Among the large number of building materials that have relatively recently appeared on the market, aerated concrete, which is usually used in the form of ready-made blocks, should be especially noted. This material is a kind of cellular concrete. Its performance is directly dependent on the material and method of its manufacture.
Stonelight aerated concrete blocks usually consist of a binder, which includes sand and lime. To obtain the cellularity of the blocks, that is, to ensure the presence of a large number of pores in the material, aluminum powder is added to the mixture. All components of the mixture are thoroughly mixed, after which a block of certain sizes is formed from it, which is then placed in a special chamber with a high level of humidity.
After that, elements of the required size are cut from the block, which are further processed in an autoclave with high-pressure water vapor at high temperature. The end result is a block with precise geometric configuration, high strength and other unique properties of this material.
As the main advantages of aerated concrete blocks, experts note the good moisture resistance of the material. This was made possible due to the unique porous structure of the material. Studies have shown that even if the humidity level in the ambient air is about 90%, then this figure in aerated concrete blocks will not exceed 8%. Thanks to this, aerated concrete can be used to build houses in a humid climate.
In addition, aerated concrete has a low weight, which greatly facilitates the process of construction using this material. Aerated concrete is characterized by high frost resistance and fire resistance, excellent resistance to various biological influences. Also important is the low thermal conductivity of the material, its environmental friendliness, durability and high soundproofing properties. Aerated concrete blocks have strict dimensions, which allows you to build buildings from them with high accuracy.
At the same time, when planning to build a house from aerated concrete blocks, it should be borne in mind that such material, if the load is incorrectly calculated, cracks quite quickly due to its porous structure, and also has a rather high cost.
