Building a road using foam concrete significantly speeds up the project and is a relatively inexpensive alternative to traditional constructions. This is why investors increasingly choose foam concrete offered by WAJM for road construction.
Properties of Foam Concrete
Foam concrete is a lightweight concrete with pore volumes in the cement mortar reaching up to 60%, produced in a special machine. It is characterized by the following properties:
- Self-compacting and self-leveling capability,
- Frost and fire resistance,
- Vibration and sound damping capability,
- Thermal insulation,
- High production efficiency and ease of processing,
- Low density (ranging from 400 to 1400 kg/m³).
Additives can improve the mechanical properties of foam concrete, such as increasing its strength, compressive resistance, or bending resistance. This makes the base for the access road more solid and less prone to various types of damage.
These and other properties of foam concrete facilitate the construction of road bases that adhere to the entrance of a property and shorten the hardening time of this road.
Foam Concrete: Advantages and Limitations of Use
What are the biggest advantages of foam concrete? Primarily:
- Ease of mixing and rapid road hardening— the road base can harden in just 24 hours;
- Quick and simple application—road construction does not require heavy equipment for groundworks;
- Thermal insulation and frost resistance—preventing base degradation and ground freezing under the road, and heaving.
Why is foam concrete increasingly chosen for road construction and repair? It’s not only due to its durability and low weight but also because its use can reduce road construction costs by up to 30%.
It’s also worth mentioning the environmental friendliness. By using foam concrete, there is no need for additional compaction of the base, which reduces the working time of construction machinery. This results in lower emissions of harmful substances into the environment.
Examples of Foam Concrete in Road Construction
Foam concrete accelerates the construction process and provides an excellent, affordable foundation for road structures. The material is suitable for both road construction and repair.
Lightweight concrete is often chosen in difficult cases where road construction is complicated because traditional solutions are ineffective. The material performs very well, even when the base needs to be built on swampy ground or in areas with soft plastic organic soils.
In the USA, cellular concrete was used to build 2,300 km of road base for the Northwest Highway—over 13,000 m³ of material was laid in total. A well-known example in Illinois is the construction of the four-lane Central Road, which is 3 km long.
Another example of using foam concrete in road construction is filling voids in the ground created by the San Francisco earthquake. In Poland, examples include the Kostrzyn-Gorzów road section, where space above culverts was filled along the entire road base.
Other Uses of Foam Concrete in Road Construction
Foam concrete is not only suitable for building roads but also for road repairs. Due to its lightness, durability, and ability to absorb vibrations, the material is ideal for:
- Creating bases for road slabs, parking lots, and tracks;
- Repairing roads, sidewalks, and bicycle paths;
- Insulating technical infrastructure above the frost penetration depth;
- Reinforcing unstable slopes and excavations (road base prevents further ground sliding and thus reduces the risk of road disaster).
At the same time, the foam concrete base layer is uniform, rigid, does not require expansion joints, and shortens the road construction time.