Agency:

Agricultural Research Service

January 21, 1997

The invention relates to light weight or "foamed concrete" and a method of making light weight concrete. Some aggregates used in conventional light weight concrete such as such as fly ash, shale or pumice adds substantial weight to the finished product. Other means to reduce weight such as air bubble containing foam or expanded polystyrene beads are difficult or impossible to evenly distribute in wet concrete and tend to compress under pressure or bunch or cluster and thus tends to produce concrete having nonuniform density. According to the invention, aquagel spheres, particles, or pieces are formed from gelatinized starch and added to concrete. When the water has evaporated, the finished product is a light weight concrete having uniform density regardless of the depth or slump of the poured cement. The finished concrete has reduced sound transmission, reduced thermal conductivity.

Gregory M. Glenn

Cereal Product Utilization Research Lab.

800 Buchanan St.

Albany, CA

(510) 559-5677

Industry Keywords:

wheat, corn, rice, potato, peas, tapioca, blocks, insulating concrete, structural concrete, fireproof steel beams, energy conservation