What is better than aerated concrete or brick: a comparison

Aerated concrete and bricks today are very widely used in the construction of walls of residential buildings. But which of these two materials is better at its task? In order to answer this question in detail, let's make a comparative description of their properties.

Advantages and disadvantages of both materials

Comparison of aerated concrete and bricks should begin with their physical parameters:

Weight

This indicator most influences the choice of a suitable foundation:

• Brick is almost twenty times heavier, because of which, respectively, needs a more powerful basis. It can not do without the tape or monolithic concreting.

• For a lighter aerated concrete and the columnar basewhose price is much lower.

Tensile strength

This indicator is measured in the ability to withstand pressure, measured in kilograms, per square centimeter:

• For bricks reaches 220 kg / cm²that allows this material to act as the bearing walls of multi-storey buildings.

• The strength of the same aerated concrete does not exceed 50 kg / cm². This material will not withstand the use of reinforced concrete floor slabs and the construction of numerous upper floors, which, however, does not prevent it from being perfectly used for the construction of internal interior partitions and other parts of the building that do not have load bearing capacity.

Tip: to determine the future weight of the building, it is recommended to use the services of a professional designer, since an attempt to determine this figure "by eye" may lead to cracks on the walls and other negative consequences.

Moisture absorption

Any material has pores in its structure through which water can get inside, having a destructive effect:

• The moisture absorption rate of ceramic bricks varies from 8 to 12 percent.. Precipitation is not capable of causing significant damage even for a long period of time.

• In the second material we are considering, this indicator is one and half times higher and makes up 20 percent.. In case of contact of the aerated concrete with the external environment, additional protection from excessive humidity will be required, otherwise it will not last for a long time.

Thermal conductivity

The higher this figure, the faster the material is able to transfer heat, and, therefore, cool.

That is, for the walls of the house it is very important to have the lowest level of thermal conductivity so that it is easier to maintain the most acceptable temperature inside.

• At a brick so important parameter makes 0,42 W / mk. Thus, in order to guarantee high thermal insulation of the room, a wall one meter thick will be required. Of course, in practice this will be irrational, and therefore special warming materials are used to reduce the masonry width to a quarter of a meter.

• Aerated concrete has a thermal conductivity of 0.11 W / mK. According to the SNiP, it will be enough to build half-meter walls to provide the room with heat.

Fire resistance

Fire safety is also very important when building a house. But in this case, it does not matter what you choose, porous brick or aerated concrete, since both of them belong to the first class of refractoriness and are able to withstand at least two and a half hours in fire conditions.

Cost of

What is cheaper brick or aerated concrete? Aerated concrete blocks are cheaper, which is one of the reasons for their rising popularity.

Frost resistance

And here the victory returns to the bricks, which endure the cycles of freezing and thawing much better, the number of which they hold down to one hundred, while the cement blocks with gas-forming additives are limited to half the amount.

Tip: aerated concrete is recommended to warm from the outside. This will significantly increase its rate of frost resistance, and, consequently, durability.

Assembly work

• It should be noted that this cutting of reinforced concrete with diamond wheels is performed, and aerated concrete is easily processed using a conventional hacksaw.. Add here a small weight in combination with large size and get easy operation.

• Bricklaying instruction requires more polished skills and is somewhat more difficult, especially for facing works.. (See also the article Facing aerated concrete: features.)

It should also be noted that the processing of ceramic products, though not diamond drilling of holes in concrete, is also not easy cutting with a hacksaw of cement blocks with gas-forming additives and requires some effort.

Conclusion

So, what is better aerated concrete or brick? There is no definite answer. Each of the materials has its own strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes the best way out will be their combined use for building a house.

The video in this article will introduce you to additional information. Approach the choice responsibly.