7. Estimation of temperature rise in foamed concrete
As discussed previously, temperature development in
foamed concrete due to heat of hydration is affected by a
wide range of parameters. In addition to cement content and
type, which are dominant factors in NWC, fine aggregate type
and plastic density, for example, were also found to influence
the temperature development due to heat of hydration
behaviour of foamed concrete. Although the range of foamed
concretes considered in this study was not sufficient for the
development of a temperature/heat of hydration prediction
model for foamed concrete, recommendations on mix
constituent selection can be made in order to minimise
temperature development in high volume foamed concrete
applications. Overall, the use of FAf is recommended as
addition to PC and, in semi-structural applications, where
higher strengths are required, FAc fine aggregate and higher
foamed concrete density are recommended. Finally, trial tests
are suggested to ensure that, with the proposed mix
constituents, the design strength is achieved, whilst temperature
rise from ambient in hot-box tests does not exceed 20 °C.
As a general rule of thumb, however, for the PC mixes
with sand fine aggregate tested in this study, a simple
prediction approach of a 10 °C rise in temperature from
ambient per 100 kg of PC per m3 of concrete under nearadiabatic
conditions could be applied for foamed concrete in
near-adiabatic conditions. This approach, which is slightly
lower than the prediction approach of a 12 °C rise in
temperature from ambient per 100 kg of PC per m3 of normal