Foam Cement

Foamed concrete is a type of lightweight cellular cement that is manufactured by adding foaming agents and synthetic aerated foam to a base slurry of water, Portland cement and fine sand. The slurry is then pumped into molds or a structure.

Applications

foam cement is used as a backfill for soft soils, underground voids and retaining walls to provide 100% compacted foundations. It can also be used to fill trenches and gullies, voids in basements and underground water storage tanks.

Lightweight structures, settlement free construction and adaptability to different strengths and densities make foam cement a versatile and cost effective solution for many building applications. It is also more durable and resistant to cracking and shrinkage than conventional concrete.

Stronger than standard concrete – but not as strong as mortar

The strength of foam cement is influenced by the composition of the mix, the foaming agent and the stabilizer. Typical cementitious materials include ordinary Portland cement, limestone and/or pulverized fly ash.

Increasing the water to cement ratio is often an effective method of enhancing the strength of foam concrete. However, the strength of FC slurry is more affected by the foaming agent and foam stabiliser.

The pore size distribution of FC slurry is more uneven than that of standard mortar slurry. The instability of bubbles caused by buoyancy, gravity, slurry pressure and internal pressure contributes to the uneven distribution of pore sizes. It is important to control this instability to enhance the strength of FC slurry.