Foamcell™ In Depth: Applications

More specific Mining and Construction Foamcell™ applications are as follows:

Construction/Building Industry
Precast/Tilt-Up Panels provide a lower density concrete building material for construction of walls and other panels. These panels result in lower transportation costs, reduced loads on structural members and, more energy efficient, higher acoustic and thermal insulating characteristics than typical concrete products.
Building Blocks and Bricks provide the same positive characteristics as panels; for building construction using more conventional, labor intensive techniques.
Lightweight Floor/Roof Decks - Slab construction with low density, self leveling concrete provides a material that induces smaller loads on structural members than conventional floor and roof deck systems, and can reduce overall building costs.
Pour-In-Place Building Foamcell™ mixes are versatile. Placement into pre-constructed forms is easily accomplished due to the characteristic flowability, creating cost effective, energy efficient, low maintenance structures. Mixes can be designed for lower or higher strengths, depending on structural requirements and can even incorporate waste materials such as fly ash..

Geotechnical Applications
Soil Stabilization - The use of Foamcell™ mixes in geotechnical applications has proved to be a unique solution to a variety of problems associated with poor soil conditions. This is accomplished by incorporating existing poor soils (expansive clays) into a cellular soil cement mixture. The process eliminates the expensive and time consuming use of imported soils, while the unique cell structure renders expansive clays resistant to freeze-thaw cycles. The flowable nature eliminates the compaction procedures for conventional fill and, promotes easy placement directly from mixers or remote pumping locations in limited access areas. Soil stabilization with Foamcell™ materials can be applied to:

Slopes
Retaining Wall Backfills
Bridge Pier and Pile Sub-Base
Roadway and Railroad Bed Sub-Base
Poor Soils Adjacent to Building Foundations

Self-Leveling Flowable Fill Material - serves the construction and geotechnical industries as a flowable fill where high strength is undesirable. Low density and extremely flowable characteristics may be employed for void backfilling under and/or around structures to prevent settlement related failures. Representative flowable fill applications include the following:

Utility Trench Backfilling
Voids Around Foundations and Structural Supports
Dam and Naturally Occurring Solution Cavities
Voids Under Concrete Slabs

Environmental Applications
Underground Storage Tank Abandonments - Health and safety hazards can be posed by unused underground storage tanks for holding petroleum fuels and chemicals. Other underground structures such as silos, pipelines, storm sewers and tunnels are sometimes left in place after use has been discontinued. When removal is impractical or too costly, Foamcell™ provides an exceptional, cost effective, environmentally safe solution for in-situ abandonment of these structures. Low strength mixes of incorporating locally available materials can be formulated and pumped into a tank or other underground room to provide complete filling, generally from one location.

Mining Applications
Tunnel Annulus Grouting/Backpack Material - Foamcell™ mixtures are ideal for filling the annular void space between a tunnel liner and the excavated rock. Permeable or impermeable mixtures are available.
Mine Adit and Shaft Closures - Underground mine openings to the surface can be effectively and efficiently closed using a Foamcell™ mixture as a backfill material or by forming and pouring a closure structure to prevent future access.
Backfilling Underground Voids - Foamcell™ mixtures provide an excellent, cost effective material for remote backfilling of underground voids to prevent subsidence in abandoned and active mines.
Ventilation Barriers in Active Mines - Foamcell™ mixtures provide a cost saving alternative to conventional ventilation seal construction.