Tilcon Applies Advanced Cellular Concrete Technology for Hartford School
Section: Ready Mix Concrete

Tilcon's mixer pouring cellular concrete for a Hartford Magnet School's new gymnasium

Cellular foam agent with the consistency of shaving cream, prior to being mixed with the neat cement

Tilcon poured over 1,000 yards of cellular concrete as a supportive material for concrete slabs at a Hartford Magnet School’s new gymnasium. Cellular concrete, an advanced geotechnical material, is a low-density structural component usually designed between 20 and 60 pounds per cubic foot depending on the application. Because of this, cellular concrete is often used, as in the Magnet School’s case, as a lightweight material replacing unstable, non-supportive soils; thus providing a strong base on which the concrete slabs can be placed.

Cellular concrete can be produced quickly and easily and is made-up of one part liquid foam concentrate and 40 parts water and is expanded 20 times with compressed air. The resulting consistency resembles that of shaving cream. It’s produced in a foam generator with a special nozzle and added to the “neat cement” mixture until the proper density is achieved. Neat cement is made-up of water and Portland cement and contains no aggregate.

The features and benefits of cellular concrete are that it’s self-leveling so labor costs are greatly reduced. Also, it has excellent freeze-thaw resistance, can be rapidly installed, is lightweight, places easily by pump or gravity, has low water absorption and low permeability, and is available in a broad range of densities and compressive strengths.

Other uses of cellular concrete are for backfill for tunnels, waterlines and sewers. It’s also used to provide shock absorption in earthquake zones, reduces loads above underground structures, fills voids within silos, abandoned mines, underground tanks and pipelines, and reduces hydrostatic pressure on retaining walls.