Characteristics of aerated concrete
The main advantage and distinguishing feature of this material is the pores-bubbles. They should be evenly distributed over the entire area and volume of material - this indicator is the main parameter of quality determination. For the production of this material, heat treatment in an autoclave of sand, cement, lime and water is used.
Aerated concrete has the following advantage - it is light, but still very durable. It is also good for noise insulation, has high heat resistance and fire resistance.
There is a huge assortment of different types and sizes of aerated concrete blocks. This feature allows you to lay out the most bizarre forms of walls, conceived by architects. And due to the fact that the weight is optimally related to the geometric characteristics of the blocks, the pace of work and the construction of houses from aerated concrete blocks is much faster than, for example, from brick. And most importantly, with all the merits of the material, its value is very democratic.
One of the rare drawbacks of aerated concrete - due to its ability to "breathe" it accumulates in the pores a decent amount of moisture over time. This factor leads to decompaction and often to local significant destruction. So, during construction it is necessary to take into account the good waterproofing of the material in order to exclude as much as possible any penetration of moisture into the pores.
Houses made of aerated concrete - where to start?
Houses made of aerated concrete blocks are a popular trend today. The share of monolithic houses and cottages from aerated concrete, according to experts, is on the market of construction of country real estate of about 10-15 percent per year.
Construction of houses made of aerated concrete is not such a difficult task. Before proceeding to the matter, it is necessary to pour under the house the foundation of the house from aerated concrete on piles, which are set to a depth necessarily exceeding the depth of freezing of soil and soil.
When the foundation is ready, the walls of aerated concrete blocks are laid on top so that an air gap of about 10 centimeters remains between the walls( external and internal).The gap is filled with expanded clay fraction 5-20 in order to avoid convection.
Next, overlapping is installed on wooden beams. It is necessary to connect the joists in half, and the ends of the beams are taken out into the air gap, but so that they do not contact the wall. Wood is less likely to rot. Chamfers are removed on the blocks of the outer wall. Such neatly folded wall has a smart appearance and does not create problems with finishing in the future.
Construction of aerated concrete blocks - what should not you forget?
It is necessary to reinforce the walls twice in the course of laying. We make two armpoys on each floor: one above the wooden apertures, the other, therefore, below the window openings. We cut the groove with a cutter 10 mm deep on the upper surface of the aerated concrete blocks. We put the reinforcement there.
The jumpers that are above the openings are carried out according to the following principle: we insert between the walls of the formwork an ideal size foamed polystyrene sheet with an approximate thickness of about 10 cm, it must be pre-stitched with basalt plastic rods across. We pour the sand concrete into the void between the formwork and the installed foam, then lay the reinforcement.
Installation of rafters and roofing takes place according to the classical construction scheme. We fasten the Mauerlat to the wall with long bolts. The construction of the pediments is carried out in the same way as other walls, using blocks of 100 and 200 mm thick.
Walls are decorated with special paints that are applied to the vapor-permeable putty. It is worth considering that even in such an economical option, the construction of aerated concrete blocks will give you a quite elegant and beautiful house.