About many modern materials that have appeared on the market recently, there are quite positive reviews. Arbolite, belonging to the group of light concrete, is one of them. It is used mainly for the construction of walls and partitions. Although arbolite is considered a new material, houses were built from it back in the 60s. True, then he was not particularly popular. The fact is that private housing construction in the USSR was not developed very well. For large-scale construction, completely different materials were used. Arbolite was developed not in our country, but in Holland, in the 30s. The first blocks were called dyurisol.
What arbolite is made of
The composition of arbolit includes such components as cement, water, chemical additives and organic filler. As the latter, wood chips, sawdust, rice straw, reed cut, etc. can be used. In the manufacture of blocks and the construction of monolithic arbolite walls, high-grade Portland cement is used. As chemical additives, nitrate and calcium chloride or water glass are used.
Most often, the filler in the mixture is wood shavings. Therefore, wood concrete is sometimes called wood concrete. Sometimes sawdust is taken instead of shavings. In this case, sawdust concrete is obtained. Such blocks have somewhat worse performance than wood concrete made using wood chips. Firstly, they are denser and heavier, and secondly, they are more prone to deformation. However, there are quite positive reviews about them. Arbolite of this variety, in addition, is somewhat cheaper.
Classification and characteristics of wood concrete
At the moment, there are only two main types of this material: heat-insulating (having a density of 400-500 kg / m3) and structural (500-850 kg / m3). The characteristics of arbolita made using chips are as follows:
- Bending strength - 1mPa.
- Compression - 1MPa.
- The average density is 600-650kg / m3.
- The degree of water absorption is 40% -85%.
- Frost resistance - 50 cycles.
- Thermal conductivity - 0.07-0.17 W / (m · K).
- Shrinkage - 0.4% -0.5%.
- Sound absorption - 126-2000 Hz.
Thus, arbolite blocks simply perfectly absorb all sounds coming from the street, retain heat well and are quite strong both in compression and in bending. According to its operational characteristics, this material is close to foam concrete and differs in much less weight and thermal conductivity than the bulk of lightweight concrete.
Other names arbolita
In our country, this material, albeit not so long ago, but quite rightly deserved positive reviews. Arbolit abroad is very popular for a long time. Blocks and panels made of cement mixed with shavings, sawdust and other types of organic filler are produced in many countries of Europe and America. They are only called there a little differently. So, in the Czech Republic it is pilibeton, in Germany - duripanel, in Japan - the centery boad, in Austria - the velox, in the USA and Canada - woodstone.
Where is used
Arbolit found its application mainly in private low-rise construction. Blocks are made from it. Arbolite is also used for casting panels. Their sizes can be very different. Abroad, arbolite blocks and slabs are sometimes used for the construction of high-rise buildings, as well as various industrial facilities. Although it is not recommended to build a foundation from this material, sometimes it is still used for this purpose. But not for residential buildings, but for garages and farm buildings.
Arbolite mixture, among other things, is sometimes used as a heat insulator in frame houses. In addition, it is poured into the walls when performing well masonry.
Advantages of the material and reviews about it
Judging by the reviews of arbolite, its excellent thermal insulation qualities are considered its main advantage. In addition, this material “breathes”. Walls made of wood concrete are able to absorb moisture from the air when there is an excess of it and give it away when there is a lack of it. That is, in its main characteristics, this material resembles a tree. At the same time, it is absolutely devoid of such drawbacks as susceptibility to decay and cracking. Unlike wood, this material is completely resistant to burning. In addition, mold never appears on arbolitic walls. Structures from this material are being erected quite quickly, since it is very easy to process. If necessary, the blocks can be drilled, sawed, hammered into them and screw the screws. Since this material weighs quite a bit, there is no need to build an overly powerful foundation.
Important for many owners of suburban areas is the fact that when transporting arbolitic blocks or slabs, you do not need to worry about their safety. This material is highly resistant to shock loads. An undoubted advantage of arbolite is also its ecological purity. This material is completely safe for health.
The production of wood concrete and its use in housing construction has a positive effect on the economy of the country as a whole. In the manufacture of mixtures, they are not simply disposed of, but waste from the woodworking industry is used with benefit. When building buildings from wood concrete, there is no need to use heavy special equipment, which ultimately leads to significant savings.
Material flaws
As already mentioned, there are mostly only positive reviews about this material. Arbolite, however, is not without some drawbacks. First of all, these are rather low indicators of strength and moisture resistance. In order for the walls of this material to last longer, they must be plastered. In this case, cement-sand mortars are usually used from the side of the room, and cement-sand mixed with lime from the side of the street. Arbolite walls can be protected from the outside and can be other types of finishes. It is not recommended to use this material for the construction of baths and saunas. In any case, the humidity in the future room should not exceed 70-75%. The basement of the house, the walls of which will be made of wood concrete, should be raised to a height of at least 50 cm from the blind area. Departures of overhangs of roofs should also protrude beyond the plane of the building by at least half a meter.
Another disadvantage of arbolite is its instability to aggressive gases. It is worth saying about the rather high cost of this material.
Arbolite production
The manufacturing process of blocks includes several main stages:
- The selected chips are first crushed and then sorted. In order to obtain a filler from particles of a certain size, it is passed through special sieves.
- Then the dust is removed from the chips.
- Then, the filler thus prepared is mixed with cement, chemical additives and water.
- The resulting solution is poured into molds. The latter are usually made of metal, since in this way you can get absolutely even and smooth blocks.
- In molds, the mixture is rammed. For this, a vibrating press is used.
- The mixture is kept in the form until solidified.
- Before sending to the construction site, the finished blocks are dried for at least two more weeks, until they gain sufficient strength.
How to make arbolite blocks yourself
The manufacture of wood concrete at home is a process that also requires compliance with certain technologies. Forms can be brought down independently from thick boards. They must be collapsible. To prepare 1 m 3 of a mixture for 250-300 kg of five hundredth Portland cement, you need to take the same amount of chips, 400 liters of water and 2-4% by weight of cement chemical additives. Pre-shavings should be carefully sieved. This procedure will remove excessively large particles.
Chips are poured into the concrete mixer and poured with water with additives dissolved in it. All this is thoroughly mixed and only after that cement is added. After the composition becomes completely homogeneous, it is laid in the form. The latter must first be greased with a solution of lime. Stacking is performed by carefully tamping the mixture. It should not reach the top by about 2 cm. This remaining volume is filled with plaster mortar. Blocks are kept in molds for at least 24 hours, and then dried for another two weeks under a canopy. About the material cast in this way, there are quite good reviews. Arbolite made using this technology is quite suitable both for building a house and for laying partitions. For the construction of foundations, this material should not be used, since it does not differ in special strength and resistance to moisture.
What to look for when buying blocks
When buying arbolite blocks should be very careful. On the modern market you can find both high-quality material, and not very. It is best to purchase products from large companies. As a rule, such firms make blocks of several standard sizes.
How to build a house from wood concrete
When erecting walls from such blocks, the same technologies are observed as when laying from ordinary ones. This primarily means that the dressing of the sutures must be performed. In addition, walls are constructed using plumb and level.
If you wish, you can build a house from wood concrete and using another technology. In this case, the blocks are not manufactured. The mixture is simply laid in the previously installed formwork, knocked down from wooden panels. In this case, the reinforcing cage must be used . Prepared in the same proportions as for the blocks, the mixture is poured into the formwork in layers of 25 cm. Each layer is carefully rammed. The formwork can be removed and rearranged one day after pouring the mixture.
Despite the fact that arbolite does not tolerate high humidity too well, at the moment it is certainly one of the best materials of all used in the construction of private houses. From such blocks you can build a building with excellent performance. But this is subject to all the required technologies.