Basic Concepts
Lightweight concrete is considered to be a building concrete mixture made of water,
cement, sand and large porous aggregates. Due to the relatively low density, such a building material has a specific gravity of one “cube” of less than 1.8 tons. When it comes to lightweight concrete, it is worth understanding by this concept slag concrete and expanded clay concrete. Also, the category of lightweight concrete includes high-molecular products: aerated concrete, foam concrete, polystyrene concrete, and even polymer concrete. Lightweight concrete is distinguished not only by its excellent heat-generating properties and excellent porosity, but also by its most important advantage – its insignificant weight.
In turn, heavy concrete is a concrete mixture of the same cement and water. Only large (gravel, granite, limestone, diabase) and small aggregates are used in it, which significantly increases the density of the material. This allows you to achieve a specific gravity of one cube from 1.8 to 2.5 tons. At the same time, sand concrete or fine-grained concrete will be called a type of heavy concrete, where a mixture of large and small fractions of sand is used as aggregate. Some types of heavy concrete have a specific gravity of 1 cubic meter. up to 7 tons. Such concretes are called especially heavy, applying for the construction of buildings and buildings of an increased level of responsibility: nuclear reactors, nuclear power plants, etc. High density in particularly heavy concrete is achieved through the use of high molecular weight substances such as barite, hematite, magnetite, and metal scrap as fillers.
Application Area
Monolithic slabs of lightweight concrete grinding machine hire concrete are used to create ceramsite concrete floors, as well as in the construction of lower floors of buildings without basements. The use of such materials makes it possible to reduce heat loss in the room, significantly saving in the future on high-quality and inexpensive heating of the building. It is for this reason that lightweight concrete products are also used for attic floors. Due to the low weight of concrete products, lightweight concrete is used for monolithic high-rise buildings. At the same time, one does not have to worry about the strength of buildings – it is provided by reinforcement located in the reinforced concrete frame.
Lightweight concrete is used in the manufacture of building envelopes, as well as such masonry wall materials as expanded clay concrete, slag concrete, foam concrete and aerated concrete products. However, the reduced strength and load-bearing capacity of lightweight concrete limits their use, and therefore, lightweight concrete without metal frames and armored belts is practically not used for capital construction. However, due to the constant change in the forms and types of lightweight concrete, in the near future, scientists will probably be able to minimize the shortcomings, which will make this product one of the main building materials of the future.