Foam glass

Foam glass is a porous glass foam material. Its advantages as a building material include its light weight, high strength and its thermal and acoustic insulating properties. It is made by heating a mixture of crushed or granulated glass and a blowing agent (chemical foaming agent) such as carbon or limestone. Near the melting point of the glass, the blowing agent releases a gas, producing a foaming effect in the glass. After cooling the mixture hardens into a rigid material with gas-filled closed-cell pores comprising a large portion of its volume.

Foam Glass as Floor Insulation Foamed glass insulation aggregate is used in the same way as coated clay aggregate, but is capable of being used as a load bearing hardcore. It also offers better insulation (lambda/k value = 0.08 – approximately 20% better in thermal performance than lightweight expanded clay aggregate). It therefore needs less depth for a similar thermal performance.^[1]

See also

• Metal foam
• Ceramic foam
• Porous medium
• Nanofoam
• Reticulated foam

References