduced by mixing the foaming agent with the cement, sand and water slurry in a concrete mixer. This results in the production of a concrete with a much lower density than normal concrete, resulting in a more energy efficient building. The foam concrete can be poured into shape, without the need for compaction or vibration and can be used to fill large areas such as foundations.

Foam concrete has good tensile strength and flexural strengths, but the compressive strength decreases with increasing densities. This can be explained by the fact that as the densities of foam concrete increases, the pore size becomes smaller. For this reason, it is important to choose the right foaming agent for this type of concrete.