Investigation on Strength Characteristics of Silica Fume Incorporated Foamed Concrete

Abstract

An experimental investigation was conducted to study the strength characteristics of silica fume incorporated foam concrete. Light Weight Foamed concrete (LFC) has become most commercial material in construction industry for non-structural applications owing to its lesser density, stability and high thermal insulation properties. The aim of this study is to develop structural foamed concrete by using silica fume and fly ash. Constant cement: fly ash: sand ratio of 1:0.5:1.5 and W/C ratio of 0.65 was used for all mixes. The study presents the use of fly ash for partially replacing sand to produce foamed concrete. Fine silica fume is used to improve properties of foamed concrete. Four variations of foam (2, 3, 4 and 5%) were added and cement was partially replaced with silica fume of various percentages (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20%). The results indicate that foamed concrete with a density of 600–1450 kg/m³ and compressive strength of 6–13 N/mm² can be made by using silica fume. The silica fume improved the compressive strength of foamed concrete.