EABASSOC
LIGHTWEIGHT FOAMED CONCRETE
What is EABASSOC Lightweight Foamed Concrete?
EABASSOC Foamed Concrete is a lightweight, free
flowing material which is ideal for a wide range of
applications. It can have a range of dry densities, typically
from 400 kg/m3 to 1600 kg/m3 and a range of
compressive strengths, 1 N/mm2 to 15 N/mm2.
It can be placed easily, by pumping if necessary, and does
not require compaction, vibrating or levelling. It has
excellent resistance to water and frost, and provides a
high level of both sound and thermal insulation. It is very
versatile, since it can be tailored for optimum
performance and minimum cost by choice of a suitable
mix design
How is it made? What are its Advantages?
EABASSOC Foamed Concrete is made by • Does not settle, hence requires no compaction.
adding special foam to a cement mortar slurry. • Lightweight…does not impose large loadings.
This foam is made from EABASSOC • Free flowing…spreads to fill all voids.
Concrete Foaming Agent. This is a highly • Excellent load spreading characteristics.
concentrated, highly efficient, low dosage • Once placed requires no maintenance.
liquid, which is fed, with water, into an • Excellent sound and thermal insulation.
EABASSOC Foam Generator (or similar).
• Excellent resistance to freeze-thaw cycle.
• Does not impose lateral loads.
Inside the Foam Generator, the EABASSOC
Foaming Agent is diluted with water to make • Low water absorption over time.
a pre-foaming solution which is then forced at • Excellent fire resistant properties.
high pressure, through the foaming lance. This • Highly cost effective.
produces a uniform, stable foam, which has a • Non-hazardous.
volume of about 20 to 25 times that of the pre- • Reliable quality control so batches are easy to
foaming solution. reproduce.
E-A-B Associates
Bayley- Edge Limited
3 Craven Court Telephone: +44 161 926 9077
Craven Road Fax: +44 161 927 7718
Altrincham, Cheshire e-mail:
[email protected]WA14 5DY England website: http://www.eabassoc.co.uk
Applications of Lightweight Foamed Concrete
Roofing Insulation
For many years EABASSOC Lightweight Foamed Concrete has been supplied for roofing insulation in the
Middle East. A low density mix is chosen, and the resulting high air content gives the material excellent
thermal insulation properties. The low density also has the advantage that it does not significantly add to the
overall weight of the roof.
Dry Density Compressive Strength Thermal Conductivity
(kg/m3) (N/mm2) (W/mK)
430 1.34 N/A
513 1.61 N/A
614 2.31 0.084
Trench Reinstatement
Foamed Concrete is being introduced in many countries as a new and better material for trench reinstatement
(this is the filling of trenches dug in roads when pipes are laid, or repairs are carried out).
The traditional methods of filling trenches in roads,
i.e. the use of granular materials, resulted in settlement
and damage to both the road and the pipes. With
foamed concrete there is no settlement.
Also, the excellent load spreading characteristics of
EABASSOC Foamed Concrete means that axle
loads are not transmitted directly to the services in the
trench, so the pipes are not damaged by the weight of
traffic.
Void Filling
Void filling is also a very useful application. Because
foamed concrete is very fluid it will pour into even the
most inaccessible places. It was used to fill and
stabilise the hole created when a section of the new
underground railway at Heathrow airport collapsed
during construction.
Discharge from a readymix truck for Trench Reinstatement
Foamed concrete has been used to fill old sewers, basements and storage tanks, and because it is free flowing
and does not impose large lateral loads, it is a far better material for this kind of work than other, more
traditional materials. The free flowing foamed concrete fills every gap and can be applied even through small
openings. This is very important because it makes the work much easier and cheaper than do other methods.
Warehouse Walls
EABASSOC Foamed Concrete has been specified for cast in situ warehouse walls. The warehouse, built on a
steel skeleton, will have the non-loadbearing outside walls made from foamed concrete cast in place. This will
provide a quick and cheap method of building, with the added advantage of excellent thermal insulation.
Bridge Abutment
Another new application is bridge abutment. Foamed concrete has been used in bridge abutments instead of the
traditional granular materials with great success. With traditional abutments, there is a lot of sideways pressure
against the bridge walls caused by the materials used, and their compaction.
With foamed concrete, this lateral load is practically
eliminated, so the bridge walls do not have to be as
thick.
This in turn means that the bridge foundations can be
made less massive. Huge cost savings can be achieved
by reducing the thickness of the walls, and the size of
the foundations.
Traditional abutments also experience settlement, both
due to the compaction of the aggregates by trafficking,
and due the sinking of the whole structure into the
ground if the sub-soil is soft.
Placement by pumping for Bridge Abutment
Such settling and sinking causes subsidence of the road, which necessitates costly repair work. However, when
foamed concrete is used there is no settling, and sinking is reduced by adjusting the weight of the abutment by a
choice of a suitable mix design.
Foamed concrete is very easily placed. It can be poured or pumped into the site, and does not require any
compaction.
This diagram shows the site of the first ever bridge
abutment job carried out in the UK. In this case the
bridge was being built across soft ground, and foamed
concrete was chosen as the fill material to reduce
settlement as well as to reduce the wall thickness and
number of piles required..
The wall thickness was reduced by 500mm, 40 fewer
piles were needed, and the projected settlement was
cut by 50%.
The first phase of a bridge abutment contract in the UK
Tunnelling
Foamed concrete is an ideal material for tunnel
construction and repair. It is used both for the filling
of voids created or expose during the tunnelling work,
for grouting the finished work, including gaps behind
the tunnel lining.
Floor construction
Foamed concrete provides a very good material for
floor construction. It is ideal for building subfloors
quickly and cheaply, and can be used for levelling
terrain and raising floor levels, as well as for
insulation purposes.
When a raised floor was designed for a large warehouse to permit forklift trucks to drive straight into containers
without ramps EABASSOC Foamed Concrete was chosen to make the 1m thick floor slab. By selecting an
appropriate mix design, it was possible to prevent the slab from sinking into the ground.
Other Uses
EABASSOC Foamed Concrete can also be used in the production of lightweight precast blocks. The
traditional method of producing lightweight blocks involves the use of aluminium powder, and autoclaving, but
this is not popular due to the pollution it causes. There are no waste products in the production of foamed
concrete, and all the ingredients are non-hazardous.
Another application that foamed concrete has found is
soil stabilisation. It has been used to stabilise
embankments after landslides, and has also been used in
several highway widening projects in Japan.
The excellent fire resistant properties of foamed concrete
make it an ideal material for fire breaks in buildings
where there are large undivided spaces. It is used to fill
the underfloor space to prevent the spread of flames
through the services void between floor and ceiling.
Because EABASSOC Foamed Concrete is light
(densities can range from 400 kg/m3 to 1600 kg/m3), it is
a suitable material for the construction of the road
foundations for roads built on soft ground. Roads built
using foamed concrete as the sub-base weigh less, and so
do not sink much into the soft ground, unlike roads built
in the traditional way, using roadstone as the sub-base.
Placement with the use of removable shuttering
Foamed concrete had also been used on factory floors as an insulation screed. It makes an ideal flooring
material for paper mills where it is necessary for the reactors to be well insulated to prevent heat losses.
Land reclamation is another area where foamed concrete is finding a use. It has been successfully used for large
harbour fills, and has the advantage that it does not sink into the soft sub-soil the way that traditional materials
(usually sand and stones) do, so the site can be redeveloped months or even years sooner than would otherwise
be possible.
The EABASSOC Foam Generator
EABASSOC Foamed Concrete is made by adding foam to a cement mortar
slurry. This foam is made in the EABASSOC Foam Generator, shown here. In
the machine, EABASSOC Foaming Agent is diluted with water, and forced at
high pressure through a foaming lance, producing a stiff white foam.
Quality Control
Before pouring the foamed concrete, the wet density of the material should be
checked, in order to ascertain that it comes within the specified parameters. If it
does not, then the mix design can easily be modified on site by altering the foam
addition.
The wet density should also be checked after placing to ensure that there has been
consistency throughout the batch. This is essential if the foamed concrete has been
pumped.
It is also necessary to take samples (in polystyrene cube moulds), which can be
crush tested for compressive strength after, say 28 days.
EABASSOC Contracting
EABASSOC Contracting Division is available to carry out every kind of work involving foamed concrete. In
addition to actual contracting, we can also undertake supervision and training of workers. 08/04
