Fixed polystyrene formwork - what is it?
Fixed formwork made of foam plastic is a structure in which the reinforcement is placed and concrete is poured. Its body is made of foam blocks, interconnected by special bridges. Such a method of erecting walls simplifies construction works, because the formwork itself has the necessary parameters and additional sound or heat insulation is not required.
As a building material, expanded polystyrene is highly durable, chemically inactive, not afraid of moisture and is harmless to health. Possessing a small weight, the formwork blocks allow you to work without special equipment, which also reduces the cost of construction.
In the manufacture of blocks in their composition, a flame retardant is added, thereby increasing the fire safety of the building. The fixed foam polystyrene formwork is characterized by an extraordinary simplicity of construction, and even an amateur can easily cope with its construction. Only attention and accuracy are required.
Fixed formwork of foam: proceed to mounting
As in the traditional case, formwork is installed on a waterproofed foundation. With the only difference is that the formwork blocks are threaded onto the reinforcing bars emerging from the foundation. When laying the first row requires increased attention, since its contours should indicate the locations of the projected bends for internal partitions.
After the first row is laid, in the special grooves in the blocks overlap horizontal reinforcement is laid, the pieces of which are joined together with vertical rods by wire twists.
When laying expanded polystyrene blocks, the rows should be moved relative to each other to give the structure the necessary rigidity. Vertical interconnection of blocks is carried out with the help of locks placed on their surface in the form of grooves and holes, which are securely connected when pressed lightly.
Fixed formwork made of expanded polystyrene: pour concrete
After completion of the laying of the third or fourth row, you can proceed to pouring concrete. Thus it is necessary to watch the filling of all voids, carefully sealing the solution with deep vibrators with a short working part. You can also perform this procedure manually using a piece of reinforcement of suitable length.
When filling the formwork in several layers, the upper row of blocks is filled only halfway, i.e.with the expectation that the surface of the hardened concrete should be approximately in the middle of the upper row. It should be noted that the optimal speed of concrete works - a layer of meter thickness per day. This is determined by the time of complete setting of the solution. Bearing capacity of walls depends on the class of reinforcement and brand of concrete.
When building a monolithic wall, installation holes should be provided for the laying of cables, pipes and various engineering structures. It is even better to conduct all communications before pouring concrete.
The section of the wall thus constructed resembles a "sandwich" - a monolithic reinforced concrete between two rows of expanded polystyrene. Moreover, its outer layer is thicker than the inner layer, which provides excellent thermal insulation.
This innovative method of construction is increasingly used by our specialists, getting more and more widespread every day. In this article we have touched only the main aspects, and giving more detailed information on what is a fixed formwork made of expanded polystyrene, the video will acquaint you with new details.