CreteFoamer Blog

The CreteFoamer "project" was started in January of 2007, when Marty Cornelius, then Sales Manager , took an inquiry call about our Airpinch valves from a volumetric mixer truck manufacturer. At the end of the conversation Marty asked about foam in concrete and was told it looked like a “coming thing.” He and Dana Benning, then our Marketing and Sales Director, did some research over the next two days. Based on that research, Rich Borglum, then president, made a decision that we should explore the market. Three weeks later, Marty, Rich, and R&D team leader Corey Cerwinski, were exhibiting at World of Concrete 2007. [Quick aside; Tony and Dana were at another show] Based on our experience at WOC, we decided to fully enter the market.


The “core group” was Tony, Marty, Corey and Rich. Marty had worked as a concrete laborer one summer during college, Corey was a partner in a granite cemetery monument company and had some concrete experience, while Rich and Tony had only “recreational” (DIY) concrete experience. All four had strong technical backgrounds, which were vital in the early work on the CreteFoamer product line. Corey has since left Richway and some others have come and gone, but the core of knowledge has remained with Tony, Marty, and Rich. As we have transitioned into more electronic control based operating systems, the input of Chris Zahrt, our electronics manager for just over ten years, has become more important. Chris Hagen, a sales team member for more than a year, has a year and a half of field experience with a directional soil drilling firm. Note too, that there are many more members of the Richway staff who contribute to the ongoing development of the CreteFoamer.


Our commitment to the CreteFoamer is stronger than ever, supported by 35 employees who see it as a continuing personal growth opportunity and a 63,000 square foot factory. Our core competency is the design and manufacture of foam generation equipment, dating back to 1973. We are the oldest and largest manufacturer of foam marking systems, used to provide guidance during agricultural (and turf) spraying applications. We are widely recognized as the market leader in innovation, quality, integrity, and customer service. This is our heritage and has set our mission and goal for our involvement in the cellular concrete industry. Those who continue to be part of our team have demonstrated commitment to these goals through actions, not just words.


President Tony Borglum and Production Manager Marty Cornelius will again be attending the ACI Spring Meeting in March. Marty is a member of the ACI 523 Cellular Concrete Technical Committee and will be attending the committee meeting. Marty was invited to become a member by committee Chair Konstantin Sobolev after a cellular concrete presentation Marty gave for the Wisconsin Chapter of ACI in 2009.


Tony has been the principal architect for the “continuous production series” CreteFoamers which have been introduced over the past two years. Also involved have been Rich Borglum, past Richway president, Chris Zahrt, electronics manager, Marty Cornelius, production manager (formerly sales manager), Nick Borglum, CreteFoamer design team member and lead fabricator, along with former employees Fred Good and Dave Distler.


Tony and Marty have strong field experience and are the ones who have planned all of our field projects, even if they were not present themselves. And in nearly all cases, they have been called on at least once during every field project to provide assistance to the in-field foreman in solving a seemingly insurmountable problem. They both started their design careers early in life, including design and building such things as RC cars from scratch, full size monster cars (Chevy Citation based), unique bicycles, and fancy multi-person barley based beverage dispensers. Both have been highly involved for the last 20 years in the design of more practical (though probably less fun) products at Richway.

If you want to read Rich's "40 years of management" blog CLICK HERE

Here is a report from Dave Distler, our CreteFoamer Product Manager. Dave and Kyle Hinz, our CreteFoamer fabrication specialist, made a trip to the Gulf Coast of Texas to work with a contractor using a CFVT-60C CreteFoamer. Dave and Kyle are pictured right after they got back with the "60C" which they pulled to Texas for the project.

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“The Contractor” Specialty Service and CreteFoamer Challenge:

“The Contractor's” challenge was to fill the annular space around 5 – 4” diameter high voltage electrical conduits in 3500’ of 24” pipe with 30 PCF cellular concrete. The 24 inch pipe was located in the refinery complex at a major oil refinery in Texas.

5 – 4” conduit for high voltage wires

The 24 inch pipe also contained 2 inch PVC pipes through which the cellular concrete was to be pumped to fill the annular space between electrical conduit and pipe.

From each end of the pipe there were four 2 inch "Fill pipes"; one each of the following lengths:
1450‘
1050’
700’
300’

The process was to fill the the large pipe from the center starting with the 1450’ pvc on the South end then 1050’, 700’ finishing with the 300’ pipe, working our way out until we reached the bulk head. Thus, we pumped a maximum of 1450 feet. The cellular concrete was to then free-flow within the larger pipe.

When the South end was full we moved to the North end starting again with the 1450’ pvc following the same sequence until the void was full.

Pumping through 1450 feet of 2 inch pipe was no problem for the CreteFoamer!!!

Equipment used for this challenge was Richway Industries 60C SCIM CreteFoamer.

The 24” pipe dipped down 30 feet in the middle from South to North then back up 10’ (20’ lower than South end)

Another Challenge overcome with CreteFoamer.


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If you want to know more, call Richway at 800-553-2404 or email us: info@Richway.com [ask for Dave]


Dave and Kyle met "some really great people. They were wonderful to us!" in Topeka, KS. They unexpectedly had the injectors replaced on our truck on the way to Texas by Ed Bozarth Chevrolet in Topeka. (Covered by warranty, fortunately)

We don't just talk about cellular concrete, we get into it. That's the only way to know material.
Get into it. Get it smeared on yourself. Know what it feels like. Know what it smells like. Know what it looks like.

WE DO.

Following are a series of pictures from the last several years showing what we mean when we say "we get dirty"

From the left, here are Ryan (sales team), Marty (Sales Manager) and ChrisZ (Electronics Manager) during the "Boiler Room Project)




Photo Below: Tony (President) in the bottom of the elevator pit fill at the start. This was a single lift of 84 inches.



Photo below: Ryan (left) & Rich (vice chairman) pulling density samples on the factory sub-base project.

Here's Dave (CreteFoamer Product Manager)

Richway Industries is a recognized leader in cellular concrete production equipment and foaming agents. In many parts of the world, it is better known as “foam concrete” or “foamed concrete”, though some prefer to use an even more general terms such as, “lightweight concrete” or “reduced density concrete”. Regardless of the term used, it is produced by adding externally generated foam (similar to a dense shampoo lather) to a concrete slurry mix.

Cellular concrete is not the same as autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC), which is produced through a chemical reaction between aluminum powder and calcium hydroxide in the slurry mix. The chemical reaction produces hydrogen gas which infuses through the concrete as it is setting up in the mold. Generally a large block of material is cut into slabs before the precast parts are put into the heated autoclave for curing. During the autoclave curing process, under pressure and heat, the AAC is typically cured for eight to twelve hours. Some refer to this as simply “aerated concrete”.

Cellular lightweight concrete may also be precast, but it does not rely on chemical reaction to produce hydrogen gas forming bubbles. Generally the molds for production of precast cellular (foam) concrete parts are not heated, though heating can reduce cure times and thus increase productivity.

There are two primary methods of adding the externally generated foam to a slurry mix to produce cellular concrete: The first is to add the foam to a batch mix, such as a drum mixer truck or a stationary mixer such as used in precast plants or on-site for large jobs. The second is to add the foam “in-line” to a pipe-line carrying the slurry mix or into the hopper of a continuous mixer such as used on volumetric truck mixers. Richway produces equipment for use with both of these methods.

Concrete foaming agents used for the production of the externally generated foam fall into two main categories: The first is protein based, which usually means animal by-products. These may take several forms and in some cases appear to be nothing more than blood. As one might suspect, odor and shelf life are both problems with protein based materials. In recent years, more foaming agents are synthetic based materials. The base building blocks are usually petroleum derived and are the same as found in many products like shampoos, detergents, and car wash chemicals. However, it is the additive structure used in the formulations which sets them apart from common materials and each other.

The additive chemicals and structure used for the foaming agent can affect the bubble size, foam life, and general “toughness” of the foam. For the finished cellular concrete, this in turn affects such properties as compressive strength, shrink during set-up and cure, uniform aggregate dispersion, pumping stability, practical lift thickness, and compatibility with admixtures. As the density of all lightweight concrete is reduced, it becomes ever more difficult to maintain the properties noted above and the foaming agent and foam generation equipment become increasingly important. This generalization applies not only to cellular concrete, but also to autoclaved aerated concrete (ACC), and concrete produced using various type of lightweight aggregates. However, higher density cellular concrete often requires some structural strength, so once again the foaming agent is critical.

The mix design chosen for the production of cellular concrete can have a great effect on the properties after curing as well as the ability to place the material. In general, if the application is geotechnical or other types of fill, the mix design can be quite simple and is not too difficult to develop. However, as soon as there is any structural element requirement introduced, then mix design can become critical. There is not a single “best” mix design for production of cellular concrete and the final design is also dependent on local materials, batching techniques, foam mixing and placement methods.

Tony, who is our company president, said it well at a luncheon today when he said "I am proud to have three people who have liked working at Richway enough to stay here until retirement." Bill, Walt, and John have a combined 32 years at Richway. None of them retired early to "get away". In fact they are all past "social security age".



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We thank them for their informal leadership and many other contributions which they have provided over the years. I have always felt that "seasoned" people are a big asset in helping younger ones learn "how to work." Thanks Guys!!!

If you need a quick way to approximate production rates for geotechnical fill applications, this is for you.

These rules are for continuous production, such as you get with the Richway CreteFoamer "60C SCIM" unit.

These rules are approximations only for 30 lb/cu ft density cellular concrete.



#1 Multiply the foam output in cfm by 3 to get the approximate cubic yards per hour at 30 pcf. [Or divide required production rate by 3 to get foam output rate required.]

#2 Divide foam output in cfm by 3 to get the required slurry in cfm. [Divide slurry cfm by 27 to get cu yds/min]

#3 Divide foam output in cfm by 3 to get gpm of water required to produce foam.

Note that #2 and #3 will yield the same number, just in different units.

Example: If you are generating 60 cfm of foam, you will have a maximum production rate of approximately 180 cubic yards per hour of 30 pound per cubic foot density cellular concrete. For this production rate you will need 20 gallons per minute of water to produce foam and an slurry rate of 20 cubic feet per minute. This translates to 44 cu yds/hour of slurry.

With the "60C" users report average production rates in the range of 90-100 cubic yards per hour.

Scaling down to 12 cfm foam production rate, the cellular concrete production rate will be approx 40 cu yds/hour; requiring 4 cfm slurry per minute and 4 gallons water per minute.


Here's the math.


12 cfm foam at 3 lbs/cu ft = 36 lbs
4 cfm slurry at 120 lbs/cu ft = 480 lbs
TOTAL 516 lbs / 16 cfm (total) = 32 lbs/cu ft density

16 cfm * 60 min per hour = 960 cu ft / hour

960/ 27 (cu yds/cu ft) = approx 36 cu yds / hour.

Since most of the weight of the foam is water and water weighs about 9 lb/gal (actually 8.34), it takes about 4 gallons of water to make 12 cubic feet of foam.

See above for the derivation of the 4 cfm of slurry [and note that with 4 cfm density will be a little greater than 30 lbs/cubic foot]

Again ---- these are APPROXIMATIONS only, so nothing comes out exactly right, but they are close enough for quick figuring.

The full model number for the "60C" is CFVT-60C SCIM      SCIM stands for Self Contained Integrated Mobile.  It is a fully integrated unit that starts with a slurry and adds foam into the flow of slurry from the on-board pump to produce cellular concrete.  The 60C has a base foam generation capacity of 60 cubic feet per minute and a continuous cellular concrete production capacity of up to 100 cubic yards per hour for 30 pcf density.

The main components are the power unit, progressive cavity concrete pump, foam generator, foam eductor, and static mixer. Also mounted on the trailer are water tank, foam concentrate storage, and various auxiliary components.  The core of the power unit is a 75 hp Kubota diesel engine, which drives a hydraulic pump and a rotary screw compressor.  There is also a water pump, foam concentrate pump, and associated controls. The core of Richway VersaTrac technology is used to precisely meter foam concentrate into the water to produce foam when compressed air is added.  This eliminates any premixing such as required with many other systems.   

This system was designed by Richway engineers and is manufactured in their factory, using 38 years of machine manufacturing experience.  Like all Richway CreteFoamers, it produces a tight and uniform bubble structure, critical for consistently high quality cellular concrete.

It can produce up to 100 cubic yards of cellular concrete per hour on a continuous basis.  Density can be varied from 25 pounds per cubic foot (pcf) up to 125 pcf.  Output rate is adjustable, using simple, but comprehensive controls.  The stainless steel foam generator, eductor and static mixer are all easily cleaned. 

The 60C is a real workhorse and is ready to go to work for you when you get it.  Available options include water tank size, foam concentrate storage configuration, hopper size, and pump capacity.  It can used with either batch trucks or volumetric trucks.  It can also be used in the "foam only" mode to directly charge batch trucks at foam generation rates of 60 cubic feet per minute.  

If you need a foam generation system to do high volume cellular concrete work, then you need to look at the Richway 60C CreteFoamer.

Cellular Concrete in use again.  Read this article.

Apr 11, 2011 02:08 PM

Here is a news release about use of cellular concrete in bridge construction. The arches are precast standard density concrete, with an overfill (presumably up to the deck) of cellular concrete. Read the whole story by following the link.    

Cellular concrete in bridge construction