Structural foamed concrete: preliminary studies for applications in seismic areas

Abstract

The experimental research presented in this contribution highlights the possibility of producing foamed concretes with target dry densities of 1550±50 kg/m3 and 1750±50 kg/m3 for the use in structural applications, thanks to compressive strengths greater than 25 MPa. The lower structural weight compared with ordinary concrete suggests the idea of using this material in seismic areas to exploit its advantages in relation to inertial forces. However, the reduced elastic modulus compared with ordinary concrete of equal compressive strength must be considered. In addition to demonstrating the beneficial effect of reducing the maximum diameter of the fine sand used to produce the foamed concrete, this contribution also shows how the behavior of a reinforced concrete frame changes (increase in the main vibration mode and decrease of the maximum shear at the base of the frame) if the foamed concrete presented in this study is used instead of ordinary concrete of equal compressive strength.