Many private builders are wondering why reinforcing aerated concrete blocks is necessary.
The need for reinforcement
First of all, you need to do this in order to make the walls more durable, if you make such manipulations, cracks will not appear, in addition, the building will have a longer service life. If the conditions for reinforcing the masonry are not specified in the construction documentation, then the location of the reinforcing belt will have to be determined independently.
In what cases is reinforcing aerated concrete masonry
Reinforcement of aerated concrete blocks, as a rule, is carried out when laying blind walls, floors, supporting zones of lintels. Reinforcing the walls must also be done when it is necessary to provide a distance of more than 3 meters between the ceilings. In addition, sections of window sills need additional reinforcement. In this case, the reinforcement should be located in the grooves that have to be prepared beforehand, while the elements are fixed using special glue. In order to provide better sealing and fastening of the fittings, it is necessary to use a solution based on cement and sand. During the construction of buildings from aerated concrete blocks, reinforcement is performed in advance prepared strobes.
Features of the reinforcement
Reinforcement of aerated concrete blocks must be done in the gates. In order to prepare them, you need to use technology that involves retreating from the edge of the block 60 millimeters. Along the perimeter of the rods, the reinforcement should be welded using contact or gas welding.
The most suitable temperature regime in which reinforcement should be performed is considered to be a temperature limit of 5 to 25 degrees. If the temperature is higher, the blocks must first be moistened with water.
Preparation before reinforcing aerated concrete masonry
Reinforcement of aerated concrete blocks will not be possible if some materials and tools are not prepared, among them one can distinguish: a square, a chamfer, a hand saw, a building level, a mixer, a building hair dryer, adhesive or mortar. If there is a desire, then instead of reinforcement, you can use a reinforcing cage, which is made of galvanized strips.
Features of the reinforcement
Aerated concrete blocks, the sizes and price of which are indicated below, must be reinforced using a certain technology. First you need to prepare the reinforcement rods, the material itself, which must be stored under the film. Unpacking pallets is not recommended, since if water will be affected by aerated concrete for a long amount of time, it may become unusable. If in the process of work it is supposed to use standard aerated concrete products, the dimensions of which are 600 x 300 x 200 mm, then the consumption per 1 cubic meter will be 28 pieces.
The first row of gas blocks must be laid on the solution. During the work, it is necessary to check the evenness of the masonry using the building level, since the evenness of all subsequent rows will depend on this. The base and masonry should be separated by an insulation layer.
Reinforcing walls of aerated concrete blocks is accompanied by laying at the corners of the rails, which will determine the height of the masonry. To do this, pull the rope, which will control the uniformity of the arrangement of blocks. The masonry should not only be reinforced, but also sealed, for this you need to properly prepare the adhesive composition, which should be uniform. Stir thoroughly before use. The consumption of the adhesive composition will be about 5-10 kilograms per 1 cubic meter. When using the solution, its consumption will be approximately two times greater. Correction of the masonry is necessary using a rubber mallet. If the block does not fit the size, then it can be cut using a handsaw. In order to ensure a right angle, you need to use a square.
Specialist recommendations
Reinforcement of masonry from aerated concrete blocks is carried out by laying reinforcement in every fourth row. In order to make the strobes, you need to use an electric chipper, which is sometimes replaced by a hand tool. If the wall thickness exceeds 400 mm, then there are two gates to be placed parallel to each other. Before laying the fittings, you need to remove all the dust from the formed strobes using an electric building hair dryer. After the surface, the strobe should be well moistened and filled with glue to half the depth. The rods should be well moistened, and then laid. As soon as the installation of the reinforcement is completed, it is necessary to add glue and cover the surface of the block with a solution. The base should be leveled with a spatula. The remaining rows must be reinforced using the same technology. During the laying of the blocks, vertical joints will appear, which will need to be disposed of by filling with mortar. Particular attention should be paid to the place of the cut, which is formed after the installation of the cut block.
Final work
After the reinforcement of aerated concrete blocks with reinforcement is completed, the walls can be improved with brick, plaster, lining or siding, ceramic or steel sheets can be used. If you want to use a brick as a cladding, then you need to leave a slight gap between it and aerated concrete. It is worth remembering that a house that is built of aerated concrete blocks will be subjected to loads that can cause deformation of the building. Factors such as precipitation, changing weather conditions can cause cracks on the walls. When comparing a gas block and a reinforcing bar, the first has little resistance to deformation phenomena and bending, while the reinforcement is not subject to this, which must be taken into account when constructing objects using aerated concrete. Aerated concrete, in which there is reinforcement, does not affect the bearing capacity of the wall, which is beneficial for construction. In order to protect aerated concrete walls from cracks, you can use not only reinforcement, but also mesh, as well as fiberglass. If a long wall is supposed to be erected during construction, then reinforcement must be carried out with the help of rods, not a net.
Sizes and prices of blocks
The production of aerated concrete blocks is carried out in accordance with GOST, before purchasing you must definitely study the dimensions of the products, this will allow you to carry out construction work with greater savings. Thus, blocks without a crest can have a length of 600 mm, while their width and height are 100 and 250 mm, respectively. The price of such a block per cubic meter will be exactly 3,400 rubles. Blocks can be made with a groove, and their size is 600 x 200 x 250 mm. The price of such a block will remain the same. The production of aerated concrete blocks is carried out with the presence of not only a crest, but also a grab, while the size of such a block will be 600 x 400 x 250 mm, the price will remain the same as indicated above.
Aerated concrete blocks, the sizes and price of which are known to you, are widely used today in construction.