Abstract:
To investigate the impact of various factors on foam breakage in foam concrete and enhance the quality of the final products, this study examined the effects of mixing speed, water-cement ratio, and design density on the defoaming rate. Furthermore, a mix ratio design method for foam concrete, known as pre-compensation, was introduced to compensate for the damaged foam content and remove excess water beforehand. Foam concretes ranging from 400 kg/m
3 to 1 000 kg/m
3 were prepared according to the pre/post compensation method, and their physical and mechanical properties were compared. Results demonstrate that the compressive strength of foam concrete prepared using the pre-compensation method increases by up to 39.6% at the same density level compared to the post-compensation method. Notably, the pre-compensation method offers simplicity over the post-compensation method, which requires multiple "filling and weighing" procedures during practical engineering. This simplicity reduces the risk of pipe plugging during long-distance operations and enhances both the quality of foam concrete and the overall engineering process.