On the influence of the activator rotation speed on the homogeneity of the foam concrete structure

As part of the study, a number of parameters have been proposed that have a significant effect on the quality of the resulting foam concrete mixture. For the preparation of a foam-concrete mixture based on the analysis of a priori information, a one-stage technology was used. The authors carried out experiments on the influence of the speed of rotation of the activator on the homogeneity of mixing of the foam concrete mixture. Distributions of suspended particles concentration along the radius and height of the mixer are considered. Based on the results of the entire study, it was found that a decrease in the height of the mixer installation above the bottom contributes to the rise of particles and an increase in power consumption. It was revealed that the greatest influence on the degree of uniformity of the distribution of particles within the peripheral zone is exerted by the deposition rate of particles and the scale of the mixer, the speed of radial movement of particles decreases, and the coefficient of turbulent diffusion increases. This leads to a decrease in the degree of inhomogeneity of the radial distribution, and in standard mixers the radial difference in particle concentration in the peripheral zone is negligible. It has been established that the efficiency of the designed mixers depends to a large extent on the extent to which the requirements for the degree of uniformity of concentration distribution in the mixture are justified. Stricter requirements for the degree of uniformity lead to a sharp increase in power. An excessive decrease in the requirements for the degree of homogeneity of the foam concrete mass can contribute to the deposition of some of the solid phase on the bottom of the mixer, which will lead to inhomogeneity of the mixture.