Concrete belt under the roof. Making an armored belt with your own hands. Attaching the roof to the house

Without exception, any structure made of any block materials will be constantly exposed to natural phenomena– swelling of the soil, settlement of the building, other ground movement. In addition, increased winds and rain can also affect the integrity of the entire building. It is to eliminate various movements of the building that a concrete armored belt is placed over the walls. We’ll talk about how to make an armored belt with your own hands in this article.

Armored belt device

A reinforcing belt, or as it is sometimes called a seismic belt, makes it possible improve strength throughout the house, and also allows prevent cracking of walls as a result of the movement of the soil with the foundation and under the influence atmospheric phenomena. In addition, if you make an armored belt correctly, it Allows for even distribution of loads from the roof or concrete floors located above it.

Please pay attention! Even if the floors in the house are made of wood, the need to make an armored belt does not disappear. The type of overlap does not determine whether to make an armored belt or not. In any case, the belt should close all the walls.

Everything is clear about the purpose of the armored belt. Now a few words about its design. An ordinary reinforced belt has two standard elements - a rigid volumetric frame made of reinforcement, as well as the concrete in which it is located. In general, everything is quite simple, but making an armored belt with your own hands without studying your features will probably be difficult.

How to make an armored belt - sequence

In order to determine the complexity of the work, as well as for more detailed analysis How a reinforced belt is made, we will break down the manufacturing technology into several stages. We can say that we will provide specific instructions for making an armored belt.

Metal frame made of reinforcement

It is necessary to begin assembling the frame by installing pieces of reinforcement at the top of the wall. To do this, you either need to simply drive in pieces, if the density of the material allows it, or drill holes and insert pieces into them. The reinforcement is installed at the intersection points of the walls and along the entire perimeter of the structure every 1-1.5 meters. The segments are installed in squares of four pieces; they will determine the dimensions of the entire frame. After this, you need to secure the lower longitudinal row of reinforcement at a height of 3-4 cm from the top edge of the wall. To do this, longitudinal rods are tied to vertically mounted pins using knitting wire. In this way, two parallel rods are secured.

After the longitudinal reinforcement is installed, it must be connected with short jumpers every 2.5-3 cm. For jumpers, you need to use pieces of reinforcement.

Vertical sections are also installed in a similar way. The upper longitudinal row of reinforcement will later be attached to them. The top row will be attached in the same way and with the same pitch as the horizontal one. The length of the segments will depend on the total thickness of the armored belt. The recommended thickness of the armored belt is 200 – 250 mm. From these dimensions it is necessary to determine the length of the vertical segments. Longitudinal reinforcement bars are again attached to the vertical sections, which are then secured with transverse sections. In general, everything is exactly the same as with the lower level of the longitudinal rods.

Formwork

At this stage, you can proceed in two ways: either install permanent formwork, or make a collapsible one from boards. The most the best option There will be a collapsible design. It is assembled from almost any boards or sheet materials. During the construction of the formwork, it is necessary to monitor its upper edge - the difference should not be more than 1 cm.

The ideal option would be combined system, in which on one side it will be non-removable, and on the other, after the poured solution has hardened, it will be removed. If the facade will be finished with some kind of material or insulated, then permanent polystyrene formwork can be installed on the front side, which will later become one of the elements of the insulating layer. On the inside you can set regular board or OSB, which can be fixed with improvised hardware and fasteners. The same cannot be said about working with foam concrete, which has its own.

The most difficult moment here will be connecting the two parts of the armored belt formwork. Here you need to approach it with all responsibility and think about how to connect two opposite parts in such a way that the poured concrete does not crush them on the sides. To do this, you need to secure wooden spacers along the upper edge of the formwork in increments of 30–40 cm, and you can also tighten it with wire. To fasten with wire, you need to drill holes in the boards and thread the wire through, which will tighten the two parts of the structure. After the solution hardens, simply bite off this wire with side cutters and it will remain inside the armored belt. After screeding, you can proceed to the next stage of construction of the reinforcing belt.

Pouring concrete

Everything here is not difficult enough, except for lifting the concrete inside the formwork from above the wall. But this issue can be easily sorted out when ordering. Companies providing concrete delivery services have the opportunity to order a concrete pump, which pumps the solution to any point of the reinforced belt being poured.

Let’s also say a few words about the quality of the concrete mixture and the method of preparing it if you prepare it yourself. When ordering, the brand must be at least B15. But if you cook on your own, the composition will be as follows: one bucket of cement and two buckets of crushed stone and sand. It is best to prepare the concrete mixture thicker, because... it will not crush the formwork too much. However, such a solution has its own nuance - the mixture in the formwork must be carefully compacted and compacted. Ideally, a deep vibrator is used for this, but it is not often found in domestic construction. For compaction, you can use either a piece of reinforcement or a piece of wooden block, which carefully compacts the entire solution in the formwork.

Completion

The final stage of making an armored belt with your own hands is to control the hardening of the concrete. Immediately after pouring the concrete mixture, it is best to cover it with cellophane film. This is necessary to reduce moisture loss and the appearance of cracks in the armored belt. After a few days, when the initial strength has been gained, the formwork can be removed (removable). By the way, we advise you to read the article ““.

That's basically all. Let us clarify only one detail, which concerns the waterproofing of the armored belt. Usually a mauerlat is laid on the armored belt for further installation of the roof. To do this, you need to lay roofing felt or other modern material on the concrete surface. bitumen material for waterproofing. In this way, you can protect the base of your roof from incoming moisture from the walls.

Armopoyas (reinforced reinforced concrete belt) aka seismic belt– a very strong monolithic strip around the perimeter of the building and load-bearing walls from aerated concrete.

Tasks of the armored belt – significant strengthening of load-bearing walls to increase their load-bearing capacity, in order to avoid cracks and other deformations due to uneven shrinkage of the building, roofing, wind and other loads.

The armored belt firmly holds aerated concrete blocks, evenly distributes the load and creates structural rigidity.

Ideally, the geometry, reinforcement and concrete composition of the reinforced belt are determined by calculations.

Typically the width (thickness) of the armored belt equal to the width of the wall, 200-400mm, and the recommended height is 200-300mm.

But it would be wiser to make the width of the armored belt a little thinner than the wall, so that there is room for insulation to reduce cold bridges. Extruded polystyrene foam (EPS) is best suited for this task, as it insulates heat well. There is also the option of pouring armored belts into ready-made aerated concrete U-blocks, but see further on this in the text.

  1. In case of uneven shrinkage of the house, during seasonal heaving of the soil, during earthquakes, the reinforced belt maintains the geometry of the building.
  2. An armored belt can level walls horizontally.
  3. Adding rigidity to the entire aerated concrete building.
  4. Local loads are distributed evenly across load-bearing walls.
  5. The high strength of the armored belt allows you to attach all important structures to it, for example, a power plate.

The Mauerlat must be firmly attached to the load-bearing walls with studs and anchors. Herself rafter system, the weight of the entire roof, snow and wind loads create a significant bursting force that can break unreinforced walls. An armored belt under the Mauerlat solves this problem, and it will be performed in the same way as under the ceiling.

  1. The framework of the belt reinforcement must be continuous.
  2. The armored belt must be on all load-bearing walls.
  3. The overlap of longitudinal reinforcement is at least 800 mm.
  4. The frame is made of two rows of reinforcement, two rods each.
  5. The minimum thickness of longitudinal reinforcement is 10 mm.
  6. It is advisable to use long (6-8 meters) reinforcement bars.
  7. The diameter of the transverse reinforcement is 6-8 mm.
  8. The pitch of transverse reinforcement is 200-400 mm.
  9. The reinforcement on all sides must have a protective layer of concrete of at least 5 cm.
  10. Longitudinal and transverse reinforcement are connected to each other with knitting wire.
  11. At the corners, the longitudinal reinforcement must be bent, and try to overlap further from the corner.
  12. The frame must be strictly horizontal.

Calculate the distance between the reinforcement bars based on the thickness and height of the reinforced belt, taking into account the protective layer of concrete, at least 5 cm on each side.

Do-it-yourself reinforced belt for aerated concrete (video)

Scheme of reinforcement of corners and junctions of the armored belt

Insulation of armored belt

The armored belt is a very serious “bridge” of cold, through which most of the heat escapes, and on which condensation forms inside armored belt And to avoid this, you need to insulate the outer side of the armored belt with aerated concrete, or polystyrene foam or polystyrene foam. Expanded polystyrene is more preferable. So you need to provide space for insulation in advance by filling the reinforced belt with an indentation from the outer edge of the wall.

Insulated armored belt for aerated concrete

What brand of concrete should be used to fill the armored belt?

For filling reinforced belt for aerated concrete, concrete grade M200-M250 is used. It can be brought to finished form mixer from the factory, or make it yourself.

Proportions for concrete grade M200: cement M400, sand, crushed stone (1:3:5). Proportions for concrete grade M250: cement M400, sand, crushed stone (1:2:4).

There should be a minimum amount of water in concrete, and use a plasticizer to impart plasticity.

The water-cement ratio should be in the range from 0.5 to 0.7, that is, for 10 parts of cement there are from 5 to 7 parts of water.

Adding too much water to concrete makes it less durable.

To remove air bubbles from concrete, it should be vibrated with a special construction vibrator, or pierced intensively and for a long time liquid concrete cutting off reinforcement.

Concrete must be poured into the formwork at a time so that it is monolithic (indivisible).

A reinforced concrete belt is constructed around the perimeter of the building. The basis is a frame assembled from reinforcement. It is filled with a liquid concrete solution. And so that the concrete mixture does not spread, the formwork is assembled under an armored belt. Let's figure out how to assemble this structure correctly.

Why do you need to build an armored belt?

In what cases is the installation of an armored belt necessary? The purpose of this structure is to strengthen buildings built from gas or foam concrete, brick and other materials that do not provide sufficiently high structural rigidity. The structure is necessary in the following cases:

  • if the house is built on a shallow foundation;
  • when constructing buildings on sites that have a significant slope;
  • if there is a river or ravine at a short distance from the facility under construction;
  • with certain soil characteristics at the construction site;
  • during construction in seismically active areas.

The technology for building houses from block materials involves the construction of several armored belts, namely:

  • the lowest reinforcing belt is poured into a trench dug under the foundation. The armored belt is installed around the perimeter and at the location of the load-bearing walls;
  • the next reinforcing structure is located in the basement of the building, its main function is to distribute the load;


  • another reinforcing belt is installed at the floor level between the first and second floors. Its functions are to tighten walls and redistribute the load over window and door openings;
  • the upper belt is mounted at the level of the ceiling of the upper floor to redistribute the loads exerted by the roof.

To build an armored belt with your own hands, you must first assemble the formwork. Let's look at how this structure is mounted.

Types of formwork for armored belts

The formwork for the armored belt can be mounted in different ways. The main design options are removable and non-removable. In addition, can be used various materials for assembling molds for filling.

Fixed

The simplest installation option is installation Not removable formwork. The disadvantage of this method is the increase in costs, since the molds used are used once and remain in the belt structure forever. For installation, ready-made polystyrene foam blocks are used; the owners just have to install them correctly.


Advice! The use of polystyrene foam blocks is additional insulation at home, since bare reinforced concrete structures are cold bridges.

The blocks are available in a wide range of sizes, so it is easy to purchase material for the construction of formwork for armored belts of any size. Assembling a structure from blocks is as simple as possible, since they have fastenings and are connected to each other according to the “groove-tenon” principle.

Removable

If you do not plan to purchase ready-made blocks for installing formwork, then you can assemble removable systems using boards. This is a removable option; the assembled formwork is disassembled after the solution has hardened and moved to another place.

The use of adjustable structures allows you to save on materials. This option is more labor-intensive, since you will have to install the forms yourself. Carrying out this work requires care and precision.


Installation of formwork

Let's figure out how to make formwork for an armored belt. We will consider the option of constructing removable formwork from boards. Installation of formwork for armored belt is carried out as follows:

  • 20 mm wide boards are used for assembly;
  • The height of the belt should be 30 cm;
  • the width must be equal to the width of the main structure, that is, the width of the foundation or the width of the wall;
  • The first formwork board is screwed around the perimeter of the part to be strengthened. Subsequent boards are installed on top, close to each other, the gap between the boards should be minimal. The boards are knocked together into panels using bars. It is better to fasten the structure with self-tapping screws, but you can also use nails;
  • to give the shape the necessary rigidity, bars according outside stuffed every 0.7 meters. The bars are placed strictly vertically;
  • To further strengthen the structure, wire ties are installed between the parallel panels. The ties should be placed in increments of 0.8-1.0 meters;


  • The last stage is checking the quality of installation. It is necessary to make sure that the walls of the formwork are positioned strictly vertically, and that the structure itself is strong enough to withstand the pressure exerted by the concrete mixture;
  • in addition, you need to make sure that there are no cracks, otherwise the solution will flow out through them. Wide cracks are clogged with overhead slats, narrow cracks with tow.

Dismantling of formwork

For disassembly wooden forms should begin after the concrete has hardened. There is no need to wait for the concrete to gain full strength. You can dismantle the forms as soon as the solution hardens on top.

Disassembly is not particularly difficult. First, remove the wire ties, then disassemble the structure into parts. After cleaning and drying, the boards can be used to assemble formwork in another area.

So, in some cases, installation of an armored belt is mandatory. This is a reinforcing structure that increases the reliability of the building. To construct it, you must first assemble the formwork. It can be quickly assembled from ready-made polystyrene foam blocks or knocked together yourself from boards and wooden blocks.

The need to create an armored belt under the Mauerlat when constructing a roof is not always obvious to novice builders. They often have the wrong idea about reinforced reinforcement of the base for the construction of a roof as something unnecessary and superfluous. However, the armored belt is an important intermediary that distributes the load of the roof onto the walls of the building. Let's look at why an armored belt under the roof is needed, what functions it performs and how to install it yourself.

In this article

The need for an armored belt

Let's start looking at the reinforced roof base with its main functions.

Load conversion

The rafter legs transfer the load to the mauerlat, the main concentration of which is in the places where the rafters support the walls of the house. The task of the Mauerlat and armored belt is to transform this load, making it uniform. The Mauerlat is subject to two types of loads. This is the weight of the roof itself, the snow accumulated on it, the effect of gusts of wind on the roof and other natural phenomena.

Another load is associated with the bursting of the building walls by the rafters. As the weight of the roof increases, it increases significantly. Modern materials for the construction of buildings, such as expanded clay concrete and aerated concrete, with a number of positive characteristics, are not able to withstand such a bursting load. Before installing the Mauerlat on them, it is imperative to create a reinforced belt.

Brick walls are more resistant to point loads, so to install the Mauerlat on them, it is enough to use anchors or embedded parts. However, experts recommend the use of an armored belt for brick walls, if the building is being erected in an earthquake-prone region.

Attaching the roof to the house

The most important and main task of the Mauerlat is to firmly attach the roof to the house. Thus, the Mauerlat itself must be securely mounted to the building.

The main tasks of a reinforced roof base can be reduced to the following points:

  • Maintaining the strict geometry of the building in any situation: seasonal soil fluctuations, earthquakes, shrinkage of the house, etc.;
  • Alignment of walls in horizontal projection, correction of inaccuracies and flaws made during the construction of walls;
  • Ensuring rigidity and stability of the entire structure of the building;
  • Uniform and distributed distribution of the roof load on the walls of the building;
  • Possibility of strong attachment to a reinforced base important elements roofing, primarily Mauerlat.

Calculation of a reinforced base for a roof

The process of reinforcing the base under the Mauerlat begins with planning and calculations. It is necessary to calculate the dimensions of the armored belt. By building standards it should be equal to the width of the wall, and not less than 25 cm. The recommended height of the reinforced base is around 30 cm. The armored belt and the mauerlat laid on it should encircle the entire house.

If the walls are built from aerated concrete, then the top row is made of stone in the shape of the letter U, which creates the formwork. It is necessary to lay reinforcing elements in it and fill the entire structure with cement mortar.

Before the actual start construction work it is also necessary to prepare necessary tools And building materials. To create a reinforced base for the roof you will need:

  • Concrete mixer for high-quality mixing of cement mortar;
  • A specialized vibrator that accelerates cement mortar in the formwork, preventing the creation of air voids in the structure;
  • Materials for the construction of formwork;
  • Fittings.

Installation technology

Installation of the armored belt begins after masonry work. It is necessary to wait until the masonry is completely dry.

Creating formwork and laying reinforcement

The first stage is the construction of formwork. In buildings from aerated concrete blocks The outermost row of masonry is made from blocks in the shape of the letter U. If these are not available, then the outer part of the formwork is created from sawn 100 mm blocks, and the inner part from boards. Installation is carried out in strict compliance with the horizontal level.

A frame made of reinforcement is laid in the formwork. His longitudinal part formed from 4 reinforcement rods with a diameter of 12 mm. Transverse fastenings are made from rods of 8 mm diameter, maintaining a pitch of no more than 25 cm. In projection, the frame looks like a square or rectangle. The frame parts are mounted with an overlap of up to 20 cm. The joints are connected with knitting wire. In solution, such a reinforced frame exists as a monolithic one.

Laying the frame requires compliance with certain rules:

  • The thickness of the concrete from the frame to the formwork is at least 5 cm;
  • To comply with this rule, place stands made of bars of the required height under the frame.

An important part of the work is strengthening the formwork frame. If this is not done, then it will collapse from the weight of the concrete. This can be done in various ways:


Installation of fasteners for the Mauerlat

After working with the formwork and laying the reinforcement, you can begin installing fasteners for the Mauerlat. We recommend using threaded rods. It is convenient to purchase studs with a diameter of 12 mm. The length of the studs is calculated taking into account the fact that their bottom is attached to the frame, and the top protrudes above the Mauerlat by 2-2.5 cm.

Installation of studs is carried out taking into account:

  • There is at least one stud between two rafters;
  • The maximum installation step is no more than 1 meter.

Pouring with cement mortar

The main feature of the reinforced base for the Mauerlat is its strength. It can only be achieved by pouring concrete mortar at one time.

To create a concrete mixture, concrete of at least M200 is used. The best mixture for filling the belt is prepared according to the following proportions:

  • 1 part cement M400;
  • 3 parts of washed sand and the same amount of crushed stone.

The use of plasticizers will help increase the strength and speed of hardening of the mixture.

Since creating an armored belt requires a lot of mixture at once, it is advisable to use a concrete mixer and a special pump to supply the solution. In the absence of equipment, the help of several people will be required to prepare and continuously supply the finished mixture.

After pouring concrete into the formwork, it is important to expel all air from any possible air pockets. For this it can be used special device a vibrator and simple fittings with which the mixture is pierced along the entire perimeter.

Mauerlat installation

Removing the formwork from the armored belt is possible as soon as the concrete has hardened sufficiently, and installation on the Mauerlat structure can begin no earlier than 7-10 days after pouring the armored belt.

Before laying, the Mauerlat parts must be specially prepared:

  • The Mauerlat timber is treated with antiseptics;
  • Connections of its individual elements are made using the direct lock method or oblique cutting;
  • The Mauerlat is applied to the armored belt and the places for the pins are marked. Holes for fastenings are drilled.

Laying the Mauerlat is preceded by covering the reinforced base with a layer roll waterproofing As a rule, roofing material is used for these purposes.

The Mauerlat is secured with a large washer and nut; locknuts are used for security. After tightening all the fasteners, the remaining tops of the studs are cut off with a grinder.

Let's sum it up

A reinforced base for the Mauerlat is more of a necessity than a luxury. Roof structure has a rather large impact on the walls of the house, which, although distributed evenly thanks to the Mauerlat, can negatively affect the strength of the entire building.

The creation of an armored belt is necessary in buildings made of gas and expanded clay concrete due to the fragility of these materials, in areas with high seismic activity. It is also advisable to strengthen the walls under the Mauerlat when creating heavy roofing structures.

Reinforcement of the upper part of the walls is not difficult work, requiring the involvement of specialists. If you follow a number of rules and involve assistants, it can be done on your own.

Armopoyas (or reinforcing belt, as it is also called) is a reinforced monolithic design, completely repeating the contour of the load-bearing walls of the house along the perimeter and serving to strengthen them and properly redistribute loads. Pouring an armored belt in a house made of aerated concrete is a necessary condition, guaranteeing the strength of the building. We will talk about its structure, insulation and reinforcement in detail in today’s article.

If we consider the strength characteristics of materials such as aerated concrete, foam concrete, wood concrete, etc., it will become clear that these materials themselves are quite fragile, therefore, if a large load is applied to them at a point, they can easily collapse.

During the construction of a house, the load on its walls gradually increases both from the top and from the bottom, in the form of soil movements and uneven shrinkage. The final element - the roof - also exerts significant lateral (bursting) pressure on the walls. The absence of a reinforcing belt in this case can lead to the appearance of cracks in the walls of the house, as well as to their complete rupture and destruction.

The armored belt, forming a rigid frame and tying all the walls together, takes on the loads from the upper floors and the roof and distributes them evenly along the entire perimeter. Filling of the reinforced belt is necessary in places of increased seismic activity, as well as under the condition of additional serious loads on the building.

When constructing one-story buildings, the pouring of the armored belt begins after the final construction of the walls, before installing the roof. In this case, as a rule, studs are placed in the armored belt, to which the roof mauerlat is attached. This allows you to firmly “tie” the roof to the frame of the house.

If the house has more than one floor, then the reinforced belt is poured after the construction of each subsequent floor under the floor slabs and finally, before installing the roof.

Is an armored belt needed for wooden floors?

As mentioned above, an armored belt is needed to properly distribute the load from heavy floors onto the walls of the building. But what if they are not used as flooring in the house? reinforced concrete slabs or monolithic concrete, and ordinary wooden beams, whose weight is several times less than concrete?

When building houses from aerated concrete, you can often find this approach when walls are erected without the use of a reinforcing structure. In this case, wooden floor beams are mounted directly on aerated concrete blocks, and the ends of the beams, as a rule, go outside.

Without exposure to large loads, this approach may be justified, but in most cases, the absence of an armored belt in such houses is a sign of the absence of a construction project. Such a structure can stand for decades without damage, but if standard loads are exceeded, the local pressure of the beam on the aerated concrete can lead to the formation of cracks and its destruction.

How to make an armored belt in a house made of aerated concrete

Before you start building a house, it is important to remember that an armored belt is reinforced concrete structure, therefore, after its installation, concrete needs at least 28 days to dry and gain brand strength. Therefore, it is important to properly plan the progress of construction so that technological pauses (of which there will be as many as the number of reinforcing belts in your house) do not disrupt the progress of construction.

The width of the armored belt, as a rule, is chosen equal to the width of the aerated concrete block, but this has its own characteristics. Hardened concrete is a serious cold bridge, leading to heat leakage from the house, so it is necessary to provide a thermal break that will cut off the flow of cold from the outside.

If the insulation of a house made of aerated concrete is carried out from the outside using technology wet facade, then the insulation itself will act as a thermal break, protecting the structure from heat loss.

If insulation of the facade is not planned, or a façade with a ventilation gap is provided, then the insulation of the reinforced belt must be done directly when pouring it. In this case mineral insulation, or expanded polystyrene or polystyrene foam are placed in the formwork next to the reinforcement closer to outside at home, reducing the width of the armored belt by about 5 cm.

Formwork for armored belt

The first stage of creating an armored belt in a house made of aerated concrete is the installation of formwork. At the same stage, it is necessary to foresee what the height of the armored belt will be, and with this in mind, the width of the boards for the formwork is selected. Standard height the reinforcing belt is 10-20 cm and is similar to the height of a standard aerated concrete block.

There are two fundamentally different approaches to constructing the formwork of a reinforcing belt. In the first case, special factory-produced U-shaped blocks, which are ordinary aerated concrete blocks with selected U-shaped cavities, can be used as formwork.

A number of such blocks are placed on wall blocks According to the usual scheme, reinforcement is laid in them and concrete is poured. After drying, a ready-made armored belt is obtained, which, among other things, is protected from the formation of a cold bridge by an outer layer of aerated concrete. The thickness of the outer wall in such blocks is thicker than the inner one, which gives it thermal insulation properties.

Such blocks are quite expensive, so construction sites often use ordinary aerated concrete blocks with manually made grooves to fit the size of the U-blocks; fortunately, aerated concrete can be easily processed with a special aerated concrete saw.

The second case is traditional formwork made of boards or wooden shields, How . It is mounted from boards with a thickness of 20 mm or from sheets of plywood. Typically, the lower edge of the formwork is directly attached to the aerated concrete on both sides, and it is fastened together on top wooden blocks in increments of 60-100cm.

A prerequisite in this case is the leveling of the formwork for the reinforced belt in all planes, since the poured reinforcing belt will serve as the basis for floor slabs or for the roof mauerlat.

On at this stage needs to be done by force metal frame armored belt, which will give the main strength to the entire structure. When reinforcing an armored belt, there are several basic rules that must be followed:


Reinforcement schemes for L-shaped corners and T-shaped junctions of the reinforced belt are shown in the figure below.

A common mistake made by novice builders is to use reinforcement with a diameter over 12mm for ordinary private houses. This approach is erroneous, since the use of thicker reinforcement no longer leads to an increase in the strength of the reinforced belt, but increases the cost of its acquisition.

It is also recommended to use fasteners for the reinforcing frame. Clamps are needed to ensure that when pouring concrete, the reinforcement does not shift and become exposed. At the same stage, the insulation is laid and fixed in the formwork.

Pouring concrete into the formwork is the most critical stage in creating an armored belt in an aerated concrete house. The easiest way to fill the armored belt is to use purchased concrete. Typically, the M200 or M250 brands are used for this purpose. Its strength is sufficient for private construction.

It is most convenient if the concrete is delivered to the site in a mixer along with a gasoline pump. Concrete pump accepts ready mixture from the mixer and, using a long sleeve, delivers it directly to the pouring point. Otherwise, concrete will have to be delivered manually in buckets, which will increase pouring time and labor costs.

How pouring occurs using a concrete pump can be seen in the video:

If it is not possible to use industrial concrete, it is mixed by hand. In this case, you need to contact special attention to ensure a constant ratio of components in all batches to obtain a uniform composition along the entire length of the armored belt.

Special attention should be paid to the fact that the armored belt must be poured at a time to avoid ruptures and inhomogeneities. When using a mixer, this is easy to achieve, but when mixing the concrete mixture by hand, you need to plan all the stages of pouring in advance in order to do it in one day.

After pouring concrete into the formwork, you need to vibrate the mixture using a special construction vibrator. This will allow all the air to escape, which, when the concrete hardens, can cause air pockets, leading to a loss of strength of the reinforced belt. In this case, you need to try not to touch the reinforcement with the vibrator so as not to change its position.

After pouring the armored belt, it takes time for the concrete to gain grade strength. As a rule, this takes 28 days. After this, you can begin laying floor slabs or installing the roof.


We hope that the article was useful. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments and we will try to find the answer together.