Wall blocks are a popular building material that allows the construction of buildings with high performance characteristics. Modern market offers a wide range of these products. Therefore, when asking the question of their choice for the construction of wall blocks for external walls (which is better to use), it is necessary to consider the properties of their materials and compliance with the required conditions.
Types of wall blocks for external walls:
- Aerated concrete is a type of cellular concrete with pores evenly distributed throughout the volume, the production of which uses lime, cement, quartz, and water. The porous structure provides thermal insulation properties and the ability of the material to “breathe”. This material has a long service life, environmental friendliness and fire resistance. However, it is fragile and requires precise masonry conditions.
- Foam concrete- This is also a porous type of concrete, made on the basis of cement, sand, foaming agent and water. It is lightweight and has excellent heat and noise insulating properties. However, it has low mechanical strength, absorbs moisture, and is short-lived.
- Expanded clay concrete- monolithic material, but at the same time has a porous structure. Walls made of it have an extremely low draft, but due to its high water absorption it is capable of freezing in severe frosts.
- Polystyrene concrete refers to lightweight concrete. It includes polystyrene foam. The material is characterized by ease of processing and installation, resistance to moisture and rotting, good warmth And soundproofing properties, long service life. Its disadvantages are poor ventilation and instability to solvents.
- cinder block is a material obtained by pressing slag concrete mortar into molds. These blocks are inexpensive and at the same time resistant to destruction and have a long service life. However, due to the low thermal conductivity of such blocks, additional wall insulation may be necessary.
A way to reduce the thermal conductivity of a block is to introduce an additional layer of insulation. A layer of thermal insulation for external walls with insulation is placed outside or inside the wall. Used as thermal insulation mineral wool or polymers - polystyrene foam, foam glass.
Among the types considered, the most popular are aerated concrete and foam concrete blocks. In terms of strength, thermal insulation and shrinkage level, aerated concrete is superior to foam blocks. However, the moisture-resistant characteristics of the foam block are much more preferable, so this type of block turns out to be necessary in conditions high humidity.
Cost of construction from aerated concrete in financially more expensive, but considering the strength of construction from this material and the prospects for service life, economic indicators According to experts, both types of blocks turn out to be approximately the same.
When choosing wall blocks for external walls, GOST for which regulates their use for various conditions operation, it is useful to consider the above properties various types concrete blocks.
Contact our company!
We specialize in the production of paving slabs, paving stones and building blocks. Call us, and our specialists will select the optimal building material for your purposes.
Working with us, you:
- purchase products manufactured using modern German equipment;
- you receive our company’s guarantee for all products;
- You can take advantage of the delivery of materials directly to the construction site.
Wall blocks for external walls are the basis for any building built using cellular concrete. External and internal load-bearing walls bear the main load of floor slabs, facades, roofs and floors located above, therefore the requirements for the material of their manufacture are quite high.
The strength of wall blocks primarily depends on the density of aerated concrete used in their manufacture. We offer a wide range of products made exclusively from autoclaved concrete. It differs from non-autoclave in the method of polymerization, which takes place at a pressure of 14 atmospheres and a temperature of 180 C. Changes in the structure of the material occur at the molecular level, giving autoclaved aerated concrete new properties, namely increased strength characteristics, absolute uniformity throughout the entire body of the product and whole line other physical and technical parameters.
The types of wall blocks are varied and are mainly determined by the brand of aerated concrete and geometric dimensions. The length of any product is standard and equal to 600 mm, the width and height are adjusted by the manufacturer, allowing the client to choose the required parameters depending on the situation.
Applicable markings
- D400 - garages, warehouses, private one-story houses;
- D500 - buildings and structures no more than three floors;
- D600 and above - for multi-storey buildings using reinforcement;
Gas silicates have low specific gravity, therefore, despite the dimensions, installation of wall blocks is not difficult. The weight of a block measuring 600*300*200 mm is, depending on the brand, from 18 to 25 kg. For comparison, brickwork the same volume weighs three and a half times more. Adding to this the completely different complexity of the installation process, the ever-growing popularity of aerated concrete materials becomes clear. Among their undoubted advantages is also cost-effectiveness. The price of wall blocks for external walls, taking into account all related materials, is two times lower than the bricks required to build a wall of the same size.
The mechanical properties of this type of gas silicate make it possible to attach various load-bearing elements of facades, canopies and other structures to them without additional preparation. At the same time, gating, drilling and other installation work performed on the wall surface will not cause any difficulties. Aerated concrete is also easy to saw and process with a plane, which is sometimes necessary when joining separately laid sections of a wall.
Why us?
Our online store offers you to buy wall blocks in Moscow from leading Russian manufacturers. Our prices and assortment will not leave the most demanding and demanding client indifferent, and our online consultant will help you decide on the required volume and type necessary materials. We also organize delivery of materials for your construction throughout Moscow and the Moscow region.
Recently, the construction of walls of a private residential building from lightweight concrete has been gaining popularity. Such materials reduce the load on the foundation compared to conventional concrete or brick and have fairly good thermal insulation characteristics. To understand which blocks are best for building a house, you need to study their types and consider the features of each.
Types of products
Lightweight concretes differ depending on the materials used for their production and manufacturing technology. There are the following types of material:
- foam concrete;
- aerated concrete;
- expanded clay concrete;
- expanded polystyrene concrete;
- wood concrete;
- sawdust concrete;
- cinder concrete.
To choose which types artificial stones are most preferable for the construction of walls, it is better to consider them separately. Not all options have become widespread. If we talk about which lightweight concrete is used most widely, we can name the following types: foam concrete, aerated concrete, wood concrete. The next most popular material is expanded clay concrete.
Products that can be used for construction are mainly made from Portland cement (gypsum binders). Sand is used as a filler. Reducing mass and increasing thermal conductivity is achieved by forming voids in the concrete body.
Aerated concrete
Gas silicate blocks for building a house are made on the basis of silicate binder and foaming agent, which makes it possible to obtain a porous structure. If you use materials from this group, you should remember several disadvantages:
- low strength of the walls for the construction of which they are used gas silicate blocks, does not allow the construction of high-rise buildings; these types are used as load-bearing structures only for low-rise buildings;
- products are characterized by strong shrinkage, the value of which can reach 1.5 mm per meter of height (gas silicate blocks are characterized by the highest rate among lightweight concrete);
- The moisture resistance of the material is low (it is able to absorb water) and therefore requires high-quality finishing using waterproofing materials, which can increase the final cost of the work;
- as cladding, it is better to use products with frost resistance of at least 30-50 cycles (according to standards, it is allowed to use from 30), but gas silicate blocks can withstand only 10 cycles of alternating defrosting and thawing, so they need additional insulation for protection against destruction;
- the thermal conductivity coefficient decreases with increasing density and strength, products that can be used for the construction load-bearing walls, in terms of thermal insulation characteristics are close to brick; and require an additional layer of insulation.
The advantages of gas silicate blocks include:
- exact dimensions of products, which allow reducing the consumption of solution or special glue;
- attractive appearance of wall masonry;
- ease of machining;
- fire resistance;
- safety and environmental friendliness;
- increasing speed and reducing labor intensity due to larger product sizes.
Further types of lightweight concrete are represented by such material as foam concrete. The main component is gypsum binders. To understand which blocks are best to choose, it is worth considering the advantages of this group:
The main component of foam concrete is gypsum binders - ease of processing and installation;
- reduced solution consumption compared to small-format materials;
- reduction of construction costs due to the thickness of walls, insulation and less massive foundations;
- good sound insulation;
- fire resistance;
- environmental friendliness and safety (the composition includes such components as sand, cement and water);
- greater moisture resistance than aerated concrete, which increases the durability and frost resistance of the walls.
In general, we can say that the use of foam concrete allows the construction of structures that better resist adverse influences. But the material has disadvantages:
- Fragility and low load-bearing capacity. You should not choose a material that has a low density for load-bearing walls; this can lead to cracks and destruction of the walls.
- The simplicity of manufacturing technology has led to the fact that many small enterprises produce blocks. When choosing, it is important to pay attention to which manufacturer made the products. To choose warm and high-quality wall materials, it is better to give preference to large companies and carefully check the geometry when purchasing.
In terms of thermal insulation efficiency, this material is inferior to the previous ones. Expanded clay concrete includes particles of baked clay and gypsum binders, which acts as a heat insulator. The advantages compared to the previously discussed types include:
Expanded clay concrete consists of baked clay and gypsum binders, which act as a heat insulator - more reliable fixation of fasteners, products do not fall off or crumble;
- increased moisture resistance;
- low cost and the possibility of self-production;
- resistance to chemical influences.
In comparison with foam concrete and aerated concrete, there are the following disadvantages:
- higher density and mass;
- reduced thermal insulation characteristics;
- unevenness of the edges, which increases the consumption of masonry mortar.
It is important to know that expanded clay is even less warm than brick, and is approximately the same in weight. You won’t be able to save on foundations when using it.
Arbolit
Such blocks for making walls Lately are gaining more and more popularity. Main components:
- cement (gypsum binders);
- sand;
- water;
- sawdust.
This material has the following advantages compared to those indicated earlier:
- High thermal insulation efficiency. If this factor is decisive, then you cannot find better wood concrete among lightweight concrete. Thanks to the inclusion of wood in large quantities, the material acquires the same properties as highly effective warm plaster.
- Ease of laying. But here it is important to remember that there are uneven surfaces on the blocks, therefore a thicker layer of masonry mortar will be required.
- Light weight, thanks to which less massive supporting structures can be used.
- Low cost and the possibility of self-production.
When deciding which units are suitable for your home, it is important to know the features and disadvantages. Arbolit has them in quite large quantities. Gypsum products are characterized by the following qualities:
- destruction of sawdust at high humidity, reducing service life and strength (plastering is required for protection);
- instability to fire due to wood inclusions;
- susceptibility to damage by rodents;
- low strength, the value is comparable to foam concrete and aerated concrete, the material is suitable only for low-rise construction.
In general, we can say that wood concrete will be the most effective in waterproofing.
Increased resistance to negative impacts expanded clay concrete exhibits external properties, but its thermal insulation efficiency leaves much to be desired.
Self-supporting walls rest on foundations, but carry the load only from their own weight. Non-load-bearing (curtain) walls are fences that rest on each floor on other elements of the building (frame) and only support their own weight within one floor.
Walls civil buildings must meet the following requirements:
Be strong and stable;
Have durability corresponding to the class of the building;
Comply with the fire resistance level of the building;
Be an energy-saving element of the building;
Have heat transfer resistance in accordance with thermal engineering standards, while ensuring the necessary temperature and humidity comfort in the premises;
Have sufficient sound insulation properties;
Have a design that meets modern methods construction of wall structures.
The choice of the type of walls should be economically justified based on a given architectural and artistic solution and meet the customer’s requirements, while the material intensity (material consumption) of the walls should be as minimal as possible, since this greatly helps to reduce labor costs for the construction of walls and overall construction costs.
Optimal thickness walls must be no less than the limit determined by static and thermal calculations. Since January 1997, Amendments 3 to SNiP 11-3-79 “Building Heat Engineering” came into force: the required heat transfer resistance for residential premises doubled, and since 2000 it has been increased by 3.45 times. If you follow the letter of the law, then walls made of single bricks should be built with a thickness of 1.5 m, so it is advisable to use combined structures of external walls: load-bearing part of the wall minimum thickness plus effective insulation And decorative finishing.
Depending on the type of material, the walls can be stone, wood, or from local materials, combined (such as “sandwich”). According to their design and method of construction, stone walls are divided into masonry, monolithic and large-panel walls.
Masonry is a structure made of individual wall stones, the seams between which are filled with masonry mortars. To create a strong monolithic system, the rows of masonry are made with mismatched vertical seams, that is, with their bandaging. Chain (double-row) and multi-row dressing systems are common. Seam thickness brick walls should be in the range of 10..12 mm.
For laying external walls, both simple mortar mixtures (cement) and complex ones (cement-lime, cement-clay) are used, which are characterized by high plasticity, water-holding capacity and economy. The compressive strength of solutions usually does not exceed 5..10 MPa after 28 days of natural hardening.
When preparing such solutions (they are sometimes called “cold”), natural filler is used, most often quartz sand with a maximum size of up to 5 mm. If porous aggregate is used as a filler (for example, expanded perlite, vermiculite), such solutions are called “warm”. Having an average density, as a rule, no more than 1,200 kg/m³ and a thermal conductivity of up to 0.27 W/m °C, they eliminate “cold bridges” in the masonry.
IN modern construction So-called dry masonry mixtures are increasingly being used. They are supplied in bags, most often weighing up to 25 kg, sealed with water at the work site and mixed using a mixer, stirrer or drill with an attachment.
Because the modern technologies allow the production of wall stones with minimal (up to 1 mm) deviation in geometric dimensions from standard sizes, then it is possible to carry out the so-called thin-seam masonry using masonry adhesives based on fine-dispersed dry mixtures with a filler particle size not exceeding 1..2 mm. As a result, the thickness of the masonry joint is only a few millimeters, which leads to significant savings in masonry mortar, while “cold bridges” in the masonry practically disappear.
What are modern stone low-rise buildings made of? At this point in time, the following are used as wall stones:
Ceramic brick;
Sand-lime brick;
Small building wall blocks.
Ceramic brick
Ceramic brick is "classic" building material, known to mankind since the third millennium BC. e. Possessing high durability, strength and frost resistance, good thermal insulation (especially for hollow bricks) and excellent appearance(for facing), ceramic brick is the most common building stone on the planet at the moment.
Over the entire period of its existence, ceramic brick has taken on so many “appearances” and acquired so many additional properties and characteristics that simply listing them and short description I had to put it in a separate article.
Sand-lime brick
Sand-lime brick is a relatively “young” building material compared to others: its prototype was created in 1880, and the technology for its mass production was developed only in the first half of the 20th century. However, at this point in time, sand-lime brick has already won its “place in the sun”, primarily due to the fact that with physical characteristics very close to those of ceramic bricks, it is much (in some cases – twice) cheaper. In addition, production technology sand-lime brick allows you to receive large quantity color shades final products, and, in some cases, more accurate (compared to ceramic) geometry of building stone.
Since many physical characteristics silicate bricks and silicate blocks, as well as the method of their installation are the same; detailed information about these building materials is given in the article devoted to products made of gas silicate and silicate concrete.
Small wall blocks
Blocks are a load-bearing and self-supporting building material and can be used for the construction of both load-bearing walls (in houses with a height of no more than three floors) and internal partitions.
The use of small wall blocks in the construction allows:
Increase the usable area of the premises by reducing the thickness of the walls (the load-bearing capacity of masonry made from most types of blocks is 20% higher than that provided for by SNiP “Stone and reinforced masonry structures. Design standards” for masonry made of ceramic bricks of the same thickness);
Dramatically increase the productivity of the construction process (the speed of installing blocks is 4..5 times higher than the speed of installing bricks for the same volume being built);
Save up to 60% of the solution on the construction of a structural element. In this case, the total mass of 1 m³ of masonry will decrease by 1.5 times;
Reduce the cost of general construction work, compared to using conventional bricks, by 30..40%.
Thus, high construction productivity, no need to use complex lifting mechanisms and a reduction in building area lead to a sharp reduction in the unit cost of 1 m² of housing.
Silicate and gas silicate blocks
These types of blocks are currently the most used in civil engineering. The blocks “breathe”, which helps regulate the level of humidity in the room. The material from which the blocks are made is not subject to rotting, is non-flammable, and at the same time has excellent thermal insulation properties. Structures made from silicate and gas silicate blocks are practically eternal and do not require special maintenance.
At the same time, such blocks have relatively high water absorption, which suggests that they additional protection plaster compositions or facing bricks. This practice is the norm when working with the vast majority of types of building blocks.
More complete information about products made of silicate concrete and gas silicate, their characteristics and features of working with them, is given in a specially written article.
Expanded clay concrete blocks
The starting material for such blocks is expanded clay (foamed and fired clay), water and cement. The sintered shell covering the expanded clay granule gives it high strength. That is why expanded clay, which has high strength and lightness, is the main type of porous filler for this type of block.
The blocks, due to their structure, have higher sound and heat insulation characteristics than conventional concrete and have higher chemical resistance when exposed to such aggressive environments as solutions of sulfates, caustic alkalis, carbon dioxide, etc. and the presence of coarse fractionated aggregate leads to a significant reduction in the total weight of the structures being erected.
Expanded clay concrete, compared to heavy concrete, has high structural porosity, which reduces its physical and mechanical characteristics, such as strength, frost resistance, and density. Products based on expanded clay concrete are quite fragile compared to ordinary concrete, which leads to a narrowing of the range of applications of such products. Besides, expanded clay concrete blocks have relatively high surface porosity, which leads to their increased moisture absorption.
Products made from such concrete are used as load-bearing structures in housing, civil and industrial construction.
Best-Stroy portal
Boris R., Balashikha
I would like to express my gratitude to the Avtostroy company. They advised me on all the questions that were unclear to me regarding paving slabs, they chose a delivery time that was convenient for me, and in general it’s nice when people do their job well.
Elena L., Moscow
As a woman, all these construction issues are difficult for me to understand, but given the current circumstances, you can’t learn anything. When I needed to buy paving slabs for my parents’ property, I spent quite a long time looking around for what and where I could buy. The products are basically the same everywhere, but experience suggests that not everything is so simple. In the end, I chose the Avtostroy company, which I do not regret.
Alexey B., Korolev
Well what can I say. Everything is fine, no problems, I ordered and bought paving slabs and curbs. Regular, gray, so I can’t tell you about the color. The quality is good, no chips, no, God forbid, cracks. Delivered the next day after ordering, without prepayment. They unloaded it themselves; the car was equipped with a crane. This was especially helpful, considering that I was alone and did not specify how the unloading would be carried out. But everything worked out well, the pallets were unloaded from paving slabs and curbs in a place convenient for me.