Cellular Concret

1. INTRODUCTION
With the looming requirements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, greater energy efficiency in the production and use of hydrocarbons will increase to levels not contemplated today.   The need for thermal insulation will expand at a tremendous rate in the near future.   For construction of water handling utilities, roads, homes, commercial and industrial facilities in cold to extremely cold environments, cellular concrete can be used to great benefit.   Not only can cellular concrete meet thermal insulation needs, but also the strength, extreme fire resistance, durability and ease of application, even in very cold winter conditions, makes cellular concrete insulation a very attractive choice.
Light weight concrete - or foamed concrete - is a versatile material which consists primarily of a cement based mortar mixed with at least 20% of volume air. The material is now being used in an ever increasing number of applications, ranging from one step house casting to low density void fills.Foamed concrete has a surprisingly long history and was first patented in 1923, mainly for use as an insulation material. Although there is evidence that the Romans used air entrainers to decrease density, this was not really a true foamed concrete. Significant improvements over the past 20 years in production equipment and better quality surfactants (foaming agents) has enabled the use of foamed concrete on a larger scales. Lightweight and free flowing, it is a material suitable for a wide range of purposes such as, but not limited to, panels and block production, floor and roof screeds, wall casting, complete house casting, sound barrier walls, floating homes, void infills, slope protection, outdoor furniture and many more applications.
Not everyone knows that density and compressive strength can be controlled. In the light weight concrete this is done by introducing air through the proprietary foam process which enables one to control density and strength precisely....