Properties and composition of silicate brick

Given the speed of construction of new buildings, as well as the need to create a new housing stock, it should be noted that most often in construction silicate brick is used as a material for walls. It is a practical and reliable material. Features, properties and composition of silicate brick, we will consider in our today's article.

Composition and characteristics

This brick is widely distributed in Russia. Despite the simplicity of this building material, it was always interesting what silicate brick is made of. The composition of this material is as follows:

• A special mixture made of slag and ash.
• Sludge.
• Lime used in construction.
• Sand, which is used in the manufacture of silicate products.
• Slag sand.
• Silicate brick includes water as a diluent.
• To make the material resistant to alkalis, chromium oxide is used.

Ash-slag mixture is used in order to increase the thermal insulation properties of the finished product. Also, this mixture reduces the density, but increases the strength of the brick. Moreover, this mixture often completely eliminates the use of such material as quartz sand. A special role in the production is played by the fact that water is used in small quantities, that is, it does not produce a watery mixture, but rather solid, only slightly moistened to give shape to the finished product. This technology allows you to:

• To make brick production cheaper, accordingly, the cost of the finished product is reduced, which makes it more affordable.
• Time for the production of these products is reduced by 15%.

The composition of silicate brick is initially regulated by law and certain standards. They will be given later.

Silicate brick and GOST

The composition and characteristics of silicate brick are regulated by the following documents:

1. SNiP 3.03.01-87 "Bearing and enclosing structures".
2. GOST 379-95 "Brick and silicate stones."
3. GOST 23421-79 "Device for the bulk transportation of silicate brick."
   

Varieties

Despite the fact that there are certain standards for the production of this building material, the composition of silicate brick according to GOST provides several varieties:

• The first in the list according to the number of manufactured products is lime-ash brick. To a greater extent consists of ash, and this is 80% of the total mass and lime, the content of which is 20% by weight.
• In second place in terms of production is slag-lime brick, by the name of which it can be understood that the bulk consists of slag, which is about 90%, and lime, which makes up the remaining 10%. In this case, as mentioned earlier, the composition of silicate brick excludes the use of quartz sand as a component, which favorably affects the properties of the products.
• Third place in the lime-sand brick. Unlike the previous type, quartz sand is used as the main component. Only 10% of the total composition is lime.

Sizes and shapes

Each production seeks to maximally satisfy the desires of the consumer, therefore, over time, various modifications appeared that acquired the markings “U” and “O”. What does it mean:

• Marking “O” indicates that this is a standard, single brick, measuring 250 × 120 × 65 millimeters. The mass of the finished product according to the standard should not be more than 3.8 kilograms.
• If the marking “U” is used on the finished product, this indicates that this species is thickened. The sizes differ only in thickness parameters, namely 250 × 120 × 88 millimeters, with a mass of 4.3 kilograms.
  

Modifications

It is also possible to break silicate brick into subspecies depending on its modification. According to these parameters, a hollow brick and a solid brick are distinguished. It is not possible to fully consider all possible modifications. An important factor is that they have different thermal conductivity and strength. But despite this, the manufacturer can fulfill individual customer orders, that is, the percentage of hollowness varies up to 40%, but the manufacturer cannot give a guarantee for strength, since changes to the parameters specified by GOST are not subject to warranty cases and everything is done on fear and risk of the customer. When using hollow bricks, the thermal conductivity of the building material is markedly improved. This increases the cost of installation, as well as the amount of binder mixture.

Silicate Brick Structure

Another parameter is the scope of the product. Brick is usually rough, which is used in the main masonry of the building and will subsequently be hidden under decorative materials. The functions of such a brick are to create structural integrity, to provide the necessary strength, sound insulation, and thermal conductivity of the building. This type allows some chips and minor damage, which is not critical. Facing silicate brick is also produced, the purpose of which is to give the appearance to the finished structure. Outwardly, it has a relief structure, as well as a different color, which changes both at the production stage (by adding pigment), and after creating the finished product, by the method of surface painting.

The main advantages

Given the weight, dimensions, shapes, modifications, applications, as well as the composition of silicate brick, we can distinguish several main advantages that make it popular in construction for a long time:

• Over time, silicate brick acquires additional rigidity due to aging, which also positively affects its frost resistance.
• The possibility of a wide selection of finished products. An especially important role is played by hollow bricks. The fact is that this modification allows you to use a less thorough foundation, and when building a large room, this factor is very significant.
• Lack of the ability to isolate salts. As it was repeatedly observed in various buildings, white spots form on some sections of the walls. This phenomenon is due to the fact that over time the brick loses moisture, and at the same time releases salt, which often adversely affects the decorative finish.
• Universality of use. Often, design decisions have unexpected shapes and designs, which when using bulky building material is simply impossible to translate. The brick has small dimensions, thanks to which it is more suitable for the embodiment of even the most sophisticated solutions.
• Completely environmentally friendly production.
• Of great importance is excellent sound insulation. Subject to all the rules and regulations for the construction of domestic and industrial premises, silicate brick allows you to achieve the highest level of sound insulation compared to other building materials. In such houses it is much more comfortable to live than in panel ones. In this case, the walls do not need to be additionally insulated and insulated in any way.
  

Brick Applications

Silicate brick is a very popular material, the composition of which is fully consistent with accepted norms and standards. It is used in almost all areas of construction. So, one can notice large apartment buildings and private structures built using it. Material is also used in the construction of internal walls and partitions, fences near houses in the private sector and even ventilation ducts.