Polystyrene concrete - characteristics and application
If a material such as polystyrene foam is used to fill concrete, its name is made up of two words - polystyrene and concrete. Since there are air bubbles in its structure, this material belongs to the class of cellular. Very often, ready and dry polystyrene concrete is offered in bags, when you only need to add the right amount of water to get a solution.
What we know about him
This material has many useful qualities and properties that allow its use in various areas of construction. For example, its variable structure makes it possible to use polystyrene concrete not only to create various structures, but also for thermal insulation.
One of the main physical properties of the material is low density of concrete. Due to this, it is possible to choose the most appropriate mechanical and heat-conducting characteristics for each specific area of use - polystyrene concrete at the same time does not lose its strength properties.
Also, the advantage of this material over the well-known gas and foam concrete is the presence of good thermal insulation properties, which occur even at density values less than 200 kg / m3. At the same time, according to experts, polystyrene concrete does not have significant shortcomings.
Standard
According to GOST R51263-99, the material is considered to be composite, in which several ingredients are mixed in specific proportions.
The composition of polystyrene concrete can be from:
- portlandese;
- ashes;
- quartz sand;
- PVG (granulated polystyrene foam);
- various additives, including plasticizers, hardening accelerators.
Currently, this material is manufactured with densities that are within the D150-D600. Less dense varieties are most often used for thermal insulation, and samples with higher density are used for construction.
It should be noted that it is clearly stated in the GOST that it, as a whole, and each of its components, is an ecological material, therefore it is not capable of causing any harm to the health of people.
Additives
| SAS | Quite often, during the preparation of this type of concrete, surface active additives are used. In simple words, their main purpose is to open water access to the foam balls, as a result of which the latter are evenly covered with a layer of cement mortar. |
| SDO | The instruction recommends applying wood saponified resin when production is carried out on an industrial scale. It is used as an air entraining agent, as a result of which pores appear in the concrete structure, and its total volume increases by almost 10%. This, in turn, leads to an improvement in the insulating qualities of the material. In addition, the mixture becomes more mobile, which makes its styling more convenient. |
In situations where the material is made independently, obtaining pores in its structure becomes more complicated.
Tip: the most effective tools in this case are industrial concrete mixers.
However, not everyone has them, so you can use the available tools - a mixer for concrete mixtures or a conventional shovel.
The growing popularity of the material
The West learned about this material more than 40 years ago, and it only came to us in the early 90s of the last century, i.e. we take advantage of it for no more than 25 years. One of the factors that do not allow to significantly increase its distribution is the limited use in some areas.
Still, the popularity of the material only grows every year, and this is due to a number of objective reasons:
- Expansion of geography of application is possible due to ease of manufacture, as well as excellent characteristics of the finished material.
- Reinforcement makes it almost an ideal material for construction, extolling it a step above other cellular concrete type.
- The material copes with the task of thermal insulation of buildings. Every year, the increasing requirements for this indicator of buildings, fix it even more on the construction market.
Below are the main advantages of this cellular concrete:
- has a low consumption of materials, you can save up to 70% solution;
- does not require additional materials and equipment, due to which the price of works decreases;
- Savings occur not only in the construction process, but also during the operational period. Thanks to the excellent thermal insulation, it is possible to reduce the cost of heating buildings;
- The weight of polystyrene concrete is relatively small, which makes it easier to make walls, and also easier to adjust and process;
- wide range of sizes and configurations;
- the use of a special glue instead of a solution (the thickness of which does not exceed 4 mm) makes it possible to minimize the likelihood of cold bridges;
- stacking large-block materials does not require the involvement of special equipment. In addition, with the help of the usual 22-kg block, you can easily replace 17 standard-sized bricks, which not only reduces the wall thickness, but also saves you from the extra hassle associated with the insulation of the building;
- plastered blocks are not fire-hazardous, therefore they can be used in premises with the first category of fire resistance;
- long operational period (blocks can stand more than a hundred years);
- good cold-resistant performance, which is achieved without additional processing of the material;
- mold, fungi and any other microorganisms do not affect the concrete;
- has good vapor permeability, and also has acceptable waterproofing and sound insulation characteristics.
Material application
With it you can achieve:
- high-quality sound and heat insulation of the floor and ceiling;
- filling voids in brick walls and hollow-type blocks.
It is indispensable when it is necessary to improve the heat and sound insulation characteristics without the use of insulation materials. In addition, quite often this material is an integral part of blocks and partitions of the modular type, as well as sections of suspended ceilings.
Due to the special manufacturing process, it can be used during the manufacture of concrete panels, which will later be used in various types of construction works. In addition, the latter can be used as floors or walls in residential or industrial construction.
Tip: the relatively low weight of the material allows it to be used to create superstructures on structures already erected.
How to make yourself
After reviewing the above, you can conclude that making this material at home with your own hands is quite complicated, even almost unreal. And you will be completely right.
Yes, you can find many recipes for making the material in question, most of which are based on the addition of a dry mortar that will be mixed using a concrete mixer. However, it is important to remember that the use of dry material significantly reduces the thermal conductivity of the material, and also deprives it of many other advantages. At the exit, you get just not a very good counterpart.
For the manufacture of really high-quality material you need a lot of special equipment, as well as compliance with special conditions of manufacture. Therefore, experts recommend not to waste time and effort on independent production, but to acquire this high-quality material. Using it, you will not face serious difficulties, and the main problem during construction will be the choice of plaster for walls.
Conclusion
From this article, you learned about another type of cellular concrete, GOST on polystyrene concrete was explained, which confirmed its environmental friendliness. Also were listed its components and advantages over other materials. It is important to understand, although it can be purchased dry, and then add water to prepare the solution, yet its characteristics will not be as good as those produced in production. The video in this article will help you find additional information on this topic.