Effect of Foaming Agent

The study focuses on ultra-light foam concrete (FC) as a thermal insulation material. Two important properties of such material were investigated: compressive strength and thermal conductivity. In the conducted tests, the influence of the air-dry density (200–500 kg/m3 ), type of foaming agent (synthetic and protein), and binder type (ordinary Portland cement—OPC; calcium sulphoaluminate cement—CSA; metakaolin; siliceous fly ash—SFA; calcareous fly ash—CFA) on the mentioned properties were examined. The results confirmed the dependence of compressive strength and thermal conductivity on the FC density but also indicated the important effect of the nature of the foaming agent and the binder type. The best thermo-mechanical properties were obtained for the foam concrete made of protein-based foaming agent, OPC, and metakaolin. Simultaneously, using CSA mixed with metakaolin and foam based on the synthetic foaming agent shows satisfactory properties. The increasing need for improving the building design with enhanced thermal resistance and energy storage capacity results in searching for a material characterized by, i.e., low unit weight, high mechanical performance, high durability, and high service performance in terms of fire resistance and thermal insulation. In this sense, the attention of the researchers and practitioners has been recently redirected towards the potential use of foam concrete (FC), which is not a particularly new material as its first patent and recorded use dates to the early 1920s. Over the years, foam concrete production has been developed and improved. Due to its cellular microstructure, foam concrete has up to 80% lower weight compared to ordinary Portland cement (OPC)-based concrete, excellent thermal and acoustic insulation properties, and higher fire resistance.

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