Concrete paving slabs - secrets of production and use

28-05-2018

Building

The walkway tile is currently the best of the widely used road materials. It has a number of unique properties. Currently, a fairly large number of types of paving slabs are being produced. But, despite this abundance, absolutely all products are manufactured according to GOST 17608 91 for concrete paving slabs.

Arrangement expensive and sidewalks known since Roman times. In Europe, the first paved paths appeared in the early 18th century in France. In our country, footpaths were originally covered with wood, asphalt appeared in the 20th century, and finally, the last 20-30 years, the vast majority of footpaths are tiled.

What are the plates

The use of tiles already given has gone beyond laying only on sidewalks. It is being used for urban areas, children's playgrounds, bicycle lanes, it is widely used for arranging the local area in private construction, in parks and cottages.

The material is available in a wide range, plus it has a rich color palette. As a rule, heavy grades of fine-grained high-density concrete are taken as a basis.
Plates are selected for a variety of parameters, the first of which is the dimension.

In particular, according to GOST there are the following types:

Square-shaped products are marked with the letter "K".
Figured products assigned letter "F".
The widespread rectangular tile is entitled “P”.
Hexagon blocks of the correct form are labeled "W".
For edging the main plates on figured platforms, additional finishing items of various configurations are produced, they are marked with the letter “D”.
For decorating individual sections of the road surface, special elements with the mark “EDD” are produced.

In addition, each niche has a number of its size, they are denoted by the numbers facing the letter marking. The last figures characterize the thickness of the presented product. So 2K7 marking means a square product 70 mm thick.
The coating can be produced in a uniform monolithic version with a natural gray color of concrete or cast in two layers. Where the top layer is tinted with a certain color, its thickness is between 20 mm and more.
Technological slope between the upper and side faces can be no more than 5 mm. The faces themselves must be strictly perpendicular. All products with an area greater than 0.75 m? Must be reinforced without fail.
According to the external design, this coating is divided into 4 groups.

A - imitate a cut of a different sort of natural minerals.
B - the surface with the so-called bare filler.
C - this croup is similar to group B, but with processing on a sandblaster.
D - the most common group, pavement smooth concrete slabs.

All this wide range of brands and types can be produced only in two ways. This is by plastic casting or vibropressing.

Material advantages

As mentioned earlier, the popularity of this coverage is due to a number of undeniable advantages.

The first is a high aesthetic data, combining the dimension and the game of color, you can create unique images.

The installation manual for this coating is simple and available for almost anyone who wants to master it.
Unlike asphalt or other solid surface. It is elementary to simply repair the pavement covering, replacing the damaged segments with your own hands within a few minutes.
With strict observance of simple rules and instructions, the longevity of such tracks can reach 50 years or more. A well-known fact is that quite a few fragments of cobbled streets have been built up during the Roman Empire to this day.
All the ingredients used in the production and the production technology itself are environmentally friendly.
The advantages can also be attributed to the fact that the coating has a wide range of prices and most of them can be safely attributed to democratic.

Important: Unlike other types of road, tile is the only material that can be completely dismantled and assembled in a new place without losing performance. Moreover, the price of such coverage will be significantly lower.

If we talk about the shortcomings, then because of the high-quality material, when cutting can only be used to cut reinforced concrete with diamond circles. In the case when it is necessary to pierce a plate, this can be done only using diamond drilling of holes in concrete.

Production methods and installation

It will not be difficult to organize industrial production of paving slabs, the payback for this business is rather high. Plus, with a great desire, the tile can be easily cast and laid at home with your own hands.

Organization of production

To organize the simplest production, you will need at least a minimum of 100m?, A couple of concrete mixers, a three-phase electric drive, the forms themselves under the tile and at least 1 vibrating table, but a vibropressor is better.

With such a set, you can subsequently expand production by going through the manufacture of fences, posts, etc.

Tile concrete must meet several criteria.. The strength of the composition should not be below B-30. The minimum level of frost resistance starts from the F200 indicator, which causes normal operation at 200 full defrost cycles.
Cement for production can be used two brands, M-400 or M-500. For each type of cement has its own proportions of mixing compositions. The tables show all the ratios for the preparation of different grades of concrete.

For the preparation of high-quality frost-resistant concrete based on cement brand M-500, you still need a special additive based on microsilica and plasticizer brand C-3. As a percentage of the amount of cement in the solution, microsilica should be about 10%. A plasticizing agent is 1% sufficient.
With such additives, the level of concrete strength will immediately increase to the indicator В-70. Plus, the frost resistance coefficient will increase to F300.
When selecting a coloring pigment, preference should be given to compounds resistant to an alkaline medium. In addition, the dye should be well tolerated by prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation and not leached from precipitation.

Tip: if you want to get a pure color, then you need to use white cement. To increase durability, it is worth adding polypropylene, glass and other types of synthetic fibers. Long from 5 to 20 mm and with a diameter from 5 to 50 microns. In the ratio of 1 kg of fibers, on 1 m? concrete.

The sequence of actions is simple. First, sand is poured into the concrete mixer, followed by cement, additives and the right amount of water. Too much water can not be added, the strength of the product can fall dramatically.
The solution should be mixed for at least 10 minutes, after which it is poured into molds that are pre-installed on a strictly horizontal surface.. If the technology provides for reinforcement, the composition is initially poured to a level of 20 mm, after which the reinforcement is laid down and the rest of the solution is added.
The next step is to process the material on the vibrating table or the vibropress. At this stage, the solution is compacted and precipitates.
Next you need to leave the forms to freeze. For compositions based on the cement-sand mixture, the initial setting time will be about 48 hours. If special additives and additives were actively used, the time may be reduced to 24 hours. The full initial cycle of a set of concrete strength without special additives and steaming will be about 27 days. When adding additives and steaming, the time is reduced to 15 days.

Important: the active phase of hardening of concrete, as was said, lasts up to 27 days. During this period, products should be stored in a dark and damp place. You can periodically moisten or cover with wet rags. If the plates are dried in the sun or at high temperatures, they may crack.

Handmade

If you need a relatively small amount of material for arranging your house adjoining area or for cultivating the suburban area, you should not spend money on an expensive tool, you can do it yourself.

Of course, the strength and frost resistance of concrete will be somewhat lower than the factory, but for laying on a garden plot such a coating will completely pass. The only thing that we do not advise doing is to equip the area around the garage or other similar places with home-made slabs.
We strongly recommend mixing the mortar in a concrete mixer, if you don’t have it, now you can easily rent it. The fact is that such solutions require good, high-quality kneading, and with your own hands, with the help of an ordinary shovel, this is problematic.

Tip: the proportions of cement-sand mortar and brand of cement remain the same as in factory production. But at home you can save on expensive additives. Slaked lime and some detergent are added instead for plasticity.

Of course, the forms can be knocked out of laminated plywood or welded from metal, but in our opinion you should not be bothered with this. The price of plastic forms, which are sold in most hardware stores, is more than affordable. Plus, these forms are cast according to GOST 17608 91 and, if desired, you can replace part of the coating with a factory equivalent. Plastic forms themselves, if they are not specifically broken, will serve you for a very long time.
As in the factory version, the form is filled to 20 mm, then the fittings are placed and the solution is added. After installation on a horizontal surface, you can gently knock on the forms with a rubber hammer, creating a semblance of a vibrating table. The concrete will be grasped in 2 days, and it will harden for about a month.

The video in this article shows the production technology of paving slabs.

Laying plates

Concrete paving tiles can be laid in several ways. The easiest way to settle the garden path in the country. As a rule, verified geometric accuracy is not required here. The plates can be laid with a large gap directly on the tamped soil, after removing the sod at half the height of the plate.
For arranging the local area, the ground should be removed to a depth of 100 mm. After which a pillow is made of sand or small gravel and is well compacted. If the surface is badly leveled and compacted, it will warp it after the first winter.
The blocks are stacked in a dense carpet, level or stretched guide, and fitted with a rubber mallet. A damping gap of about 5 mm is left between the tiles, which is subsequently filled with sand.
There is still a way of laying on a concrete screed, the method is good, the coating is of high quality and durable. But such styling requires high professionalism.

The video in this article shows how to do it yourself.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it should be noted that there are two ways to transport concrete slabs. Stacked on the edge, in which case they should be pulled together with a metal tape. Or on pallets not higher than 2m, with transverse wooden strips.