Effect of foam stabilization on the properties of foamed concrete modified by expanded polystyrene

Abstract

This paper aims to study the modified foamed concrete by mixing expanded polystyrene (EPS) particles. In order to analyze the influence of EPS particle dosage and particle size on the mechanical properties and thermal conductivity of the foamed concrete, the EPS modified foamed concrete was compared with the ordinary foamed concrete. The pore structures of the foamed concrete with and without EPS were characterized and compared by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), and image-pro plus (IPP). The results showed that when large and small size EPS replaced 60% foam, the water absorption of the EPS modified foamed concrete was approximately 38% and 55% lower than that of the ordinary foamed concrete, respectively, with a corresponding 0.13 and 0.5 MPa increase in compressive strength. In addition, the thermal conductivity of the EPS modified foamed concrete was similar to/even slightly lower than that of the ordinary foamed concrete. The addition of EPS in foamed concrete increased the proportion of small connected pores and reduced the proportion of medium and large pores. Overall, the addition of EPS in foamed concrete can effectively improve the stability.