Advantages of Lightweight Foamed Concrete
Perhaps you’ve heard of lightweight foamed concrete, which is all the rage in construction in Europe. And we all know European buildings are built to exacting standards, so if they’re nuts for foamed concrete, it must be good stuff. But what exactly is lightweight foamed concrete and what advantages does it have over regular concrete?
Used mostly in commercial and residential construction, lightweight concrete involves mixing a base of sand, aggregate, cement and other binders to form thick slurry. A foam mix is then folded into this slurry, and the resulting concrete is poured – it’s thinner than most concrete, so is virtually self-leveling.
As the concrete dries, the foam disappears, leaving a sturdy concrete structure containing millions of tiny air cells. The real magic of lightweight concrete is the use of these air cells.
Firstly, lightweight concrete is completely non-combustible. The porous nature of the concrete means it’s resistant to exploding under high temperatures. This makes for safer buildings. It’s also an excellent material to use in earthquake-prone zones, as the concrete and absorb shocks.
Lightweight concrete gives excellent insulation – the air bubbles absorb heat and release it slowly throughout the day.
Sound-proofing: lightweight concrete absorbs noise, making it perfect for use in commercial buildings.
Lightweight: with weights up to 40% lighter than ordinary concrete, lightweight concrete can be used to create architectural designs never before attempted. The lighter weight also means structural supports can be less intensive. And, the lighter weight makes moving and handling the concrete easier – it’s used throughout Europe to create prefab concrete structures, which can be moved into place with ease.
Environmental concerns: concrete has one of the highest carbon footprints of any construction material, but lightweight concrete reduces this drastically. Many manufacturers employ recycled aggregate to make their slurry, and the added foam is environmentally friendly. The decrease in weight means lower transport and fuel costs.
There are numerous advantages to using lightweight concrete. While not as strong as regular concrete, this new, lightweight solution has been used effectively throughout the world in void filling, blocks, partitions, prefab walls, slabs, floor screeds and load-bearing building elements.
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