Properties of Low Density Foamed Concrete for Building Construction Using Anionic Surfactants of Synthetic and Natural Materials

The surfactants facilitate the formation of foam bubbles under a proper condition and provide stability of foam bubbles by decreasing the surface tension of solutions and increasing the viscosity of foam surface. However, there have been almost no practical data of foam concrete in this regard so far. This study aims to understand the effects of foaming agents such as anionic synthetic surfactant and anionic natural material surfactant on the low density foamed concrete. From the experiment, the vegetable soap of anionic natural material surfactants showed a higher foaming rate, more open pores, slightly lower compressive strength, and a higher permeability coefficient compared to the vegetable soap of anionic synthetic surfactants. It is believed that the natural material surfactants make not only the surface tension of the solution low but also the viscosity of slurry high.