Choosing the Right Cellular Concrete
Concrete is one of the most widespread man-made building materials.
Used in various different forms and types since ancient Roman times, it can be said with all certainty, that it is the most firmly set material in the building industry.
Concrete has numerous advantages, the primary of which is its high strength, without which many high-tech civil engineering projects would not be possible.
This however comes at a price, as concrete is a very heavy material.
Compared to concrete, cellular concrete is a relatively new innovation, as its first use was noted in the 1920s.
This special type of concrete weighs usually less than 1/3 that of regular concrete, which gives it a significant advantage over traditional concrete.
Cellular concrete, also called foam concrete, is normally composed of cement, water, sand and foam.
This foam has a consistency of thick shaving cream and weighs only 50 kilograms per cubic meter.
It is the ingredient that makes otherwise heavy concrete lightweight.
By varying the amount of foam added to the cement and water mix it is possible to achieve different densities ranging from 300 kg/m3 up to 1600 kg/m3.
Each of these types of cellular concrete has different parameters and applications.
Densities from 300 to 500 kg/m3 This type of material is typically made from cement and foam only.
Lightweight concrete with these densities is used in roofing and flooring applications as thermal insulation and for its soundproofing properties.
When it is applied on floors, it is important to note that foam concrete itself is not a structural material and requires one to be used alongside it.
It is also used for backfilling voids and in other geotechnical applications, filling hollow underground walls, as insulation in hollow building blocks and many other situations where high insulating properties are favored over high strength.
Densities from 600 to 900 kg/m3 Cellular concrete of this type is made from sand, cement and foam.
The primary applications for this range of densities the is production of precast panels and blocks.
Such blocks are typically intended for building partition walls and curtains.
A common application are also foundation slabs for single story residential and commercial buildings.
Densities from 1000 to 1600 kg/m3 This type of material is produced from cement, sand and foam, and is considered in many cases to be a load bearing material.
The typical applications for this product are: -lightweight construction blocks and panels for load bearing walls -foundation slabs and floor screeds for multistory residential and commercial buildings -specialized precast elements where a material that has relatively high strength and half the weight of regular concrete is required
Used in various different forms and types since ancient Roman times, it can be said with all certainty, that it is the most firmly set material in the building industry.
Concrete has numerous advantages, the primary of which is its high strength, without which many high-tech civil engineering projects would not be possible.
This however comes at a price, as concrete is a very heavy material.
Compared to concrete, cellular concrete is a relatively new innovation, as its first use was noted in the 1920s.
This special type of concrete weighs usually less than 1/3 that of regular concrete, which gives it a significant advantage over traditional concrete.
Cellular concrete, also called foam concrete, is normally composed of cement, water, sand and foam.
This foam has a consistency of thick shaving cream and weighs only 50 kilograms per cubic meter.
It is the ingredient that makes otherwise heavy concrete lightweight.
By varying the amount of foam added to the cement and water mix it is possible to achieve different densities ranging from 300 kg/m3 up to 1600 kg/m3.
Each of these types of cellular concrete has different parameters and applications.
Densities from 300 to 500 kg/m3 This type of material is typically made from cement and foam only.
Lightweight concrete with these densities is used in roofing and flooring applications as thermal insulation and for its soundproofing properties.
When it is applied on floors, it is important to note that foam concrete itself is not a structural material and requires one to be used alongside it.
It is also used for backfilling voids and in other geotechnical applications, filling hollow underground walls, as insulation in hollow building blocks and many other situations where high insulating properties are favored over high strength.
Densities from 600 to 900 kg/m3 Cellular concrete of this type is made from sand, cement and foam.
The primary applications for this range of densities the is production of precast panels and blocks.
Such blocks are typically intended for building partition walls and curtains.
A common application are also foundation slabs for single story residential and commercial buildings.
Densities from 1000 to 1600 kg/m3 This type of material is produced from cement, sand and foam, and is considered in many cases to be a load bearing material.
The typical applications for this product are: -lightweight construction blocks and panels for load bearing walls -foundation slabs and floor screeds for multistory residential and commercial buildings -specialized precast elements where a material that has relatively high strength and half the weight of regular concrete is required
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