Lightweight Cellular Concrete Properties and Geotechnical Applications: Fid-Bau Portal

Lightweight Cellular Concrete Properties and Geotechnical Applications

Ye, Yu-Qiu / Han, Jie / Parsons, Robert L.

Lightweight Cellular Concrete (LCC) (also named as foam concrete or gas concrete) is a special construction material, which typically consists of Portland cement, water, and air voids created by a foam agent. This material has been increasingly used as a backfill material for geotechnical applications in recent years. Researchers and engineers have performed laboratory tests, model tests, and field tests to study its material properties and field performance. To have a better understanding of the LCC properties, this paper summarizes and assesses the material composition (e.g., binder, other ingredients, and foam agent) and the properties (e.g., density, permeability, compressive and shear strengths, modulus of elasticity, thermal conductivity, and fire resistance). This paper also provides a brief review of its geotechnical applications as a backfill material for mechanically stabilized earth walls, foundations, road bases, and void filling. The typical density of LCC ranges from 300 to 800 kg/m³, the thermal conductivity ranges from 0.1 to 0.7 W/mK, and the modulus of elasticity ranges from 1 to 8 GPa. The change of density and air voids has significant effects on the material properties. Compressive and shear strengths of LCC increase and the volume of air voids decreases as the density increases. This paper also documents several case studies of using LCC as a backfill and a base course for geotechnical applications and their field performance.