Many beginners running their own economy on a summer cottage or in a rural area are interested in the question of what to build structures from. Indeed, in the modern market of building materials there is a wide range of wall blocks, wood materials, frame construction technologies. What material to choose the main for the construction of the foundation and walls of the house, cottage, garage or barn? In this article, we consider the properties of such a material as a sand cement block, its characteristics and applications.
Composition
As the main components, wall sand-cement blocks contain benign Portland cement, coarse sand and stone chips. Rare manufacturers include plasticizers and other additives.
Sand cement blocks: technical specifications
In accordance with GOST 6133-99, such blocks are made with dimensions of 390 * 190 * 190 and 400 * 200 * 200 mm. Other features include:
• weight - 14-18 kg;
• thermal conductivity - 0.4-0.55 W (m * C);
• strength - M-35;
• frost resistance - F-25;
• density of blocks - 940-1100 kg / m 3 .
Manufacturing technology
The sand cement block is formed from a sand-concrete mixture by means of vibrocompression, which determines its high compressive strength and long service life. This technology provides almost perfect geometric parameters of the blocks and the compliance of practical data with the declared characteristics.
Varieties and benefits of blocks
The sand cement block is solid or hollow. The cavities inside are two, four, 7, or 8. Hollow block versions have slightly less strength, but they are more heat-proof and soundproof, and also have less weight and price.
Sand cement blocks 20x20x40 cm are usually used in the construction of load-bearing structures, supporting columns, foundations, walls of basement floors. Walls can be half block thick, single row, one and a half or double thickness. Due to the high strength characteristics and satisfactory thermal insulation properties of hollow blocks in the central strip of Russia, a single-row thickness is sufficient when laying external walls. The sand cement block is resistant to aggressive environmental influences and is also used in industrial construction. The consumer qualities of the blocks include:
• ease of the masonry process;
• simplicity of plastering and painting of blocks;
• reasonable cost;
• strength and durability of buildings made of blocks;
• environmental friendliness;
• good sound and wall insulation.
Application area
Sand cement blocks allow you to create unique load-bearing structures of houses, buildings with their further insulation. They are recommended for use in the construction of foundations, socles and external walls of industrial buildings, low-rise construction and high-rise buildings (of which the walls are filled during monolithic construction). The laying of sand-cement blocks is easy compared to the laying of a single brick. After all, the volume of one sand-cement block is equivalent to the volume of 7 bricks.
The construction of foundations and basement floors of buildings from sandblocks is of particular benefit compared to the flood method. This allows you to exclude the process of preparing the formwork and immediately after laying the foundation to start laying walls, without waiting for concrete to set, which gives a significant, at least a month, acceleration of construction work.
When constructing foundations and basement floors of buildings, it is advisable to use solid blocks, and when laying walls - hollow ones, which reduces the cost of construction, improves the heat and sound insulation qualities of walls and reduces the requirements for the strength of the foundation. For the installation of partition walls, you can use special partition wall sand cement blocks reduced in half thickness. They are also made whole or hollow.
An even greater gain in the cost of construction work can be achieved by using sand-cement blocks for masonry walls with the addition of porous materials - expanded clay, small fractions of slag, sawdust.
Conclusion
The use of sand-cement blocks in the construction of low-rise buildings can significantly accelerate the work while observing the requirements for heat and sound insulation, strength and durability of buildings. It is these distinctive features that determine their widespread use in modern construction.