Low Density Cellular Concrete
- 1. Prepared 1/2019 Nico Sutmoller Global Lightweight Fill Specialist LOW-DENSITY CELLULAR CONCRETE (LDCC)
- 2. Concrete made with hydraulic cement, water and preformed foam to produce a hardened material with an oven dry density of 50 pounds (22.7 kg) per cubic foot or less. Preformed foam is created by diluting a liquid foam concentrate with water in predetermined proportions and passing this mixture through a foam generator. LOW-DENSITY CELLULAR CONCRETE (LDCC) IS DEFINED BY ACI 523 AS…
- 3. LDCC replaces coarse aggregate with AIR The air cells must be resilient in order to withstand the rigors of mixing and pumping in various applications Foam has the stability to be calculated as a solid but the properties to be placed as a low density fluid material
- 4. Conforms to ACI industry standards Types of Foam Preformed Produced by Foam Generator Agitated Produced by the mixing action of a concrete mixer ACI 523 ACI 229 Cellular Concrete CLSM Cellular concrete can be flowable fill (ACI 229) but flowable fill (CSLM) cannot be cellular concrete because of the density being higher than 50pcf.
- 5. Keep in Mind…… Lightweight Cellular Concrete (LDCC) Is designed to replace traditionally compacted backfill It is not designed to be the driving or wearing surface Flowable & Self-Compacting Rapidly Placed
- 6. LDCC pore structure when cured Cementitious materials encapsulate the air bubbles, then dissipate, leaving a void structure as a replacement to traditional aggregate LightweightCellular Concrete differs from conventional aggregate concrete in the methods of production, the density of the material and the extensive range of end uses.
- 7. Permeable & Non-Permeable LDCC Provided by Mainmark
- 8. Production of LDCC is more environmentally friendly than alternative methods 55% Less trucking Truckloads / 1000 cubic yards (765 cubic meters) Typical Fill - 100 trucks Cellular Concrete – 45 trucks Elimination in coarse aggregate haul 55% Less Fuel 55% Less Carbon Emissions Requires fewer pieces of equipment Cleaner, less congested jobsites
- 9. Typical Guidelines cellular concrete mixes 75% of the volume is foam
- 10. PCF PSI Typical Strength curve of cellular concrete
- 11. ASTM test methods that apply to cellular concrete ASTM C 495 ASTM C 796 “StandardTest Method for Compressive Strength of Lightweight Insulating Concrete” “StandardTest Method for Foaming Agents for use in Producing Cellular Concrete using Preformed Foam” ASTM C 869 “Standard Specification for Foaming Agents Used in Making Preformed Foam for Cellular Concrete”
- 12. Quality Control is Always Measured in the field
- 13. Foam technology has made huge advancements with a very stable bubble • Typical Foams • 3 foot lift thickness • Pumping distance limited to 5,000 feet maximum • Only non-permeable • Viscosity was almost 1 • Fly ash usage limited Advanced Foam Technology Lift of 35’ has been achieved Pumping distance increased to more than 16,000 feet Permeability is also an option Thicker material Compatibility with fly ash / slag cement Advancements
- 14. Typical Applications Tunnel & Mine Abandonment Annular Fills for Tunnels, Water & Sewer Lines Void Fills Soft Soil Remediation Tremie Applications Retaining Structure Backfills Slope Stabilization Fill for Underground Utility, Conduit & Pipes Tanks & Pipeline Abandonment Fill Around Conduits and Pipes Green Roof Applications
- 15. Cellular concrete is an ideal solution for annular and tunnel backfill Highly flowable material able to completely fill annular space Lightweight and easily pumped long distances at low pressures Will not float pipe or damage liner for sliplining Shrinkage of less than 0.3% Quick and Easy Installation Environmentally Safe Strength and density can be customized to project requirements Cellular Concrete has been pumped over 700 feet vertically and over 15,000 feet horizontally Can accommodate any diameter pipe
- 16. Culvert or Annular Application 150 yd3 (114 m3)of 500psi (3.4 MPa) pumped 100ft (30.5m) under SR 1 for MaineDot Photo Courtesy of SnapTite
- 17. Gravity Sewer Annular Fill Kaneohe Kailua Tunnel, Honolulu, HI
- 18. *Information provided by Southland/Mole JV, Kaneohe, HI 28,000yd³ 50pcf 4” injection line Material pumped for 3 miles Water chilled from 70° to 50° Maintained 18” to 24” controlled lifts due to distance and heat “Aerix Industries provided a quality bubble and the physical bubble was not compromised at all over the entire distance pumped” Don Painter, Project Manager of Southland/Mole JV Gravity Sewer Annular Fill Kaneohe Kailua Tunnel, Honolulu, HI
- 19. US61 & Greenwell Springs Rd Baton Rouge, LA
- 20. Utility/Tunnel Abandonment *Information provided by Mainmark, Australia
- 21. San Pedro Fuel Depot (UST Tank Farm) UST Abandonment project – largest volume LDCC project known. Was used to receive, store and distribute diesel and jet fuels for military use in California, Arizona and Nevada.
- 22. Permeable Low-Density Cellular Concrete (PLDCC)
- 23. Coefficient of Permeability k (cm/sec) (log scale) 10 2 10 1 1.0 10 -1 10 -2 10 -3 10 -4 10 -5 10 -6 10 -7 10 -8 10 -9 Drainage Backfill types Coefficient of Permeability k (cm/sec) (log scale) Poor Practically Impermeable Clean gravel Clean sands, clean sand and gravel mixture, PLDCC Very fine, sand, organic and inorganic silts, mixtures of sand silt and clay, glacial till, stratified clay, LDCC "Impermeable" soils, e.g., homogenous clays below zone of weathering Good
- 24. Permeable vs. Non-Permeable Bubble Chemistry is different In non-permeable we need to maintain the bubble structure With Permeable we need to coalesce the bubble structure
- 25. PLDCC Permeability / Infiltration
- 26. Permeability of Cellular Concrete Observation of Permeability 24 hours after placement *Information provided by CellFill, Grove, OK *
- 27. Void Factors of PLDCC ** University of Missouri - Kansas City, J.T. Kevern
- 28. Slab Support South Street Landing, Providence, RI *Information provided by GZA., Providence, RI
- 29. The Chapel, Galvez St. New Orleans, LA *Information provided by CellFill, Grove, OK *
- 30. Typical Applications Tunnel & Mine Abandonment Annular Fills for Tunnels, Water & Sewer Lines Void Fills Soft Soil Remediation Tremie Applications Retaining Structure Backfills Slope Stabilization Fill for Underground Utility, Conduit & Pipes Tanks & Pipeline Abandonment Fill Around Conduits and Pipes Green Roof Applications
- 31. Use cellular concrete for subgrade modification when existing soils are undesirable LDCC/PLDCC Advantages Reduce Vertical Dead Loads Increase Strength/Stability with Minimal Weight Insulating Improve Seismic Stability Reduce Settlement Potential Increase Bearing Capacity SR 50, Ocoee, FL
- 32. River scouring embankment on I-29 threatened safety of motorists Big Sioux River
- 33. Using LDCC on I-29 allowed for a shortened production schedule Pumped 2,800 feet 30,000 cubic yards Pumped 853m 23,000 cubic meters Mix Design: 35 pcf (590 kg/m3) 80 psi (0.55 Mpa) *Information provided by Geo-Cell Solutions Inc., Fresno, CA
- 34. I-29/I-80, Council Bluffs, IA *Information provided by MixOnSite, Buffalo Grove, IL 113,900 yd³ 32pcf LDCC ± 1,500 yd³ /day
- 35. Louis Armstrong Airport New Orleans, LA * *Project by MixOnSite USA Inc., Buffalo Grove, IL
- 36. Louis Armstrong Airport New Orleans, LA * *Project by MixOnSite USA Inc., Buffalo Grove, IL
- 37. Typical Applications Tunnel & Mine Abandonment Annular Fills for Tunnels, Water & Sewer Lines Void Fills Soft Soil Remediation Tremie Applications Retaining Structure Backfills Slope Stabilization Fill for Underground Utility, Conduit & Pipes Tanks & Pipeline Abandonment Fill Around Conduits and Pipes Green Roof Applications
- 38. LDCC/PLDCC is ideal retaining wall backfill LDCC/PLDCC Advantages Reduce Lateral Load Ease of Placement Increased lift heights Reduces schedule impact Allows for design flexibility Engineered Permeability
- 40. Strapping & Internal Angle of Friction
- 41. SR 542, Bellingham, WA Vertical Facia walls >50’ Shotcrete over the facia walls *
- 42. Grade Separation for UP RR Mainline *Photos provided by California Nevada Cement Association
- 43. Typical Applications Tunnel & Mine Abandonment Annular Fills for Tunnels, Water & Sewer Lines Void Fills Soft Soil Remediation Tremie Applications Retaining Structure Backfills Slope Stabilization Fill for Underground Utility, Conduit & Pipes Tanks & Pipeline Abandonment Fill Around Conduits and Pipes Green Roof Applications
- 44. Trench BackFill Opportunities Allows for narrower trench and less disturbance to the native material. Widths may be reduced to within 6-in of utility enough space to properly place the cellular in the pipe haunch areas Eliminates backfill compaction. Fills all voids *
- 45. Duct Bank and Utility Trench Backfill Flows into every nook and cranny No vibration or compaction required Easily excavatable for maintenance *
- 46. Identify Buried Utilities with a Dye clear indicator for future operators Different colors can be used Red - fiber optics or high voltage lines Blue – water lines Yellow – sewer lines Photo Courtesy ofThroopCellular Concrete
- 47. Fully Excavatable & Versatile Photo Courtesy of A-DeckPhoto Courtesy of Throop Cellular
- 48. Typical Applications Tunnel & Mine Abandonment Annular Fills for Tunnels, Water & Sewer Lines Void Fills Soft Soil Remediation Tremie Applications Retaining Structure Backfills Slope Stabilization Fill for Underground Utility, Conduit & Pipes Tanks & Pipeline Abandonment Fill Around Conduits and Pipes Green Roof Applications Other Applications
- 49. 2424 Tulane Stormwater Detention System New Orleans, LA
- 50. 2424 Tulane Stormwater Detention System New Orleans, LA
- 51. Runway Emergency Arresting Systems
- 52. What conclusions can we draw about LDCC/PLDCC? Broad Range of Densities Economical Versatile Easily Placed Rapid Installation Durable Permanent and Stable Environmentally Friendly
- 53. Nico Sutmoller Global Lightweight Fill Specialist 7020 Snowdrift Rd. Allentown, PA 18106 (610) 398-7833 ext 117 (303) 903-4981 nsutmoller@aerixindustries.com Contact Information
Editor's Notes
- #5: CLSM – Controlled Low Strength Material (Flowable Fill)
- #19: Retarders used
- #20: 275 yd3 30pcf material
- #22: B&I Federal Services LLC of Baton Rouge will close 20 large concrete underground storage tanks, six large steel underground storage tanks and one small steel underground tank. The Defense Fuel Support Point depot was built during World War II to receive, store and distribute diesel and jet fuels for military use in California, Arizona and Nevada. In 1980, control of the site was shifted from the Navy to the Defense Logistics Agency. It’s still commonly referred to in San Pedro as the Navy Fuel Depot.
- #26: The density listed is the fresh density for the samples rounded to the nearest 0.1 pcf so they were spot on. The dry unit weight and voids were determined using ASTM C1754 with the exception of the using the boiling procedure in ASTM C642 to determine the saturated mass. Otherwise even keeping them under water using weights they are still buoyant and don’t produce believable numbers. The permeability was determined using the falling head technique described by ACI committee 522 on pervious concrete where cylinder samples are wrapped in shrink wrap before confining in a rubber sleeve before testing. Infiltration was determined according to ASTM C1701 on slab 24in.x 24 in. x 6 in. We scraped the outside to remove the skin that forms during curing and vacuumed before testing. All values are above the 0.01 cm/s threshold typically used to define pervious. These all represent an average of triplicate testing.
- #28: The density listed is the fresh density for the samples rounded to the nearest 0.1 pcf so they were spot on. The dry unit weight and voids were determined using ASTM C1754 with the exception of the using the boiling procedure in ASTM C642 to determine the saturated mass. Otherwise even keeping them under water using weights they are still buoyant and don’t produce believable numbers. The permeability was determined using the falling head technique described by ACI committee 522 on pervious concrete where cylinder samples are wrapped in shrink wrap before confining in a rubber sleeve before testing. Infiltration was determined according to ASTM C1701 on slab 24in.x 24 in. x 6 in. We scraped the outside to remove the skin that forms during curing and vacuumed before testing. All values are above the 0.01 cm/s threshold typically used to define pervious. These all represent an average of triplicate testing.
- #41: Φ 35°-45° (Conservative) 60°-70° (Liberal) ? = are you designing the project as a “soil wall” or “concrete wall”
- #42: a restored natural creek bed opened an additional 9 miles of habitat for several species of salmon, steelhead and trout native to the creek.
- #52: Pictured – Yeager Airport, Charlestown, WV essentially a rectangular bed of 2,000 to 4,000 collapsible cubes glued in place at the end of a runway, nearly level with the ground. As a plane careens into the cubes, the cubes break apart. A typical bed measures 600 feet by 500 feet but the ones at SFO are slightly smaller due to space constraints.