What kind of work can not be used lightweight concrete mix

Existing construction standards interpret the concept of lightweight concrete as a composition having a density level of no higher than 1800 kg / m3.

Lightweight concrete is notable for its demand, as it has a relatively inexpensive price and ease of use. Its additional advantage is high heat-insulating quality and the possibility of cutting a solidification field.

Lightweight concrete is of three types: dense, polymer and coarse. This is determined by the structure and amount of gas or air involved in the material.

Slag, calcining clay, polymers or some industrial wastes are used as binders of the mixture.

The basis of lightweight concrete can be expanded clay, perlite, agloporite, slag, fly ash or gravel.

Lightweight concrete is used both in the manufacture of building materials and in the casting process of a monolithic nature. The substance copes well with filling the voids of structures and soil dips.

The long-term use of lightweight concrete in construction has shown that it is suitable for the construction of houses, tunnels, piers and even small bridges. Its high-strength brands are able to withstand stress in seismically unstable territories, and heat-resistant species have proved to be excellent even in the construction of furnaces.

Light weight means that the material can be used in the restoration industry. With it, you can create a variety of decorative architectural forms.

The disadvantage of lightweight concrete is its porosity, which does not allow the use of material for pouring foundations. Such concrete does not have a sufficiently high level of strength to withstand large loads exerted on it. In addition, the risk of penetration into the moisture cells does not exclude the possibility of its non-long-term freezing.

The hygroscopicity inherent in lightweight concrete is not conducive to building houses out of blocks based on lightweight concrete. Although it is worth noting that this problem is solvable, it requires effort and financial resources to equip facing and plaster coatings.

Speaking about the shortcomings, one cannot fail to note a weak level of adhesion with plaster coatings, as well as a poor predisposition to use fasteners, which often causes problems in the process of drilling various objects to the wall.

Contrary to the fact that lightweight concrete mix is ​​an improved form of familiar material, it is not recommended its use in works related to the construction of the foundation of the building, as well as in places of abundant water concentration.