Experimental Investigation on Impact of Scalability Effect on Foam Concrete Production

Foam concrete, a lightweight construction material renowned for its versatility and sustainable attributes, has garnered significant attention in recent years. Its applicability across various sectors, including construction, infrastructure, and insulation, has led to growing interest in understanding its scalability. The scalability of foam concrete refers to its ability to maintain consistent mechanical properties and structural integrity when produced in varying quantities, from laboratory-scale batches to industrial-scale production. Most prior studies on foam concrete have been confined to diminutive cubes and cylinders. To facilitate easier integration into the building industry, studies on practical building elements such as blocks and panels are necessary. Consequently, the effects of scalability need to be examined. Therefore, this paper examines the influence of scaling factors within beam and cubes with fresh density, compressive behavior and water absorption characteristics using various surfactants Sodium lauryl Sulphate (SLS), Nonylphenol Ethoxylate (NPE) and additive Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) on properties and performance of foam concrete. Through a systematic experimental analysis, it is observed that NPE with CMC resulted to produce the highest compressive strength value of 19 MPa with lesser water absorption (<5%) observed at a target density of 1800 kg/m³. Moreover, with relation to the scaling effect, foam concrete mixtures with cubes exhibited a 67% increase in compressive strength compared to foam concrete specimens prepared using beams.