Improvement of mechanical and insulation properties of foam concrete

The study aims to investigate the mechanical and insulation properties of foam concrete produced with different materials such as travertine waste and fly ash. An evaluation was made by considering the waste material ratio, water/binder ratio and the effects of fiber use in foam concrete production. In the production of foam concrete, binary and triple composites using cement, fly ash (FA) and travertine waste (TW) were used. Samples were produced with water/binder ratios of 0.50, 0.40 and 0.35, with values ranging from 450 to 1200g/dm3 for unit weight density. Samples with density of 600 and 800 g/dm3 with 0.35 water/binder were used in the triple composite stages. As a result of the experiments, it was seen that as the density decreased, the compressive strength of the samples also decreased. It is observed that the compressive strength of samples containing FA is approximately 95% higher than that of samples containing TW, while the thermal conductivities of samples containing TW are approximately 23% lower than that of samples containing FA. It was observed that as the cement ratio decreased in the samples produced in different densities, the compressive strength decreased as expected, but the drying shrinkage also decreased significantly. It has been determined that the glass fibers used in the production of fiber foam concrete reduce the compressive strength, contrary to expectations, but contribute positively to the thermal conductivities. In the samples produced with triple composite fibers, it was observed that the compressive strengths of the samples containing glass fiber at the rate of 0.5% of the binder mass were higher than the reference sample values, while the thermal conductivity values were lower. It has been observed that as the water content decreases, compressive strength increases, and thermal conductivities decrease. This result revealed the importance of choosing the optimum water/binder ratio in foam concrete production. Foam concrete, which does not require high heat or pressure treatment and is produced using waste materials, also offers significant contributions in terms of energy efficiency and environmental friendliness.