Study on the Influence of Density and Water–Cement Ratio on the Cement Utilization, Fluidity, Mechanical Properties, and Water Absorption of Foam Concrete
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Preparation Method and Material Introduction
2.2. Calculation Method of the Mix Ratio
3. Sample Performance Test Method
3.1. Fluidity Test
3.2. Uniaxial Compressive Strength Test
3.3. Nondestructive Testing
3.4. Water Absorption Test
4. Results and Analysis
4.1. Fluidity Analysis of FC Slurry
4.2. Analysis of Compressive Performance of FC
4.3. Failure Mode of Foam Concrete Test Block
- (1)
- Compaction stage: Under the action of small axial stress, there are slight deformations on the specimen surface and internal micropores. The axial stress of the test block increases gradually with the increase of the axial strain.
- (2)
- Elastic stage: Under the action of axial stress, the particle gap and the closed pore structure in FC show elastic deformation. It is shown that the stress increment of FC is proportional to the strain increment, and this proportion is named the elastic modulus of FC.
- (3)
- Yield stage: At this stage, the relative position of the particles changes and the closed pore structure is damaged, resulting in local stress concentration in the FC. This stage is characterized by a rapid increase in strain and a slow increase in stress. The slope of the curve gradually flattens until the maximum load is reached. The peak stress can be taken as the compressive strength of FC.
- (4)
- Failure stage: A very significant plastic compression deformation occurs after the specimen reaches the maximum axial stress. The axial stress is gradually reduced and stabilized. Due to the high compressibility of FC, it shows load retention during the failure stage. On a macro level, the surface of the FC sample is not broken, and the residual strength remains stable [30].
4.4. Rebound Value and UPV
4.5. Analysis of Water Absorption of FC
5. Conclusions
- (1)
- Through mathematical analysis, it was found that the 28 d compressive strength of the FC test block has a very strong correlation with the density. The fitting curve is , and the fitting degree is R2 = 0.999;
- (2)
- It was found that when the W/C ratio is 0.5, the maximum UCS/C of FC is 0.0127, the relative change rate of compressive strength is 32.80%, and the cement utilization rate at this time is significantly improved compared with other W/C ratios;
- (3)
- It was found that when the W/C ratio is 0.5, the test block forms a large number of closed holes to minimize its water absorption, which greatly enhances the durability of the FC;
- (4)
- It was found that when the density decreased from 1200 kg/m3 to 1000 kg/m3, the cement usage of FC decreased by 20.73%, the fluidity increased by 10.19%, the water absorption increased by 25.49%, and the compressive strength decreased by 26.32%. However, the compressive strength of the FC test block at this time was 9.6 MPa, which met the application standards. Therefore, the optimal density, as obtained in this paper, is 1000 kg/m3;
- (5)
- The optimal W/C ratio, as determined by this experiment, is 0.5, and the optimal density is 1000 kg/m3.
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Device Name | Device Type | Manufacturer |
---|---|---|
Cement foaming machine | f-100 | Xingtai Liyu machinery factory |
Microcomputer controlled electro-hydraulic servo pressure testing machine | HCT306A | Shenzhen Wan test equipment Co., Ltd. |
Concrete rebound meter | HT-450A | Beijing Haichuang High-tech Technology Co., Ltd. |
Concrete ultrasonic detector | HC-U91 | Beijing Haichuang High-tech Technology Co., Ltd. |
Raw Material | Specifications |
---|---|
Cement | Ordinary Portland cement—P.O. 42.5; density, 3100 kg/m3 |
Foaming agent | Plant protein foaming agent—20× dilution ratio; measured foam density, 35 kg/m3; 28× foaming ratio |
Water | Tap water |
CaO2 | SiO2 | Al2O3 | Fe2O3 | MgO | SO3 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
57.65 | 21.44 | 5.36 | 3.56 | 1.24 | 2.43 |
Project Number | Density (kg/m3) | W/C Ratio | Cement (kg) | Water (kg) | Foam (kg) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
FC0.4 | 800 | 0.4 | 556.48 | 222.59 | 20.93 |
FC0.45 | 0.45 | 537.61 | 241.92 | 20.46 | |
FC0.5 | 0.5 | 519.98 | 259.99 | 20.03 | |
FC0.55 | 0.55 | 503.47 | 276.91 | 19.62 | |
FC0.6 | 0.6 | 487.97 | 296.78 | 19.24 |
Project Number | W/C Ratio | Density (kg/m3) | Cement (kg) | Water (kg) | Foam (kg) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
FC600 | 0.5 | 600 | 384.04 | 192.02 | 23.94 |
FC800 | 800 | 519.98 | 259.99 | 20.03 | |
FC1000 | 1000 | 655.92 | 327.96 | 16.12 | |
FC1200 | 1200 | 791.86 | 395.93 | 12.20 |
Project number | FC600 | FC800 | FC1000 | FC1200 |
W/C ratio | 0.5 | |||
Fluidity (cm) | 24 | 21.8 | 22.7 | 20.6 |
Rate of relative change (%) | −9.2 | 4.1 | −9.3 |
Project number | FC0.4 | FC0.45 | FC0.5 | FC0.55 | FC0.6 |
Density (kg/m3) | 800 | ||||
Fluidity (cm) | 18.0 | 19.3 | 21.6 | 22.0 | 24.0 |
Rate of relative change (%) | 7.2 | 11.9 | 1.9 | 9.1 |
W/C Ratio | 0.4 | 0.45 | 0.5 | 0.55 | 0.6 |
Cement (kg) | 556.48 | 537.61 | 519.98 | 503.47 | 487.97 |
Relative rate of change | 0% | −3.40% | −6.60% | −9.50% | −12.30% |
Uniaxial compressive strength (MPa) | 6.8 | 4.97 | 6.6 | 6.07 | 6.17 |
Relative rate of change | 36.80% | 0% | 32.80% | 22.10% | 24.10% |
UCS/C | 0.0122 | 0.0092 | 0.0127 | 0.0121 | 0.0126 |
Time | Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV) (km/s) | Rebound Value | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FC0.4 | FC0.45 | FC0.5 | FC0.55 | FC0.6 | FC0.4 | FC0.45 | FC0.5 | FC0.55 | FC0.6 | |
7 d | 2.5 | 2.32 | 2.15 | 2.19 | 2.12 | 20.6 | 17.7 | 21.2 | 22.8 | 21.2 |
14 d | 2.54 | 2.35 | 2.25 | 2.25 | 2.25 | 21.2 | 18.7 | 23.9 | 22.8 | 25.8 |
28 d | 2.63 | 2.38 | 2.26 | 2.3 | 2.29 | 23.4 | 21.0 | 27.2 | 25.2 | 25.8 |
Time | Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV) (km/s) | Rebound Value | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FC600 | FC800 | FC1000 | FC1200 | FC600 | FC800 | FC1000 | FC1200 | |
7 d | 1.99 | 2.15 | 2.37 | 2.51 | 17 | 21 | 27.5 | 30.8 |
14 d | 2.10 | 2.25 | 2.51 | 2.7 | 16.5 | 23.9 | 28.8 | 32.7 |
28 d | 2.12 | 2.26 | 2.54 | 2.71 | 17.5 | 27.3 | 31 | 35.5 |
Project Number | FC0.4 | FC0.45 | FC0.5 | FC0.55 | FC0.6 | FC600 | FC800 | FC1000 | FC1200 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Before water absorption, mean density (kg/m3) | 917 | 833 | 877 | 867 | 923 | 750 | 877 | 1087 | 1230 |
After absorbing water, mean density (kg/m3) | 1029 | 917 | 940 | 953 | 991 | 850 | 940 | 1157 | 1293 |
Water absorption | 12.2% | 10.1% | 7.2% | 9.9% | 7.4% | 13.3% | 7.2% | 6.4% | 5.1% |
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Jierula, A.; Li, H.; Chen, Y.; Wu, C.; Wu, X.; Yin, H. Study on the Influence of Density and Water–Cement Ratio on the Cement Utilization, Fluidity, Mechanical Properties, and Water Absorption of Foam Concrete. Buildings 2024, 14, 3550. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14113550
Jierula A, Li H, Chen Y, Wu C, Wu X, Yin H. Study on the Influence of Density and Water–Cement Ratio on the Cement Utilization, Fluidity, Mechanical Properties, and Water Absorption of Foam Concrete. Buildings. 2024; 14(11):3550. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14113550
Chicago/Turabian StyleJierula, Alipujiang, Haodong Li, Yang Chen, Cong Wu, Xiao Wu, and Hanlin Yin. 2024. "Study on the Influence of Density and Water–Cement Ratio on the Cement Utilization, Fluidity, Mechanical Properties, and Water Absorption of Foam Concrete" Buildings 14, no. 11: 3550. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14113550
APA StyleJierula, A., Li, H., Chen, Y., Wu, C., Wu, X., & Yin, H. (2024). Study on the Influence of Density and Water–Cement Ratio on the Cement Utilization, Fluidity, Mechanical Properties, and Water Absorption of Foam Concrete. Buildings, 14(11), 3550. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14113550