A simple approach to produce a highly air-entrained concrete/mortar. Essentially this is a lightweight material produced by incorporating a specialised surfactant to produce a highly air-entrained concrete by mechanical mixer action into a base mix of cement mortar (with or without coarse aggregates). The resultant entrained air bubbles reduce the density of the base mix and have a strong plasticising effect upon it.
This can be an improvement from classic foamed concrete methods, which typically uses bulky pre-foam equipment and ties up Technical Personnel on-site. The desire to simplify therefore has both commercial and technical advantages.
The highly air-entrained concrete is free-flowing but exhibits thixotropic behaviour. It is easily placed, requires no compaction and flows into restricted and irregular cavities. Segregation and bleeding are inhibited by the bubbles. The mix can be pumped over distances similar to those for the more widely used dense structural concretes. Dry densities vary from 1500 to 2000kg/m³ and compressive strengths as typically require a bearing load from 2 to 10N/mm² may be produced.