Effect of Xanthan Gum as a stabilizer for foamed concrete with different densities

ABSTRACT

Cellular concrete has a porous structure and low density, resulting from a mixture of binders, fine aggregates and air pores. One way of inserting the air pores is through a preformed foam. The foam is composed of air bubbles, which influence the behaviour of cellular concrete both in the fresh and hardened state. Recent studies have proposed the use of xanthan gum (XG) as a foam thickening agent, which increases the foam stability and improves the performance of cellular concrete in the hardened state. However, the functioning of XG and the use of different contents is still unclear. Thus, this work presents a study of the influence of xanthan gum on the quality of preformed foam, as well as on the physical and mechanical properties of cellular concrete. Samples with two different densities (800 Kg/m³ and 1200 Kg/m³) were evaluated. The content that provided better foam quality was 2% of XG. In cellular concrete, the addition of XG proved to be more efficient for foamed concrete with a target density of 800 Kg/m³, since decreases the void ratio, as well as the interconnectivity between pores. Likewise, xanthan gum promoted an increase in compressive strength.

Keywords
Cellular concrete; Preformed foam; Xanthan Gum