Brick is still one of the most popular building materials, but at the modern pace of life, building walls from small “bricks” is a very time-consuming and long-term task. At present, it has become possible to use the most effective building materials, which make it possible to build much faster and do not require additional insulation. We are talking about various kinds of large-sized wall blocks, the most common of which are blocks made of cellular concrete and porous ceramics. Manufacturers and suppliers with great difficulty overcome the resistance and stereotypes of developers, constantly proving that the use of these materials is really profitable.
Currently, the most popular in the construction market, among large-sized wall blocks, are aerated concrete blocks and blocks of porous ceramics.
Many specialists, despite the almost identical thermal properties, strength, reliability and durability, prefer aerated concrete blocks.
Let’s take a look at why.
Aerated concrete blocks have the following advantages:
- Thermal conductivity. The thermal conductivity coefficient of aerated concrete blocks (λ=0.25) is 50% lower than that of porous ceramic blocks (λ=0.19). In other words, an aerated concrete wall is 1.5 times warmer than a porous ceramic wall of the same thickness. As a result, in order to achieve the same thermal efficiency of a wall made of porous ceramics, it will be necessary to increase its thickness, and, consequently, the mass and load on the foundation will increase, which will lead to additional costs for building a more powerful foundation.
- Vapor permeability. The vapor permeability coefficient of aerated concrete (μ=0.23) is two times higher than that of ceramic porous blocks (μ=0.14), which allows creating more comfortable living conditions indoors. Moisture is more effectively removed from the walls, does not linger in the pores.
- Frost resistance. Due to its unique structure, aerated concrete has a higher resistance to freeze-thaw cycles, which allows it to be used without restrictions in any climatic zones, in places with high humidity and low temperatures.
- Profitability. Having a homogeneous structure, the absence of internal cavities and technological holes allows the use of aerated concrete blocks with the least amount of technological waste when performing masonry work, which cannot be said about hollow ceramic porous blocks. Almost all technological waste material generated during masonry can be used.
- Ease of cutting and processing. Aerated concrete blocks, unlike porous ceramics, are easily processed and cut, even with ordinary hand tools. This advantage allows not only to avoid the use of special electrical equipment for cutting, but also to easily produce complex arc or curved parts for facade elements or openings. In addition, the ease of cutting will allow you to easily perform gating for electrical wiring, install internal communications, etc.
- Masonry. The masonry work of aerated concrete blocks is carried out using a special adhesive, unlike ceramic blocks that are laid on a cement-concrete mortar. In this case, the thickness of the seam when using glue is 2-3 mm, and when using mortar, as a rule, 6-8 mm. The consumption of masonry mortar per cubic meter of masonry will be 25 and 50-80 kg, respectively.
When building walls from porous ceramics in thick joints, there is a high probability of the formation of “cold bridges” that will increase the heat loss of the whole house.
In addition, masonry mortar often gets into the internal voids in the porous blocks, which further reduces the thermal insulation properties of the wall.
- Finishing. Aerated concrete blocks have high manufacturing accuracy, correct geometric dimensions and surface cleanliness. When building walls from aerated concrete blocks, in order to prepare for plastering and finishing work, it is only necessary to perform light grinding using a hand grater in order to remove small streaks of glue and eliminate small roughness. When performing the same preparatory work on a wall built of porous ceramics, you will have to resort to a lengthy procedure for removing the ridges using an electric cutter.
- Dowel pull-out load. When carrying out construction and finishing work, it is sometimes necessary to fasten various load-bearing and non-bearing elements using dowels. Aerated concrete blocks, due to the unique properties of the material (homogeneity of the structure, the absence of internal cavities), are able to withstand a rather high pull-out load of the dowel (on average, about 6-7 kN), which cannot be said about hollow porous ceramic blocks (about 2-2.5 kN ).
- Fire resistance. The fire resistance of porous ceramics is the same as that of ordinary ceramic bricks. It does not support combustion, but upon contact with fire, it loses most of its physical and technical characteristics. So after a fire, ceramic blocks (not refractory) can lose more than 60% of their strength, become loose and brittle. At the same time, aerated concrete blocks have the highest rates among building materials in terms of fire resistance. They are able to withstand the unilateral action of open fire for 3-7 hours without losing their strength and reliability.
- Price. If we compare the cost of 1 m3 of a wall of the same thermal conductivity built from ceramic blocks and blocks of cellular concrete, we will see that the cost of the latter is at least 2 times lower than when using porous blocks, and this is without taking into account savings on masonry mortar. Summing up, we can say that at present the construction of low-rise houses and cottages from aerated concrete blocks is the most cost-effective than from large-sized hollow porous blocks. Aerated concrete is easy to process, reliable, warm and environmentally friendly material. Houses built from it will serve you for more than 100 years. If the choice of wall building material is approached correctly, purchasing only certified products from a trusted supplier, then almost all types of walls, including load-bearing and basement, can be built from aerated concrete blocks.
We wish our clients successful construction.