Hyperpressed brick is a kind of building material that is made by the method of semi-dry hyper-pressing from a limestone-cement mixture with the stage of its subsequent hardening: by placing it in a steam chamber or in a heated room. It is designed mainly for facing different types of houses.
Contents
- Composition of hyper-pressed brick
- Production technology
- Types
- Dimensions and weight
- Hyper-pressed brick specifications
- Properties
- Advantages of
- Disadvantages of
- Application of
- Video
Despite its name, hyper-pressed brick refers to a group of materials commonly called "artificial stones".With the usual brick it is related only by the form and the main way of application. Unlike traditional ceramic bricks, this kind of small-piece products appeared on the market recently. Its production became possible with the rapid development of innovative technologies for the production of building materials. In the near future, with the development of mass production and a cheaper production process, hyperpressed brick is able to occupy a niche of natural stone materials and ceramic bricks.
Composition of hyperpressed bricks
Limestone cement mixture used for the production of this type of brick includes: high-grade cement( 8-15%), iron-oxide pigments( 2-7%), and basic raw materials( 85-92%):limestone-shell rock, culling from crushed stone production, marble, tirsu, dolomite, marl, blast-furnace slag, battle of ceramic bricks, waste from mining, sawing stone, enriching coal, ore, etc.
Production technology
Hyper-pressing technology involves the molding of bricks from a moistened mixture of loose mineral materials under ultra-high pressure. The impact of pressing provokes strong mutual friction of the particles of the mixture, which leads to their adhesion to each other at the molecular level, and not to simple adherence. This process does not require exposure to high temperatures, compared to firing the same clay brick. This method of semi-dry pressing is also called "cold welding".As a consequence, hyper-pressed brick has texture and characteristics( strength, moisture, frost resistance) as close as possible to natural stone.
Molded bricks are initially dried in a steam chamber or in a warehouse. Drying provides a set of products of partial vintage strength. The final strength parameters of the brick type in the masonry for a month at plus temperatures. This technology allows you to produce products with high-precision design dimensions( range of deviations of 0,2 - 0,5 mm).
It is worth noting that the state standard for hyperpressed bricks has not yet been developed. It is produced on the basis of technical conditions for products obtained through hyperpressing, as well as in accordance with the specifications( sizes, purposes) existing for ceramic bricks.
Types
Hyper-pressed brick is classified:
- according to the intended use: ordinary, front;
- for construction: solid, hollow;
- in shape: the correct parallelepiped, figured, "torn stone."
Dimensions and weight
Dimension of hyperpressed bricks:
- single: 250 × 120 × 65 mm;
- narrow: 250 × 60 × 56 mm;
- spoon: 250 × 85 × 65 mm.
Products that have a length of 230 mm and a thickness of 65 mm are combined with widths of 50, 56, 100, 107 mm are quite common.
Weight of hyperpressed bricks: 4.2 kg( for standard size 250 * 120 * 65 mm).
Technical characteristics of hyper-pressed brick
- strength: 100-400 kg / cm²;
- Bulk weight: 1900-2200 kg / m³;
- frost resistance: up to 300 cycles, F30-F300;
- thermal conductivity: 0.43-0.9 W /( m · ° C);
- water absorption: 3-7%;
- brand: M100 - M300;
- fire resistance: NG group - non-flammable.
Properties
- Resistance to various aggressive environments, different climatic influences.
- High strength characteristics, superior to those of silicate and ceramic products.
- Ideally smooth surface, allowing fast masonry of this type of brick, as well as saving masonry mortar, labor.
- No fractures and cracks.
- More than a solid durability of service life( about 200 years) while maintaining aesthetic appearance of the masonry.
- Possibility of any kind of machining on the construction site.
- High bond strength of hyper-pressed products with cement mortar, which provides high strength of masonry.
- Masonry made of hyperpressed bricks is allowed to be made all year round.
- Relative affordability.
- Environmentally friendly.
Advantages of
Advantages of hyperpressed bricks include:
- material does not require high firing costs;
- for the manufacture of bricks, it is possible to use wastes from various industries;
- is practically non-waste production;
- possibility of manufacturing finished products with a lot of different textures and colors;
- possibility of application at high humidity and high temperatures;
- no limitation of the number of storeys of erected buildings;
- the ability to perform all types of masonry, both basic structural elements and finishing;
- possibility of use for decoration of premises and in landscape design;
- possibility( with changing source materials) of broad modeling of subsequent properties and characteristics;
- small amount of waste during transportation and stowage.
Disadvantages of
The drawbacks of hyperpressed bricks are:
- The relatively high price narrows the range of the current application of this material;
- the need to dry the hyper-pressed products before laying( the maximum possible time);
- significant load on the foundation, especially when using full-bricks.
Application of
Hyperpressed brick is often used today to equip foundations, bearing structures, basement floors. Quite often it is used for facing external, internal wall constructions, columns, facades, socles, fences, decoration of window, doorways, arbors, fireplaces. Also, it is very in demand in landscape design. Extremely high strength of the masonry makes it possible to withstand the regulatory requirements of residential, industrial, special facilities located in the risk zone of possible landslides, earthquakes, blast waves, other natural and man-made threats.
Photo and video materials illustrate all the uses of hyperpressed bricks, and also represent a wide variety of design options with its application. A lot of positive feedback about the properties and ease of use of this material suggests that in the near future, hyper-pressed brick is able to confidently squeeze the currently used types of brick - ceramic, silicate. Its mass use will increase with the development of new types of products of this type with different properties.
