# Stability criterion for fresh cement foams

## TL;DR

This paper establishes a stability criterion for fresh cement foams based on bubble size and cement paste yield stress, accounting for destabilization mechanisms like ripening and drainage.

## Contribution

It introduces a unified stability criterion applicable to various cement foam formulations, linking bubble radius and yield stress to foam stability.

## Key findings

- Ripening is identified as the main destabilization mechanism.
- Drainage has minimal impact unless bubbles are large.
- A single stability criterion effectively predicts foam stability.

## Abstract

We prepare and study cement foam samples with well-controlled structure, i.e. containing monodisperse bubbles. We observe that the foam structure often changes before cement setting and identify ripening as the major destabilization mechanism at stake. Drainage plays only a minor role in cement foam destabilization except when bubble size is large. Then we show that a single stability criterion can be defined, for a large range of cement foams with different formulations. This criterion involves the bubble radius and the yield stress of the cement paste such as confined by and between the bubbles, at a given characteristic time after sample preparation.