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Reduce the cost of construction even more own home or a dacha, you can if you make aerated concrete with your own hands. have long become an indispensable building material for the quick and inexpensive construction of various buildings.

The composition of aerated concrete blocks includes: cement, lime, quartz sand, gypsum stone, aluminum powder and water.

There is nothing complicated in the technology for manufacturing non-autoclaved porous concrete. The composition includes accessible and widely available materials, and the maturation conditions for the composition are normal. All this suggests that it is possible to make aerated concrete with your own hands.

Features of aerated concrete

Aerated concrete blocks are regular parallelepipeds made of porous concrete. The material itself is a type of concrete cement based, in which air pores up to 3 mm in size are evenly distributed. Aluminum powder or paste is usually used as an additive to form pores. In general, the concrete mixture has the following composition: cement, sand, aluminum powder, water, and various additives.

According to the manufacturing method, aerated concrete is divided into autoclave and non-autoclave. The first type of material is obtained in an autoclave at elevated pressure and temperature, which is realized only in industrial conditions that ensure proper control of the process in extreme conditions.

The non-autoclave manufacturing method is implemented in natural conditions, which allows you to use it yourself. The production technology is based on the fact that when aluminum powder comes into contact with water, a violent reaction occurs with the release of carbon dioxide. If this process occurs in a closed form inside a viscous mass, then the gases form pores in the volume of this material. Even after the gases leave the mixture, the pores remain in the thickness of the mixture. After the mass hardens under normal atmospheric conditions, aerated concrete is obtained, i.e. concrete with closed pores in a shape close to round, with a diameter of 1-3 mm.

The porous structure provides the main advantages of the material, namely high thermal insulation properties combined with low specific gravity with sufficiently high compressive strength. Aerated concrete blocks have a density from 300 to 1200 kg/m³, depending on the amount of pore-forming substance introduced.

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Manufacturing Features

The technology for producing non-autoclaved aerated concrete includes several mandatory stages and conditions. The pore-forming component is added to the cement-sand mixture and distributed evenly throughout the volume. The process of pore formation occurs quite actively with the expansion of volume when the powder comes into contact with water.

To retain the pores inside the mass, the gas evolution reaction must occur in forms that have sufficient strength. The internal cavity of the mold determines the dimensions of the resulting aerated concrete block. For the initial hardening of the mass, at least 2 hours are required. After this, the concrete can be removed from the mold, but must remain stationary on racks until completely cured. The final strength value is achieved only after 28 days of drying the blocks. To make aerated concrete with your own hands, it is necessary to ensure that the basic conditions are met and to carry out a number of necessary works.

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Required Tools

To make aerated concrete blocks with your own hands, you will need the following tools:

• Bulgarian;
• hacksaw;
• plane;
• electric drill;
• hacksaw for metal;
• hammer;
• shovel;
• mixer;
• ruler;
• construction hair dryer;
• Master OK;
• putty knife;
• steel string;
• chisel;
• chisel;
• scales;
• measuring bucket.

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Preparing the mixture

The standard mixture for aerated concrete contains cement, sand, water and lime. Aluminum powder is used as a pore-forming substance. Slaked lime acts as a plasticizer. To improve the properties, it is recommended to use additional additives: sodium sulfate (no more than 0.5%) and caustic soda (no more than 1.5% by weight).

The basis of aerated concrete is cement. It is recommended to use Portland cement grade M400 or M500. The filler is taken in the form of quartz sand. It should be thoroughly sifted to remove large fractions. Clay in sand can only be in the form of small traces and amount to no more than 7% of the weight of the sand. The following composition and ratio of ingredients are recommended concrete mixture:

• cement - 50-70%;
• sand - 20-40%;
• lime, caustic soda, sodium sulfate - 1-5%;
• aluminum powder - 0.04-0.09%;
• water - 0.25-0.8%.

The mixture must be thoroughly mixed. By changing the cement content and pore-forming composition, it is possible to regulate the volume of pores in concrete, that is, change the density of the material.

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Mold making

In order to solve the question of how to make aerated concrete, it is necessary to ensure the production of a mold for pouring the concrete mixture. Such forms can be of two types. The first type (the simplest) is a rectangular box with a height equal to the height of the block. The area of ​​the box must contain the volume of mass from which several (4-9 pieces) aerated concrete elements can be made. If a significant volume of production of gas blocks is planned, then it is better to make the mold from a steel strip 4-5 mm thick. The structure must be collapsible to facilitate the removal of the concrete blank. A removable cover must be provided on top. It is advisable to provide for its fastening to the sides of the box using bolts (screws) or other clamps. A simplified version of the form can be made from wood. For the sides of the box you should use a board 30-40 mm thick.

The second type of shape is a lattice system. In this design, the cavity of the box is divided by partitions into cells, in which one gas block is formed. This form can also be made of steel strip or wood. For internal partitions plywood with a thickness of 12-15 mm can be used.

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Making aerated concrete at home

Before starting work inner surface molds must be thoroughly greased machine oil to prevent sticking of the mass. It is recommended to heat the mold to a temperature of about 40º C. Aluminum powder is added to the uniformly mixed concrete solution and it is poured into the mold.

It is necessary to pour to a height approximately equal to half the height of the side of the box, which takes into account the expansion of the mass during a chemical reaction with the formation of pores.

A violent reaction with the release of gas occurs within 6-8 minutes. At this time, there is an active increase in the level of mass in the form. At the end of the reaction, the expansion of the composition stops, and then a slight shrinkage of the solution occurs. After stopping the vertical movement of the level, using a strong steel string, all irregularities (bumps, sagging) are cut off from the surface of the workpiece. On top of the calmed block blank is placed thermal insulation material: asbestos, foam plastic, etc. The top of the mold is closed with a lid.

Natural drying of aerated concrete blocks is carried out. Minimum drying time is 2 hours. After this, the monolith can be cut into blocks the right size. The recommended time before transportation to the storage site is 24 hours. During the work, it is necessary to prevent the occurrence of drafts. Fan operation is not recommended. Cooling of the mass should be slow and uniform.

Aerated concrete is one of the varieties of cellular porous concrete. This is a porous stone created artificially.

Table of characteristics of wall materials.

Thanks to its porous structure, aerated concrete has very good thermal insulation and energy-saving properties, and its light weight distinguishes it from other materials used in construction, such as concrete, brick and cinder blocks.

One aerated concrete block weighs approximately 30 kg. It can replace about 30 bricks, so the laying of walls will be carried out much faster. Due to this weight, blocks can be used in construction without using special lifting equipment.

You can easily bypass the problems associated with the choice of material when building a house when you decide to build a house from aerated concrete blocks.

Such a question as the possibility of independently producing aerated concrete worries many owners of their own suburban areas. Usage cellular concrete allows you to save a lot on building materials, and when making aerated concrete blocks with your own hands, the cost is reduced even more. The masonry of such blocks will be reliable.

Aerated concrete blocks are produced using materials High Quality, industrial equipment It's not cheap to make them. Some developers have sites located at a considerable distance from densely populated areas, so you should expect that delivery of building materials to the site will cost a considerable amount. The raw materials from which you can make aerated concrete with your own hands are quite affordable. For this you will need:

• sand (it can be replaced with ash or slag);
• cement;
• quicklime - in small quantities;
• aluminum powder.

Features of the material

Scheme of building a house from aerated concrete blocks.

In order to obtain high-quality material at home, you should achieve a uniform distribution of pores throughout the material. Using the appropriate equipment, this problem can be easily resolved.

For the production of aerated concrete, autoclave and non-autoclave methods are used. When making it yourself, the second option is used - it does not require special equipment, and it is much simpler to perform. The autoclave manufacturing method can improve the properties of the material by an order of magnitude. The formed blocks are placed in autoclave chambers, where they are processed under pressure for 12 hours. high blood pressure water vapor at a temperature of 190 degrees.

Aerated concrete treated in this way becomes stronger, and masonry made from it shrinks less. The structure of the aerated block is more uniform; it can be used in a variety of areas of construction as the main building, heat-insulating and sound-proofing material.

Previously, only specialized large enterprises that had special equipment could produce cellular concrete. But the emergence of new technological processes significantly simplified production. Now, with careful adherence to manufacturing technology, you can get quite good material for construction at home, but it turns out to be not so durable.

Characteristics of cellular concrete produced by autoclave

By using pore-forming components, you can obtain excellent construction material, having the following properties:

DIY aerated concrete house diagram.

• low density, which can be compared with the density of dry pine (500 kg/m³). This is 5 times less than simple concrete or three times less than brick;
• the compressive strength of the aerated concrete block is quite sufficient to use aerated concrete as a material for construction load-bearing walls two- and three-story buildings. During the first day, the increase in strength is 50%;
• sorption humidity – up to 5%;
• water absorption is approximately at the level simple brick, that is, less than 20%;
• frost resistance - more than 75 cycles. This is twice as much as brick;
• masonry made of cellular concrete has thermal conductivity half that of dry pine, 8 times lower than that of brick, and 15 times lower than that of plain concrete;
• the wall masonry is 30 cm thick - and the sound insulation corresponds to 60 dB;
• aerated concrete can be easily processed using ordinary tools, it is convenient to saw, you can even hammer nails into it;
• fire resistance is much greater than that of gas silicate, brick and concrete;
• the building material is environmentally safe;
• simple technology for manufacturing aerated concrete blocks;
• monolithic casting possible;
• good performance at low cost;
• The resulting material is of quite decent quality.

Technology for making aerated concrete at home

1. All raw material components are mixed in certain proportions.
2. The mixture is thoroughly mixed in water.
3. The prepared forms are filled with the resulting solution.
4. The material is adjusted to the mold and then cured to gain the required strength.

For home production of aerated concrete blocks you will need the following equipment:

• mixer, in order to qualitatively mix all components and gasifier;
• molds for making blocks are designed to give the material the correct geometric dimensions;
• metal strings, with their help you can cut off excess mixture from the top of the molds.

Today it is possible to purchase a special installation - a mixer, the task of which is to self-production aerated concrete. Here the components will be automatically dosed and mixed. Using such equipment, you can significantly facilitate and simplify the process of manufacturing aerated block products. Since aerated concrete mixers are very mobile, the entire process can be carried out directly at the construction site. In this case, transport costs can be significantly reduced or even completely eliminated.

The first stage of the process is that all components must be thoroughly mixed, and it is necessary that the aluminum powder be distributed evenly throughout the entire volume of the dry mixture. Then the dry mixture is placed in a concrete mixer, in a rotating drum, into which water is poured in advance. The equipment will help ensure that all components are connected in the best possible way.

To organize the production of aerated concrete blocks at home, you will need molds. They can be made from metal sheets. Best option– collapsible forms, with the help of which you can quickly and easily carry out the process of removing finished blocks. Of course, the material can be produced in small quantities, but quite sufficient for private buildings.

Filling ready mixture The molds are placed in such a way that the mold is only half filled. The chemical reaction of water and aluminum powder produces gas. Bubbles will appear inside the solution, after which the mass will expand almost twice.

TO next stage work can only begin after completion chemical reaction– this is approximately 6 hours. Sometimes the solution swells so much that it rises above the edge of the mold. To align the blocks exactly along the edge, the protruding mass is cut off with a metal string. After this, the block material, without removing it from the molds, is stored in a canopy or in indoors. It should stand like this for about 12 hours.

At the end of this period, the forms are unpacked, ready-made blocks stored in one row. Aerated concrete will gain the strength required for storage within two days. The blocks can be used for construction after about four weeks - by this time the material has gained grade strength.

Additional Information

Aerated concrete blocks can be made in a variety of configurations, the shape sizes and their design can be changed depending on the type of masonry planned. This can be attributed to the important advantages of the production of this building material. Of course, in terms of strength characteristics, aerated concrete produced using a non-autoclave method will be somewhat inferior to an autoclaved one. However, for personal use during not too large-scale construction, it is perfect.

Different strength indicators for concrete mortar can be achieved by changing the proportions of the components. However, the standard recipe will meet the following indicators:

• sand – 20-40%;
• cement – ​​51-71%;
• lime – 1-5%;
• aluminum powder – 0.04-0.09%;
• water – 0.25-0.8%.

Often the owners country houses I’m interested in the issue of making aerated concrete blocks yourself, as this will allow you to significantly save on construction, and besides, this material has good performance characteristics. To help in this matter, we will next look in detail at how they make aerated concrete blocks at home.

General information

Aerated concrete belongs to the class because it contains pore cells in its structure.

Thanks to this, he has many positive qualities, among which are:

• Low thermal conductivity;
• Good vapor permeability;
• Good sound insulation properties;
• Light weight etc.

In addition, the price of such a material is lower than that of conventional concrete, which is due to its low density and, as a consequence, lower consumption of cement and other components during production.

It should be noted that aerated concrete comes in two types:

Production of aerated concrete

So, having figured out how aerated concrete blocks are made, you can come to the conclusion that at home you can only make non-autoclaved material. It must be said that with strict adherence to technology and the use of high-quality components, you can obtain blocks with excellent characteristics.

The process of making aerated concrete blocks with your own hands consists of several stages:

• Preparation of concrete in accordance with certain proportions.
• Filling forms;
• Holding the product and removing it from molds.

Equipment

The production of non-autoclaved aerated concrete, as mentioned above, does not require complex equipment, however, some minimum required still there is:

• Concrete mixer – without it, it will not be possible to thoroughly mix the solution and mix it with a gas generator.
• Shapes - to give the product the correct geometric dimensions.
• Metal strings are needed to trim excess mortar from the top of the molds.

Forms

Before you start making blocks, you should prepare molds. You can buy them or make them yourself. To do this, you will need boards with one side carefully planed.

From these boards you need to assemble a wooden case, into which jumpers are inserted. With the help of such inserts, inner space The pencil case is divided into compartments. Jumpers can be made from plywood. To fix them in the boards, cuts are made.

As you might guess, the dimensions of the blocks will depend on the dimensions of the cells. Having decided on the dimensions of the cells, you can calculate in advance how many aerated concrete blocks are in 1 m3; if necessary, the dimensions can be adjusted.

In the photo - forms for gas blocks

To speed up the process of manufacturing the material, it is advisable to make several forms of all the required standard sizes. You should first make a calculation of aerated concrete blocks, according to which to prepare optimal quantity forms

Advice!
To prevent the solution from sticking to the boards, inner part The cells should be well lubricated with used machine oil.
This procedure must be performed before each fill.

Preparation of the solution

The composition of aerated concrete blocks is quite simple:

• Portland cement;
• Quartz sand;
• Water;
• Additives – aluminum powder, lime, sodium sulfate.

To obtain a high-quality mixture, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the following proportions:

Instructions for preparing the solution are as follows:

• First of all, cement and sand are mixed.
• Next, water is added to the composition and the mixture is thoroughly mixed.
• Gradually add other components to the solution and mix well.
• IN last resort aluminum powder is poured in.

It must be said that the stage of preparing the solution is the most critical, since it is very difficult to find the right proportions, and this can only be done experimentally. The proportions largely depend on the quality of the sand, the brand of cement and other components. Even water affects the course of the chemical reaction that occurs when a blowing agent is added.

Note!
The sodium compound may not be used. This component serves to speed up the hardening process of the composition.

Therefore, there is no specific recommendation for making aerated concrete at home.

Fill

Filling molds is quite simple process however, requiring a certain amount of care and attention. The molds should be filled halfway, after which, as a result of a chemical reaction, the composition will begin to rise.

The increase in volume usually occurs within 5 to 8 minutes. Reaction time depends on temperature environment. After some time, the reverse process will begin, i.e. the mass will drop a little.

When the position of the mass has stabilized, the upper lumpy part should be trimmed using a metal string. Then the composition must be cured until , this usually takes 20-24 hours. After this period of time, the blocks must be removed from the molds and placed on a flat place until completely hardened.

Note!
When making foam concrete blocks, care should be taken to ensure that there are no drafts in the room.

After the first batch of blocks has been successfully completed, the number of aerated concrete blocks required for construction should be calculated. After this, the procedure should be repeated exactly. These are all the main nuances of manufacturing aerated concrete blocks, after familiarizing yourself with which, you can independently provide the construction with the necessary building materials.

Conclusion

As we found out, make your own non-autoclaved aerated concrete completely easy. The most important thing in this operation is to select optimal proportions components. In addition, you will have to spend some time and effort on making the forms, however, all these costs will be justified by the financial savings during construction.

From the video in this article you can get Additional information on this topic.

Today, materials that can be made with your own hands are increasingly used for construction by purchasing only the necessary ingredients. All of them are characterized by excellent performance features, durability; In the end, their cost is not too high. One such material is aerated concrete. Laying the blocks is simple, and the material itself has numerous advantages, including good thermal insulation properties, which are important for building a house.

Aerated concrete blocks have good thermal insulation properties.

Aerated concrete is not new to the market; it was first used for construction at the beginning of the last century. Its active use in the construction of buildings began about 10 years ago. Although the technology for making aerated concrete itself was patented by Erickson, an architect from Sweden, back in 1924.

Previously, aerated concrete was produced only in factory conditions, since this required strict adherence to technology and selection of proportions for mixing. The production itself is not complicated, but the weight of one block, which is obtained after pouring, is not the smallest, so the work must be done by at least two people.

To produce aerated concrete you will need:

• Portland cement;
• quartz sand;
• aluminum powder;
• water;
• lime.

The manufacturing process itself is based on the use of one of 2 methods:

• autoclave;
• non-autoclave.

The first method is used in factory conditions, since it requires special equipment. After pouring, the blocks are sintered under specially created conditions. You won’t be able to create them yourself, so it’s more practical to use the 2nd method. Concrete is poured into molds and dries naturally. The aerated concrete block is then removed and, if necessary, cut into pieces. Although it is better to immediately use molds that correspond to the required dimensions for filling.

Components for making the mixture

To make aerated concrete blocks with your own hands, you need to prepare the following ingredients:

1. For every cubic meter ready-made aerated concrete(by output) approximately 250-300 liters of water are required. It must be clean drinking water. It is best to take it from the surface layers of any clean sources.
2. Approximately 260-320 kg of cement is required per cubic meter of finished aerated concrete. For self-production, brands M500D0, M400D0 are used.
3. Quarry sand, river sand, purified. Its quantity per cubic meter of the finished mixture is 250-350 kg. It is best to take small ones, the particle size of which is up to 2 mm. Under no circumstances should the contents of branches, debris or clay be allowed.
4. Special additives for aerated concrete. Quantity 1-3 kg for each cubic meter of finished mixture.
5. Gas-forming agent, i.e. aluminum powder. 0.5-0.7 kg for each finished cubic meter of concrete is enough. Powder is needed so that the reaction necessary for gas formation begins in the mixture. During mixing, gas begins to be released, bubbles and cells form inside the concrete, which give the composition the qualities it needs.
6. Lubricant for containers in the amount of 0.3-0.5 kg per cubic meter. Before you start pouring emulsions, carefully lubricate the molds. Use of used oils should not be used as they contain large amounts of soot.

It is not so difficult to make, but it is important to strictly follow all stages of production and select the ingredients for the future mixture in the correct proportions.

Equipment list:

1. Forms for pouring future aerated concrete blocks, which may have different size. It is best to purchase ready-made containers.
2. Strings that are necessary to remove excess mixture from the surface of the molds.
3. A concrete mixer that will be used to mix the mixture.

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Ingredient Requirements

It will not be possible to make a large volume of building material on your own, but for the construction small house they will be quite enough. Weight of one block standard size can be approximately 650 kg. Therefore, it is necessary to have several people present not only to lay the walls, but also to fill the forms and pull out the aerated concrete blocks from the containers. If all conditions are met, aerated concrete blocks will be durable and of high quality, and their cost will be less than when purchasing ready-made material.

You can use special installations that mix aerated concrete automatically. They can be rented, but the equipment independently doses the ingredients and mixes concrete of the exact quality required. Rental costs will be justified.

The proportions of aerated concrete may vary, but it is best to stick to following formula(for aerated concrete D-600):

• Portland cement PC500 D0 – 65%;
• purified sand – 30%;
• dolomite – 5%;
• H/T – up to 0.48.

Lime flour, i.e. dolomite, can contain up to about 10% of aerated concrete, but it is important to decide what color of blocks is needed. With more lime, the color of aerated concrete blocks will be lighter. A large number of powder is also not required; it acts as a catalyst for the gas formation reaction.

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The process of making aerated concrete

To make cellular concrete, several steps must be followed, which include:

• dosage of ingredients, mixing of the dry mixture;
• adding water, mixing the solution;
• filling the resulting mass of molds for filling;
• holding the mixture to gain strength, drying the aerated concrete blocks and removing them from the molds.

It is necessary to carefully measure all the dry ingredients needed for the production of aerated concrete blocks. The main materials are cement, lime, sand. To start the process of gas formation, it is necessary to use aluminum powder. After reacting with water, it provokes the release of hydrogen, and the mixture begins to foam. Proportions are very important, since the strength, porosity and other characteristics of the future aerated concrete depend on them.

At the second stage, the components are mixed. The mass should be homogeneous. The quality of the mix determines what the aerated concrete will be like after preparation. For mixing it is necessary to use only special equipment. Concrete mixers are suitable; this process cannot be done manually.

When the future concrete is mixed, it is necessary to begin pouring it into forms.

Special forms are used; it is best to purchase ready-made ones that fully meet all the requirements.

Filling is carried out only up to half of the molds; under no circumstances should they be filled completely. This is explained by the fact that during gas formation the mixture greatly increases in volume, completely filling all forms. After the increase in volume is completed, using a metal rod it is necessary to remove all excess mixture from above so that top part It turned out even and smooth. This is done approximately 6 hours after the filling has been completed.

Aerated concrete is one of the varieties of cellular porous concrete. This is a porous stone created artificially.

Table of characteristics of wall materials.

Thanks to its porous structure, aerated concrete has very good thermal insulation and energy-saving properties, and its light weight distinguishes it from other materials used in construction, such as concrete, brick and cinder blocks.

One aerated concrete block weighs approximately 30 kg. It can replace about 30 bricks, so the laying of walls will be carried out much faster. Due to this weight, blocks can be used in construction without using special lifting equipment.

Self-production

You can easily bypass the problems associated with the choice of material when building a house when you decide to build a house from aerated concrete blocks.

Such a question as the possibility of independently producing aerated concrete worries many owners of their own suburban areas. Using it allows you to save a lot on building materials, and when you make aerated concrete blocks with your own hands, the cost is reduced even more. The masonry of such blocks will be reliable.

Aerated concrete blocks are produced using high quality materials; industrial equipment for their production is not cheap. Some developers have sites located at a considerable distance from densely populated areas, so you should expect that delivery of building materials to the site will cost a considerable amount. The raw materials from which you can make aerated concrete with your own hands are quite affordable. For this you will need:

• sand (it can be replaced with ash or slag);
• cement;
• quicklime - in small quantities;
• aluminum powder.

Features of the material

Scheme of building a house from aerated concrete blocks.

In order to obtain high-quality material at home, you should achieve a uniform distribution of pores throughout the material. Using the appropriate equipment, this problem can be easily resolved.

For the production of aerated concrete, autoclave and non-autoclave methods are used. When making it yourself, the second option is used - it does not require special equipment, and it is much simpler to perform. The autoclave manufacturing method can improve the properties of the material by an order of magnitude. The formed blocks are placed in autoclave chambers, where for 12 hours they are treated under high pressure with water vapor at a temperature of 190 degrees.

Aerated concrete treated in this way becomes stronger, and masonry made from it shrinks less. The structure of the aerated block is more uniform; it can be used in a variety of areas of construction as the main building, heat-insulating and sound-proofing material.

Previously, only specialized large enterprises that had special equipment could produce cellular concrete. But the emergence of new technological processes has greatly simplified production. Now, with careful adherence to manufacturing technology, you can get quite good material for construction at home, but it turns out to be not so durable.

Characteristics of cellular concrete produced by autoclave

By using pore-forming components, you can obtain a wonderful building material with the following properties:

DIY aerated concrete house diagram.

• low density, which can be compared with the density of dry pine (500 kg/m³). This is 5 times less than simple concrete or three times less than brick;
• The compressive strength of aerated concrete is quite sufficient to use aerated concrete as a material for the construction of load-bearing walls of two- and three-story buildings. During the first day, the increase in strength is 50%;
• sorption humidity – up to 5%;
• water absorption is approximately at the level of a simple brick, that is, less than 20%;
• frost resistance - more than 75 cycles. This is twice as much as brick;
• masonry made of cellular concrete has thermal conductivity half that of dry pine, 8 times lower than that of brick, and 15 times lower than that of plain concrete;
• the wall masonry is 30 cm thick - and the sound insulation corresponds to 60 dB;
• aerated concrete can be easily processed using ordinary tools, it is convenient to saw, and you can even hammer nails into it;
• fire resistance is much greater than that of gas silicate, brick and concrete;
• the building material is environmentally safe;
• simple technology for manufacturing aerated concrete blocks;
• monolithic casting possible;
• good performance at low cost;
• The resulting material is of quite decent quality.

Technology for making aerated concrete at home

1. All raw material components are mixed in certain proportions.
2. The mixture is thoroughly mixed in water.
3. The prepared forms are filled with the resulting solution.
4. The material is adjusted to the mold and then cured to gain the required strength.

For home production of aerated concrete blocks you will need the following equipment:

• mixer, in order to qualitatively mix all components and gasifier;
• molds for making blocks are designed to give the material the correct geometric dimensions;
• metal strings, with their help you can cut off excess mixture from the top of the molds.

Today it is possible to purchase a special installation - a mixer, the task of which is to independently produce aerated concrete. Here the components will be automatically dosed and mixed. Using such equipment, you can significantly facilitate and simplify the process of manufacturing aerated block products. Since aerated concrete mixers are very mobile, the entire process can be carried out directly at the construction site. In this case, transport costs can be significantly reduced or even completely eliminated.

The first stage of the process is that all components must be thoroughly mixed, and it is necessary that the aluminum powder be distributed evenly throughout the entire volume of the dry mixture. Then the dry mixture is placed in a concrete mixer, in a rotating drum, into which water is poured in advance. The equipment will help ensure that all components are connected in the best possible way.

To organize the production of aerated concrete blocks at home, you will need molds. They can be made from metal sheets. The best option is collapsible molds, with which you can quickly and easily carry out the process of removing finished blocks. Of course, the material can be produced in small quantities, but quite sufficient for private buildings.

The finished mixture is poured into molds in such a way that the mold is only half filled. The chemical reaction of water and aluminum powder produces gas. Bubbles will appear inside the solution, after which the mass will expand almost twice.

The next stage of work can be started only after the chemical reaction has completed - this is approximately 6 hours. Sometimes the solution swells so much that it rises above the edge of the mold. To align the blocks exactly along the edge, the protruding mass is cut off with a metal string. After this, the block material, without removing it from the molds, is stored in a canopy or indoors. It should stand like this for about 12 hours.

At the end of this period, the forms are unpacked and the finished blocks are stored in one row. Aerated concrete will gain the strength required for storage within two days. The blocks can be used for construction after about four weeks - by this time the material has gained grade strength.

Additional Information

Aerated concrete blocks can be made in a variety of configurations, the shape sizes and their design can be changed depending on the type of masonry planned. This can be attributed to the important advantages of the production of this building material. Of course, in terms of strength characteristics, aerated concrete produced using a non-autoclave method will be somewhat inferior to an autoclaved one. However, for personal use during not too large-scale construction, it is perfect.

Different strength indicators for concrete mortar can be achieved by changing the proportions of the components. However, the standard recipe will meet the following indicators:

• sand – 20-40%;
• cement – ​​51-71%;
• lime – 1-5%;
• aluminum powder – 0.04-0.09%;
• water – 0.25-0.8%.

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