Polystyrene blocks are advantages and disadvantages.

02-01-2018

Building

Polystyrene-concrete is a type of lightweight, porous building materials. The first mention of him appeared in the early sixties in Germany. In our country, blocks of polystyrene concrete were certified only in the late nineties, but so far experts have been arguing about this material. Now we will also try to figure out how good this type of concrete is.

Opinions about the quality of the material

Although 100% ideal building materials do not exist in nature, man does not stop his quest.

The production technology of polystyrene blocks is not much different from the traditional. It also includes Portland cement or slag Portland cement, sand and, of course, water can be added. But besides these components, expanded polystyrene is also added to the composition.
As a result of this symbiosis, a sufficiently strong and elastic material is born.. This is due to the fact that, unlike its foamed counterparts, the pores of these blocks are not filled with air, but polystyrene.

Thermal conductivity of factory products.

A few words about the merits

Being in the same niche with foam concrete and gas silicate blocks, products based on polystyrene are ahead of their competitors in many respects.

In particular, it has almost the lowest thermal conductivity, as a result of a wall of polystyrene concrete blocks with a thickness of about 50 cm, they keep heat in the same way as a brick wall with a thickness of 1.5 m.

In addition, the blocks themselves are light, they need to be several times smaller for construction. Due to this, if we build a house of polystyrene concrete blocks, we no longer need to spend money on a heavy, expensive foundation.
Among porous blocks, polystyrene concrete products are the only ones that can withstand the bending and tensile stress, plus they are 20% stronger than their competitors.

Due to the large size and low weight, construction of polystyrene concrete blocks is several times faster than with the use of common materials. So a two-storey cottage, from scratch to commissioning, can actually be built in 3-4 months.
Blocks and sections are easy to handle with their own hands. In order to hang the shelf you do not need diamond drilling holes in concrete. Also, if traditionally for laying the cable, cutting of reinforced concrete with diamond circles was used, then a simple hacksaw is enough. (See also the article Concrete Drilling: Features.)
Such walls do not absorb moisture, so they do not freeze and mold does not start on them. Rodents are also indifferent to them.
As mentioned earlier, the blocks have a low hygroscopicity, so it is easier to plaster them, foam and aerated concrete quickly draw water from the plaster.

Let's listen opponents

Visually, the material does not differ in beauty and such walls must be additionally veneered. But if you analyze, most competitors suffer the same.
Even high-quality blocks have low vapor permeability. Because of this feature, it is necessary to provide additional ventilation both from the inside and from facade works.
Instructions for the production of blocks with their own hands is quite affordable, but to make really high-quality products is difficult. Although it is quite possible to make insulation in a private house a ceiling or screed made of polystyrene on the floor.

Important: when choosing a material, take into account that the blocks marked D150 - D250 are suitable only as insulation. Building blocks for supporting structures are labeled from D250 to D600.

A few words about regulatory documents

Characteristics of polystyrene concrete.

Projects of houses from polystyrene concrete blocks are developed for the material corresponding to GOST R 51253-99. In addition to it, a number of TU technical specifications have been developed.
Monolayer wall panels are made according to TU 69-329-85.
The material for roof insulation must comply with TU 67-983-85.
For insulation of buildings lined with steel profiled or roll roofing, there is TU 110-024-88.
Three-layer wall panels are produced according to TU 480-2-140-92.
For wall hollow blocks developed TU 5741-0110319659-93.
Small blocks are classified according to TU 5741-008-04779210.

Tip: this material in our market appeared not so long ago and there is a chance to purchase a fake. Therefore, do not be lazy and check the certificates and technical conditions.

The material is cut on the basis of foam.

Manufacturing blocks

As already mentioned, the manufacturing technology of polystyrene concrete blocks is simple:

On the basis of Portland cement or its analog slag Portland cement, is cement-sand mixture.
Then polystyrene is added to it. Polystyrene granules are used in production, and crushed foam is often used at home.
But it should be remembered that although the price of foam plastic is much lower, the characteristics of the final product will also be lower, plus the material will go up to 20% more.
You will not need expensive equipment for the production of polystyrene concrete blocks. Moreover, it has been experimentally proven many times that using an ordinary concrete mixer will only make the quality of the mortar worse.

This is due to the fact that the polystyrene granules are light and do not sink in water, and the ordinary concrete mixer is designed for mixing heavy components. As a result, the mixture is heterogeneous and lay out layers.
The simplest and most accessible solution would be to use a conventional metal dvuhsotlitrovoy bath and construction shovel. With your own hands, you will be able to prepare a solution of the desired consistency much faster. Of course, it is necessary to tinker, mixing is carried out in several stages, with an interval of 3 to 5 minutes. Take into account that the composition can not be stored for a long time, you need to work it out within an hour.

What components to use

Cement for the preparation of blocks is used not lower than the mark M400, sand can be taken career, but it must be clean, sifted.

Please note that not all products lay sand, many parts are made only with the use of water cement and filler granules.

At least 50% of success depends on the use of active additives in the solution. Without them, you just can not get the product. Surface active additives, abbreviated to PAT, provide adhesion of polystyrene granules with cement.
In industry, as a rule, a special composition "SDO" is used. The effect of this additive is complex, except for the saponification of the granules, it works as an air-entraining and plasticizing additive. Thanks to her, the solution increases in volume by 10%.
The price of complex additive LMS varies within 50 p per 1 kg. The share of its participation in the solution is calculated based on the amount of cement, 2% of the total cement intake. But from experience we can say that until recently it was hard enough to find it in a retail network, in small packages.
But our resourceful people found a way out, instead of the LMS, it turns out you can pour detergent for dishes or just a concentrated soap solution. The ratio is taken relative to the volume of water, 0.05 liters of detergent for every 10 liters of water.
As for the filler, the price of factory, granulated polystyrene foam will be about 1000 p. Purchased foam shredder will cost 500 rubles, if you decide to make shredder yourself, then invest in 300 rubles.

Important: the most common ratio of ingredients in a solution for the manufacture of products with their own hands is cement, sand, foam in the proportion of 1x2.5x4.5. Additives are added according to the instructions.

On the video in this article are some more useful tips.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would like to remind once again the advice of most experts in this field. Independent production of polystyrene concrete blocks is possible, but it is not worth doing, thus, supporting structures, because it is impossible to achieve decent quality, and the risk in this case is not justified and dangerous.