Porofoam - Foamed concrete

Porofoam is a range of low density foam concrete designed specifically for voidfill, stabilisation and other lightweight applications.

Get a Quote

Locate Us

Foamed concrete

BENEFITS INCLUDE:

Highly Fluid & Self Levelling
Can Be Pumped
Lightweight
Freeze / Thaw Resistant
Insulating Properties
Load Spreading
Reduced Manpower
Negligible Risk of Subsidence

Foamed concrete is a highly workable, low density material incorporating up to 80% air. It is generally self levelling, self compacting and may be pumped. Risk of plastic shrinkage or settlement cracking is significantly lower than that of standard concrete.

Porofoam is manufactured using CEMEX admixtures and is available in a wide range of densities and compressive strengths to suit your application and requirements. The product is easily placed with no compaction required and can be produced onsite by our foam generation units or delivered in trucks premixed.

Call our Product Support Helpline for more information on 0800 667 827

Foam concrete applications

Foamed concrete is ideal for filling voids such as disused fuel tanks, sewer systems, pipelines and culverts – particularly where access is difficult. It is a recognised medium for the reinstatement of road trenches. Applications include:

VOIDFILL - A low density flowable fill material to provide a single, engineered solution. The material has guaranteed performance in terms of density, strength, or both. Therefore the density and the strength of the construction layer can be controlled over a greater depth in a one-hit solution compared to traditional fill materials.

Unwanted voids:	Pipelines Service Ducts and Shafts Sinkholes
Disused structures:	Culverts and Subways Redundant Sewers Cellars and Basements Higher
Structural stabilisation:	Bridge Abutments Tunnel Stabilisation Embankments
Insulating Fill:	Low density insulating sub-screed Insulating fill to house over-sites

ROADFILL - An efficient and cost-effective reinstatement material that complies with the Roads and Streets Works Act 1991. Porofoam Roadfill is available as FCR Classes C2 and C4. There is no settlement with Porofoam so therefore it can be fully resurfaced in one operation. There is also no need for compaction equipment.

Roadfill

Reinstatement of temporary opening in streets and highways
Protection of buried services
Road Pavement Reinstatements

TANKFILL - The more cohesive property of Porofoam Tankfill allows a controlled discharge into tanks with a restricted entry point. Air and gases in the tank are gradually displaced by the foamed concrete . Being a cellular fill, Porofoam is less prone to penetration from external contaminants. Porofoam Tankfill meets the building regulation codes for fire resistance. Applications:

Tankfill

Filling of disused petrol and oil tanks
Filling of effluent and water tanks
Filling of redundant Silos

Further technical information

DENSITY & STRENGTH

Porofoam can be tailored to your requirements, our technical team will create a suitable mix design for your application. Porofoam can achieve strengths of up to 20 N/mm² and our unique production process allows us to produce an extremely wide range of dry densities from as low as 300kg/m³ up to 2000kg/m³. For strengths and densities outside of this range our team will work with you to provide a solution. .

FOAM CONCRETE PLACEMENT GUIDANCE

Porofoam can be pumped, horizontally, vertically, or directly placed in layers of up to 1m single lift depth in order to maintain the required air void structure. The fluid nature of Porofoam allows the concrete to free flow into even the smallest of spaces making it highly suitable for voidfill applications. Porofoam can be pumped by either a conventional concrete pump or rotor stator pump. The material typically remains fluid for 2/3 hours after mixing with the foam (dependent upon ambient conditions). Porofoam also exhibits no settlement characteristics that may occur with granular fill materials allowing a much more stable fill.

SPECIFICATION TYPES

Porofoam foamed concrete can be supplied with or without coarse aggregate depending on the type and application. The stable bubble structure can be introduced into the mix in three ways:

By blending a pre-formed foam into a mortar base mix after mixing or at site, enabling the achievement of ultra low densities.
By adding specially formulated air-entrained admixtures into the concrete during the mixing process. This generally produces an entrained air content of between 10% and 25%. The resultant material is referred to as High Air-entrained Concrete (HAC) or High Air-entrained Mortar (HAM)
By adding foam generating admixtures to a mortar base mix after mixing or at site. This will produce higher levels of entrained air than air-entraining admixture and consequently a lower density.

Foamed concrete features and benefits

Plastic state advantages

Foamed concrete is a versatile and practical material which can be tailored to a variety of project needs and operational conditions:

Feature	Benefits
Produced at the plant or on site.	Immediate placement on delivery. No storage needed. Good workability retention.
Wide range of possible mixes.	Adjustable to meet specific performance requirements. Controlled density and strength.
A cellular fill.	Less prone to penetration from external contaminants.

Working improvements

The free-flowing but cohesive properties of foamed concrete provide many working benefits:

Feature	Benefits
Easy to place and finish.	Single process installation, simply pour and level. Reduced labour and supervision costs. Specialist plant (e.g. compactors, vibrators) not needed. Controlled rates of placement to ensure suitability for any loading characteristics.
Pumpable.	Foamed concrete can be pumped significant distances and can be placed by conventional concrete pump or rotor stator pump (commonly referred to as a ‘Worm Pump’). .
Self compacting and self-levelling.	Ideal for inaccessible trenches where compaction would be difficult or impossible. Allows controlled discharge into narrow openings. Fully fills void space, including undercut pockets. Entirely surrounds and protect pipelines.
Single operation trench reinstatement.	Minimises traffic disruption due to road closure. No need for compaction equipment. No need to stockpile granular-fill material. Helps increase workforce productivity and cost-effectiveness. No revisit due to long term settlement.
Good cohesion.	Prevents bleeding or segregation. Allows controlled discharge through narrow entry points. Does not settle after placing.

Final concrete performance

Plastic state qualities translate into significant final performance benefits:

High air content.

Feature	Benefits
High air content	Resistant to freeze/thaw damage. Good thermal and acoustic insulation.
Good cohesion.	Stable foam structure reduces settlement. Reduces bleeding and segregation
Controlled density and strength.	Low strength allows removal for subsequent access to services. Range of densities and strengths available for each foamed concrete type.

CEMEX will provide you access to our highly experienced technical team who will be able to create bespoke mixes for all your readymix concrete needs. Our technical team has a vast experience of producing unique mixes for individual jobs, and can facilitate issues such as corrosive ground conditions, extreme weather conditions and high strength requirements. CEMEX will work to your specification, or if requested provide suggestions to ensure that we meet the specific needs of your project. Call our product support helpline on 0800 667 827