Important Things You Should Know About Foamed Concrete

 

Traditional concrete is durable and resilient, but it's heavy. Foam concrete is a great alternative to balance strength with weight perfectly. It is mixed with foam to form a lightweight, low-density, yet strong product. It is a versatile material. You can find a good supplier for concrete in Southport. Here are some important facts about foamed concrete you must know. 

Main Applications of Foamed Concrete in Construction

1. Foamed Concrete for Blocks and Panels

These are predominantly used to build partition walls. They impose the least load on a building because of its lightweight nature. It is also soundproof and offers good thermal insulation. It has low water absorption and a closed cell structure. 

2. Foamed Concrete for Roofing Installation 

This type of concrete is widely used for the purpose of roof insulation. A low density mix is selected, and the resulting air content gives great thermal insulation properties to the material. It also doesn't add to the overall weight of the roof. 

3. Foamed Concrete for Trench Reinstatement

It is also perfect for trench reinstatement, which is filling trenches in roads when repairs are done, or pipes are laid. The traditional techniques involve using granular fill materials that can potentially damage the road and pipes as well. Foamed concrete is very fluid, making it ideal for filling any voids and cavities in the trench sides.

4. Foamed Concrete for Bridge Abutment

It is ideal for bridge abutments as it doesn't impose large lateral loads like traditional granular materials. Using foam concrete would eliminate the lateral load. Hence, the bridge walls aren't required to be as thick. Reducing the wall thickness can save you a lot of money. 

It also doesn't experience settling, and sinking is reduced, unlike traditional abutments, as it adjusts the weight of the abutment by choosing a suitable mix design.

Other Uses of Foamed Concrete

• Wall Construction: This concrete is ideal for building cast-in-situ walls. A building's structural part is usually made using a steel-reinforced normal concrete or steel frame, which offers excellent thermal insulation. Building a wall with 1200kg/m3 density foamed concrete would also give the same level of thermal insulation.

• Bride Strengthening: The lightweight concrete can be used for strengthening bridges. For example, by encasing steel girders, filling inside supports on masonry arch bridges or filling entire bridge sections.

• Floor Construction: Foamed concrete is also an ideal material for floor construction and for building sub-floors. You can also use it for levelling terrain and raising floor levels.

• Landscaping: This concrete can stabilize slopes in landscaping besides using for void fillings or underground structures, raising the ground level and others. 

• Tunneling: You can also use it for the construction and repair of tunnels. It can be utilised for grouting the finished work and also as a base material for tunnel boring machines. 

You can contact Chorley Concrete if you're looking for a wide variety of concrete in Southport and the surrounding areas.