Elevated temperature properties of foam concrete: Experimental study, numerical simulation, and theoretical analysis

Foam concrete, as an inorganic cellular material possessing exceptional thermal insulation and fire resistance properties, emerges as a promising candidate for thermal insulation. To achieve a more precise evaluation of its performance under elevated temperatures, the present study comprehensively investigates the thermal characteristics of foam concrete with a combined experimental, numerical, and theoretical approach. Firstly, a high-temperature test is conducted to investigate the influence of temperature and foam concrete density on its macroscopic appearance and internal temperature distribution. Meanwhile, the thermal conductivity of foam concrete at various densities and temperatures is directly measured with a thermal conductivity analyzer. Subsequently, to acquire comprehensive specific heat and thermal conductivity parameters of foam concrete, with a numerical model established within ABAQUS, the genetic algorithm is applied to identify these thermal parameters based on the measurement data from the elevated temperature test. In addition, CT scanning and 3D reconstruction of foam concrete before and after exposure to elevated temperatures are utilized to extract pore characteristics. This facilitates the thermal conductivity calculation using theoretical models, enabling the determination of the thermal conductivity of foam concrete above 600 °C. Through a comparison of the experimental, numerical, and theoretical results, it is recommended to consider the variation of specific heat in three dehydration stages due to the observed notable dehydration. Due to the effect of cracks, the numerically determined thermal conductivity is slightly higher compared to the experimentally and theoretically determined thermal conductivity. Based on the analysis, an improved formula predicting the specific heat of foam concrete, and a formula determining the thermal conductivity of foam concrete subjected to elevated temperature are proposed.