Investigations on the foam concrete production techniques suitable for 3D-printing with foam concrete

Abstract

Abstract With high thermal insulating property and low density, foam concrete has high potential in 3D-printing applications such as residential buildings. The synergy of the foam concrete and 3D-printing process pre-requisites research and optimization of foam concrete production. This paper presents investigations on the appropriateness of two different methods for production of foam concrete: 1) mixed foaming method in turbulence (colloidal) mixer and 2) mixed foaming method in cavitation disintegrator. Performance of synthetic and protein based foaming agents were examined. The dosage of the foaming agent was varied from 0.7% to 1.2% by weight of cement to produce foam concretes with densities ranging between 800 kg/m3 and 1500 kg/m3. The study shows that foaming ability of the designed concrete compositions depends primarily on their w-b ratio. Moreover, foaming with lesser dosage of foaming agent is possible when turbulence mixer is used. Furthermore, mechanical and physical properties of foam concrete, including compressive strength, bending strength, and water absorption were reported.