Finally lightweight concrete, also known as foamed concrete, has been introduced to the construction industry. It was first introduced in Europe and recently in the United States. Actually light weight concrete has been used in crafts for decades. Craft makers use light weight concrete to make statues, animal figures, and planter boxes to reduce the weight of their finished products.

Lightweight concrete is a foamed concrete mix with many advantages over regular concrete. It is ideal for use in commercial and residential construction. Lightweight concrete is a mixture of sand, aggregate, cement and other binders to form a thick slurry concrete mixture. A foam mix is then added to the concrete mix making a product that is thinner than regular concrete mixture. It pours easily and is virtually self-leveling.

The foam is expandable polystyrene that is similar to small Styrofoam balls used as packing material. The foam replaces some of the sand and stone used in regular concrete. The resulting concrete is lighter with a density nearly 40% lower than regular concrete. In terms of lightweight concrete verses regular concrete consider the following characteristic of lightweight concrete:

Ø It does not settle

Ø It requires no compaction or vibration

Ø It’s free flowing and easier to spread to fill voids

Ø It’s virtually non-hazardous

Ø It’s cheaper than regular concrete

Ø It’s more easily pumped

Ø It’s resistance to freezing and thawing

Ø It does not impose lateral loads

As lightweight concrete dries the foam disappears beneath the surface which leaves a sturdy concrete structure that contains millions of tiny air cells. The real magic of lightweight concrete is these air cells. They make the concrete an excellent insulator as they absorb heat and release it slowly throughout the day. Regular concrete is an extremely poor insulator. It is also an excellent sound-proofing material.

Lightweight concrete is nearly 40% lighter than regular concrete which it makes it much easier to work with and create architectural designs not possible before with regular concrete and is nearly 30% cheaper to manufacture. There are numerous advantages to using lightweight concrete. Although it is not as strong as regular concrete it is used effectively in filling voids, manufacturing of cement blocks, wall partitions, and concrete slabs.

Light weight concrete is just one of the modern inventions of new material in the construction industry.

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