Effect of magnetized water on foam stability and compressive strength of foam concrete

It has been widely reported that the use of magnetized water to mix concrete can increase the workability of fresh concrete and its hardened strength. Meanwhile, the use of foam concrete in construction industry is gaining popularity because of its excellent properties, such as low self-weight and excellent thermal insulation properties. But the foam stability and relatively low compressive and splitting tensile strength of foam concrete are still the main challenges for engineers to use this material. This study intends to evaluate the influence of magnetized water on the foam stability, compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, water absorption and micro structure of foam concrete. A total of 9 mixes were prepared with water that passed through a permanent magnetic field for 1, 5 and 10 times at flow speeds of 0.75 m/s, 1.75 m/s and 2.75 m/s, respectively. The test results indicate that the foam stability, compressive and splitting tensile strength of foam concrete are significantly improved by using magnetized water, whereas the water absorption of hardened foam concrete decreases slightly. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.