30.04.2007, 00:15

Please consult.
We are building country house from 700-density foam block, in several stages. At the first stage, the construction of walls 20 cm thick. At the second stage, insulation with mineral wool and finishing with siding.
Concerned about the strength of the walls. Maybe increase the thickness to 40 cm in the corners?
The thickness of the walls is a multiple of 20 cm because Nearby there is a factory producing foam blocks 40x20x20. On the wall 40cm. There is no money around the entire perimeter.

30.04.2007, 06:27

The weight of the house is calculated, the pressure on the lower blocks from it is compared with the permissible characteristics of the block of your brand. For a 5-story building, the current thickness is unlikely to be sufficient, but for one-story house most likely yes. In general, count around your home.
700 - this is usually not for individual housing construction best option. Either pure concrete with walls of 10-15 cm, or 400 cm. But in general, consider it for your case.

30.04.2007, 22:38

02.05.2007, 06:16

Experts tell you correctly (this is all written in a guest), structural and thermal insulating foam concrete has a grade from D500 to D900. We actually produce (and build from it, respectively) mainly D800, block size 20x30x40cm. For one floor, 30cm is enough (in terms of strength). IMHO 20cm is too small, in terms of compressive strength it will go away on its own, but for stability it is clearly not enough.

05.05.2007, 15:37

The house will be divided into two equal parts (along the long wall), with a wall made of 700 foam blocks, i.e. you get two 4x3 rooms. I'm thinking of increasing the thickness of the walls to 40 cm in the corners and center long walls, something like columns, reinforce them. Only insulate the spaces between the “columns”, and simply plaster the “columns” themselves, which protrude 5 cm from the siding; I think this will visually elevate the house.
Can you give me some advice on how to further increase stability?

05.05.2007, 18:56

Question: why FOAM block? construction site made of concrete, then insulate it anyway...

05.05.2007, 19:15

How will foam concrete producers live?

06.05.2007, 09:14

Several experts convinced me that foam concrete with a density less than 700 cannot be used for load-bearing walls.
Still, for a 6X8 house, one storey, the wall thickness is 20cm. could it lead to any problems in the future?

Indeed, people give the right advice. Take 10-15 cm of normal heavy concrete (not bricks) - it’s enough for both strength and thermal inertia. You insulate as usual and it turns out that foam concrete is cheaper and stronger and warmer in the end. Only you will have to tinker a little more with the filling, but the costs of hack workers are compensated by the cheapness of the material.

06.05.2007, 09:16

Several experts convinced me that foam concrete with a density less than 700 cannot be used for load-bearing walls.
Still, for a 6X8 house, one storey, the wall thickness is 20cm. could it lead to any problems in the future?
It all depends on the thickness of the walls. I say again, you have to count. I once did brain exercises, there (if I remember correctly) a density of 400-500 is enough for 40cm walls.

But really, why do you need it? You will still have to insulate the walls with 20cm thickness. If without insulation, then the grade is not higher than 500 and the thickness is not less than 40 cm. But such a house will not have thermal inertia. After turning off the boiler, it will cool down in an hour or two, even with all the insulation. To keep it warm, you need to install a powerful heat accumulator, etc. etc.

Indeed, people give the right advice. Take 10-15 cm of normal heavy concrete (not bricks) - it’s enough for both strength and thermal inertia. You insulate as usual and it turns out that foam concrete is cheaper and stronger and warmer in the end. Only you will have to tinker a little more with the filling, but the costs of hack workers are paid off by less material consumption.

06.05.2007, 22:33

If without insulation, then the grade is not higher than 500 and the thickness is not less than 40 cm. But such a house will not have thermal inertia. After turning off the boiler, it will cool down in an hour or two, even with all the insulation. To keep it warm, you need a heat accumulator....

This is not true.
My house is made of 400 aerated concrete, the walls are 375 thick. It takes a very long time to cool down, I can’t even say how long. More than a day, that's for sure.
On topic. Why not make the interior walls load-bearing?
By the way, how has it always been done?

Cooling by 5 degrees. - 11 o'clock
The cost of wall material is 115,200 rubles.

Heavy concrete with wall thickness 120:
Cooling by 5 degrees - 20 hours
The cost of the wall material is 35,000 rubles (concrete) + 28,000 (ecowool) + 18,000 (external slate cladding) + other expenses - about 100 thousand rubles.

And also for fun, a frame with a heat accumulator - 6 cubic meters of water.
Cooling the house to 5 degrees - 26 hours
Cost of wall material - ~20,000 (lumber) + 28,000 (ecowool) + 18,000 (slate for internal cladding)

In general, a heat accumulator is highly desirable for foam concrete.

Aerated concrete belongs to the category of cellular concrete and its use in construction industry strictly regulated. Basic recommendations to determine the required strength indicators of the walls being erected, the following:

• calculation must be made acceptable indicators the height of the erected walls of the structure;
• restrictions on the height of load-bearing walls constructed from aerated concrete blocks, are four to five floors;
• the strength indicators of blocks for the construction of five-story buildings are B-3.5, and for three-story buildings B-2.5;
• for the construction of buildings with self-supporting walls, it is recommended to use, depending on the number of storeys, blocks B-2.0 or B-2.5.

Regulatory documents in the context of private housing construction are currently purely advisory in nature, and therefore may not be taken into account in low-rise construction, as well as during the construction of any outbuildings or garages.

This means that there is no need to rent out housing to any commission. If you built it yourself, live it yourself. No one will check the strength of structures, their compliance with standards for thermal conductivity and other parameters. However, if the goal is to build a house for yourself well and for a long time, then it is necessary to focus on these recommendations.

What wall thickness is enough for a summer home?

Before construction of any structure Calculations for strength indicators must be performed. Carrying out such calculations on your own is not always possible, so it is permissible to proceed from examples that take into account the values ​​of strength classes, according to which the wall thickness is selected. An important factor is also the purpose of the structure being built.

In low-rise construction of houses for summer living, it is advisable to adhere to the basic simple recommendations:

• one-story houses in warm climates, country houses and garages require the use of aerated concrete with a thickness of at least 200 mm;
• two- or more-story houses require the use of gas silicate with a thickness of 300 mm;
• construction basements or ground floors involves the use of blocks with a thickness of 300-400 mm (here it should be remembered that gas silicate is afraid of moisture, so if there is a risk of its presence, it is better to choose other materials);
• inter-apartment and interior partitions are made with aerated concrete with a thickness of 200-300 mm and 150 mm, respectively.

You can go to the official website of any block manufacturer and see a list of sizes of products produced.

Here we will see that blocks are divided into wall blocks (for erecting walls) and partition blocks (for interior partitions).

If on summer cottage If you intend to build a non-residential premises or a house for summer use, it is recommended to give preference to aerated concrete with a minimum thickness of 200 mm.

Thermal conductivity of walls

When building houses for permanent residence Strength alone is no longer enough. Here also it is necessary to take into account the thermal conductivity of the materials used. In accordance with the calculations, either the required thickness of the blocks for your climate zone is determined, or the thickness remains as for summer buildings, but additional insulation is used.


And in this case, you need to calculate in terms of money what will be cheaper - increasing the thickness of the wall using aerated concrete or insulation.

When calculating the cost of insulation, it is worth adding the price of fasteners and payment for the work of builders.

As I wrote at the very beginning, it was decided to do without insulation. Therefore, further calculations will be carried out for “bare” walls.

In accordance with GOST, which regulates the main technical parameters, as well as the compositional characteristics and dimensions of absolutely all cellular blocks, the thermal conductivity of such building material is 4 times lower than similar indicators solid brick, which makes it possible to build structures with narrower walls.

The thermal conductivity coefficient of a material is its ability to conduct heat. Calculated indicator of the amount of heat passing through 1 m 3 of a material sample in 1 hour at a temperature difference on opposite surfaces of 1 ° C.

The higher this indicator, the worse the thermal insulation properties.

I will give a detailed comparison with solid brick. The thermal conductivity of aerated concrete is approximately 0.10-0.15 W/(m*°C). For brick this figure is higher - 0.35-0.5 W/(m*°C).

Thus, to ensure normal thermal efficiency of a residential building for the Moscow region (where the air temperature in winter rarely drops below -30 degrees) brick wall must be at least 640 mm thick. And when used in construction aerated concrete blocks D400 with a thermal conductivity of 0.10 W/(m*°C) walls can have a thickness of 375 mm and conduct the same amount of thermal energy. For D500 blocks with a thermal conductivity of 0.12 W/(m*°C), this figure will be in the range from 400 to 500 mm. Detailed calculation will be below.

Thermal conductivity indicators depending on wall thickness:

There is an inverse proportionality between the coefficient of thermal conductivity and the thermal insulation of walls, which must be taken into account when performing independent calculations.

Load-bearing walls without insulation for permanent residence

Cellular concrete has excellent thermal characteristics, so if the calculation rules are followed, there is no need to use insulation materials even when constructing buildings intended for year-round use.

To perform independent thermal calculations you need to know the reference table values ​​of indicators such as heat transfer resistance Rreq m 2 °C/W and heat conductivity of aerated concrete.

Calculation depending on the region of residence

Heat transfer data for some regions are shown in the table. Choose locality, corresponding to your climate zone.

Thermal conductivity

For this value, I will again go to the website of the manufacturer of the wall material that I am going to buy, and I will find the following sign there:


Now let's look at the real reference data.

We see that the manufacturer indicates the characteristics for dry material. If the walls contain moisture, which is acceptable, then these characteristics will be slightly worse.

As you know, blocks coming off the assembly line have a humidity of up to 30%. During normal use this excess moisture goes away in about 3 years.

Constant heating in the house speeds up this process.

On the Internet you can find reviews of developers complaining about cold walls in an aerated concrete house. It turns out that the house was built over the summer and autumn. And in winter a family moved in. The walls of the house are damp and have not yet dried properly. Water - good guide heat.

Residents are starting to think about insulating their homes. But you just have to wait until next winter. The moisture will leave the walls, and living in winter period it will become more comfortable.

An example of calculating the required wall thickness for the Moscow region

In the capital and region, they most often choose between D400 blocks with a width of 375 mm and D500 with a width of 400 mm. It is on these experimental subjects that we will make calculations.

Minimum thickness values aerated concrete walls are determined using the standard multiplication of such parameters as the average heat transfer resistance R and the conductivity of aerated concrete blocks without the use of insulation. These parameters are shown in the tables above.

For Moscow R=3.29 m2×°C/W.

Let's make calculations for D400 blocks

For the dry state, the thermal conductivity coefficient is 0.096.

3.29*0.096 = 0.316 (m)

At a humidity of 4% the coefficient is 0.113.

3.29*0.113 = 0.372 (m)

Based on the calculations, it can be seen that for perfectly dry material, a wall thickness of 316 mm for grade D400 is sufficient.

However, manufacturers in commercials tell us that for Middle zone Russia has enough block thickness of 375 mm for the D400 brand and produces this size. From which we can indirectly conclude that the calculation includes a coefficient for humidity of 4%.

Now let's count block D500

For a dry state, the thermal conductivity coefficient is 0.12.

3.29*0.12 = 0.395 (m)

At a humidity of 4% the coefficient is 0.141.

3.29*0.141 = 0.464 (m)

So, the produced D500 blocks with a width of 400 mm are suitable in terms of characteristics for an ideal case. Nothing is perfect in the world. But to get closer to the ideal, you need to avoid external walls getting wet from precipitation by facing the house with bricks with a ventilation gap. You can also install siding or other panels.

Housing must also be constantly heated. And in severe frosts above -20 degrees, which has recently happened extremely rarely in the Moscow region, be prepared for short-term increased heating bills.

Obviously, in terms of thermal conductivity, the D400 block with a width of 375 mm is superior to its brother D500 with a width of 400 mm. But if only it were that simple. You also need to look at the strength factor B. Until a few years ago wall material D400 was produced with obviously lower strength, which stopped developers from choosing such a building stone. Now leading manufacturers guarantee strength B-2.5 for the D400 brand.

If construction is planned alone, then an important criterion when choosing will be, which depends on the size and density.

Thus, the required parameters directly depend on the brand (density) aerated concrete building material. For some regions, these values ​​are calculated and collected in a table.

Useful video

This story contains some clever thoughts on calculating the thickness of walls:

Internal partitions made of aerated concrete

The thickness of the aerated concrete partition must be selected in accordance with several factors, including the calculation of load-bearing capacity and height.

When choosing blocks for the construction of non-load-bearing partitions, you need to pay attention to the height indicators:

• the height of the structure being erected does not exceed three meters - the building material is 10 cm thick;
• the height of the internal partition varies from three to five meters - the building material is 20 cm thick.

If it is necessary to obtain the most accurate data without making independent calculations, you can use standard tabular information that takes into account the connection with the upper floor and the length of the structure being erected. It is also necessary to attach special importance to the following recommendations for choosing building materials:

• determination of operational loads on internal partitions allows you to select the optimal material;
• erect non-structural interior walls it is best from products of the D500 or D600 brand, having a length of 625 mm and a width of 75-200 mm, which creates a strength of 150 kg;
• installation of non-load-bearing structures allows the use of products with a density of D350 or D400, which helps to obtain standard noise insulation of up to 52 dB;
• sound insulation parameters directly depend not only on the thickness of the building blocks, but also on the density of the material, therefore, the higher the density, the better the sound insulation properties of aerated concrete.

When the length of the partition structure is eight meters or more, as well as a height exceeding four meters, to increase the strength characteristics it is necessary to strengthen the frame with the help of load-bearing reinforced concrete structures. The required strength of the partition is also achieved due to the adhesive layer holding the block elements together.

Affordable cost, manufacturability and excellent quality characteristics done aerated concrete blocks popular and in demand in the modern market building materials. Correctly calculated wall thickness made of aerated concrete allows the buildings being built to high level strength, as well as maximum resistance to almost any static loads or impact factors.

Foam blocks - masonry products from cellular concrete non-autoclave curing, widely used in individual construction for the construction of buildings 1-3 floors high. Foam blocks can be used both for laying load-bearing walls and for partitions; low-density blocks are also often used as a thermal insulation material.

This article discusses the technology of laying walls from foam blocks. We will study the entire process step by step - from calculating the thickness of the walls to their reinforcement and installation of a monolithic belt, and will also provide recommendations for choosing an adhesive for laying foam concrete.

Thermal calculation of the thickness of the walls of a foam concrete house

According to the recommendations of the manufacturers of this material, the optimal thickness of foam block walls varies from 40 to 60 cm. This value will differ from region to region, since it directly depends on the climatic conditions of the area in which construction is taking place.

To find out what thickness of external walls should be made specifically in your case, you need to perform a thermal engineering calculation of the house. To carry out this calculation, you will need the following information:

• thermal technical characteristics of foam concrete, namely the value of its thermal conductivity, depending on the density of the material;
• GSOM of the region in which construction is taking place (GSOP - degree-day);
• the standard resistance of a building wall to heat transfer (consists of the sum of the resistances of all materials that make up the masonry) can be taken from the SNIP standard No. 2-3-79 “Building Heat Engineering”.

As an example for calculation, we use the standard Moscow GSOP 6000, for which the standard heat transfer resistance will be equal to 3.5 C*m2/W. We will carry out the calculation for the most common density class of foam concrete - D600.

Thermal calculation of wall thickness is carried out taking into account the thermal conductivity of all materials used in its construction. Here are their characteristics:

• foam concrete D600 - 0.14 W/mS;
• facing brick - 0.56 W/mS;
• cement-gypsum plaster - 0.57 W/mS.

Let us calculate a wall with an outer layer of facing brick 120 mm thick and an inner layer of plaster 20 mm thick. This is done according to the following algorithm:

1. The heat transfer resistance for a brick is calculated by dividing the layer thickness (in meters) by the thermal conductivity of the material: 0.12/0.57 = 0.20;
2. A similar calculation for a layer of plaster: 0.02/0.57 = 0.035.
3. The thickness of the foam concrete layer is determined based on the required thermal resistance of the wall of 3.5 C*m2/W, taken for the Moscow region. Calculation formula: T = (3.5-0.2-0.035)*0.14 = 0.45 m.

Similarly, knowing the actual thermal conductivity of the building materials used in the wall construction, as well as the standard thermal resistance walls of buildings in your region, you can perform thermal engineering calculations for any masonry option.

1.1 Features of choosing foam blocks (video)

1.2 Which foam blocks are best to use?

If you decide to build a house from foam concrete, then when choosing blocks, you first need to pay attention to their density, which is key characteristic material. All other characteristics - cost, weight, thermal conductivity, sound insulation abilities - directly depend on the density of foam concrete.

The lower the density, the less durable the block will be, and the better its thermal insulation parameters will be. This value indicated by marking D, on the market you can find foam blocks with a density of D300-D1200, while products with a density of up to 500 kg/m 3 cannot be used for the construction of load-bearing walls; their purpose is thermal insulation of existing structures.

Depending on the density, foam blocks are classified into 3 types, differing in their scope of application:

• thermal insulation - D300-D500, strength class B0.5-B1;
• structural and thermal insulation - D500-D900, strength class - B1-B5;
• structural - D1000-D1200, strength class - B5-B13.

Blocks with a density of 500-900 kg/m 3 are suitable for the construction of load-bearing and internal walls of one-story buildings, while for the construction of houses 2-3 floors high, structural products must be used.

The sizes of blocks supplied to the market vary from 100x300x600 to 400x300x600 cm. Blocks, as a rule, are selected in thickness in accordance with the required wall thickness. The most common standard size is 200x300x600 mm.

Note that a high-quality factory-produced foam block has a smooth geometry. This makes it possible to use for their laying not a cement-sand mortar, but a special adhesive composition. Masonry using glue is done with a seam thickness of 4-5 mm, while when using mortar, the seams are made 10-15 mm thick.

The use of masonry glue allows you to increase the thermal efficiency of the wall, since it is deprived of cold bridges, the role of which was played by thick seams, and the cost of purchasing a very expensive glue is offset by the low consumption of material, so the final cost of the masonry remains practically unchanged.

2 Technology of laying foam blocks

Even when using glue, the first row of blocks must be laid on sand-cement mortar, while the surface of the foundation must be covered roll waterproofing. Initially, it is necessary to place the corner blocks on the mortar, then the mooring cord is pulled and the laying of the entire first row continues along it.

The masonry must be constantly checked with a level and leveled with a rubber mallet if there are even minimal deviations. Every 4th row of masonry is subject to reinforcement; for this you can use either a mesh or an ordinary metal or fiberglass reinforcement. The reinforcement bars are placed in grooves made on the surface of the masonry, which are filled with masonry glue.

Filling is required monolithic armored belt at installation sites interfloor ceilings and roofs. The easiest way is to make an armored belt with your own hands using special U-blocks with an internal cavity. In this case, the installation process of the reinforced belt comes down to laying the block, placing a reinforcement cage in it and filling the cavity with concrete.

The need to form an armored belt is determined by the low resistance of foam concrete to point loads. Armored belts evenly distribute loads from floors and roofs throughout the wall, preventing its deformation. If a one-story house is being built, then an armored belt made of brick can be installed under a light roof on wooden rafters. The thickness of the armored belts of both types must correspond to the thickness of the wall, height - from 15 to 20 cm,

To lay foam block walls correctly, follow these recommendations:

• masonry adhesive must be mixed in small portions, which will be used within 30-60 minutes;
• The 2nd and all subsequent rows of masonry must be done with dressing in the floor of the block;
• optimal temperature regime for work it is 5-25 0, if the temperature is higher, then the foam concrete will need to be moistened;
• for applying masonry adhesive it is convenient to use a special toothed

Due to their light weight compared to sand-lime or red brick, good heat and sound insulation properties, frost and fire resistance, ease of machining and installation, aerated concrete blocks are used in construction load-bearing elements and partitions of residential buildings, garages, country cottages. Many people make the wrong thickness of the wall from aerated concrete, which, if its thickness is low, does not prevent the penetration of cold and requires additional installation of insulation, and if it is large, it leads to wasteful waste of excess material, and therefore money. In order to avoid such a situation, it is necessary to understand what influences this indicator and what it should be according to standards and depending on external factors.

• D300-D500.

Lightweight blocks with low density and excellent thermal insulation properties. They are mainly used as insulation.

• D500-D900.

Unlike the previous ones, they have sufficient strength, weigh more and conduct heat a little better. Perfectly suitable as the main material for the construction of walls.

• D1000-D1200.

Heavy aerated blocks with the highest density for the construction of buildings requiring structural strength.

How thick should an aerated concrete wall be?

The power value is calculated depending on the following factors:

According to the requirements of such standards as SNiP 23-02-2003, minimum thickness(H) is calculated using the following formula: H = R req × λ, where:

• R req – structural resistance to heat transfer, calculated for each region;
• λ – thermal conductivity coefficient of gas blocks, (W/m∙°C) depends on the brand and humidity.

The lower the value of λ, the better its thermal insulation properties - accordingly, walls made of aerated concrete grade D300 have the best indicator, and D1000 has the worst indicator. Due to the presence of water in the cavities, wet material has a higher thermal conductivity than dry material.

The value R req characterizes the resistance of the material to the passage through it of the total amount of heat accumulated indoors, and is equal to the product of the degree-day (D) of the heating period by the correction factor a and adding the constant b to the resulting result: R req = (D×a)+ b.

The value of D is equal to the product of the difference in indoor temperatures during the heating period and the average daily outdoor temperature by its duration in days: D = (tin.room-toutdoor)×Rot.period.

So, for example, for Moscow this indicator for 214 days with an average outside and indoor air temperature of -3.1 and +20 ° C is equal to 4943 degree days; southern regions have the lowest D value, for example in Rostov region it is only 3523 °C*day, and in the northern regions - Siberia, Magadan, and the Urals - it is the highest. The values ​​of the variables a and b depend on the type of building used and for the walls of residential buildings, garages and cottages, they are equal to 0.00035 and 1.4, respectively.

Using reference materials for the degree-day value of the heating period, the above coefficients and the thermal conductivity of block brands, you can calculate what thickness according to the standards should be for walls made of aerated concrete at the most major cities various parts of Russia and adjacent areas.

Calculation of the power of structures made of cellular concrete for various zones of the Russian Federation:

Graph of changes in the thickness of wall structures depending on the region and brand of gas silicate blocks:

Walls made of aerated concrete grades D300-D400 are characterized by the best thermal insulation properties. Their thickness ranges from 20 to 40-45 cm, despite this, these materials contain a lot of pores with air and little load bearing frozen solution. The highest strength, but at the same time large wall thickness (up to 100 cm or more), necessary to preserve heat inside the room, is distinguished by gas blocks of the D800, D1000 brands. Most often they are used in construction public buildings, shopping pavilions and other structures with heavy loads and additional insulation.

The “golden mean” and the most optimal strength-thermal conductivity ratio are characterized by D500-D600 blocks, most often used in the construction of residential buildings and cottages, as well as other buildings.

What to consider when choosing the power of wall structures?

In addition to the calculated values, there are also several other factors on which the thickness depends.

1. Duration of stay in the structure under construction during the calendar year. For country house, outbuilding, garage made of aerated concrete, heated for a short time, you can use thin walls no more than 20 cm thick, capable of supporting the weight of the roof and providing protection from the cold in the spring-autumn period. The situation is opposite in permanent residential buildings - in order to prevent heat from escaping from the premises, walls with a design thickness of 30-40 cm are needed.

2. View – load-bearing structures should have a thickness of 10-15 cm more than the partitions inside the room.

3. Number and location of floors - as the height of the building increases, aerated blocks with greater strength are used. Wall thickness one-story building should be at least 25 cm, two or more - 30-40 cm.

4. Climatic conditions outside - the duration of the cold period and average temperature indicators directly affect the strength of the building’s fences. Walls in Siberia are made thicker than in the southern regions.

5. The presence or absence of a layer of insulation (expanded polystyrene with the obligatory application of a layer on top of it facade plaster) – the use of heat-insulating materials allows the use of blocks of smaller thickness. A wall without insulation, in addition to having an unsightly aesthetic appearance, due to its open porous structure quickly absorbs moisture, which increases the thermal conductivity of the structure.

Results

• In modern construction, cellular concrete is one of the most affordable materials both in terms of price and quality for the construction of all kinds of buildings.
• The walls of a house made of aerated concrete blocks have high strength, relative durability and good thermal insulation properties.
• Using the formulas given in the standards, it is possible to calculate the optimal capacity of enclosing structures, taking into account the conditions of a particular region, allowing you to save material and make the thickness of the walls in the Moscow region less than in the northern ones.
• The use of insulation for cladding masonry made of aerated blocks increases their service life and reduces consumption.

Individual residential construction is not without costs, effort and calculations, which not everyone can cope with. After all, it is not enough to build a wall from foam concrete; you need to understand the design details, calculation rules and features of the work process. That’s why it’s so important to try to understand how to build a house yourself, where to start and how to calculate the thickness of foam concrete walls according to the standard.

Material Specifications

Before you figure it out and calculate what type of foam blocks should be, read distinctive features material:

• High compressive strength - from 3.5 to 5 MPa. This confirms that two- and even three-story houses can be built from foam blocks.
• The material weighs a little, but at the same time has a low density, up to 3 times lower than expanded clay.
• Foam block is often compared to wood because of its thermal conductivity, which, compared to ceramic brick products, is an invaluable advantage. A wall made of clay blocks with a width of 600 mm retains heat in the same way as a foam concrete wall with a thickness of 200 mm.
• When building a house from foam blocks, there is no need to install additional sound insulation. High-quality laid blocks reliably protect against noise.
• The price of the material cannot be compared with anything. Foam blocks are cheaper than other raw materials, even taking into account transportation costs.
• Accessibility is proven by the ability to work with the material without special training. This means that you can build a house with your own hands, without additional help.
• Density.
• Dimensions of blocks.
• Method of fixing blocks.

Important! Do not forget that too cheap foam blocks are not of high quality. In this case, the material may be manufactured in violation of the technology, and low-quality second-rate blocks may turn out to be unsafe in construction - the structure may simply collapse. Therefore, save wisely!

Wall thickness and how to determine it

There is a lot of unreliable information on the Internet about how to determine what thickness of a foam block wall is optimal. To protect yourself and find the right solution, take into account several features and build on this information:

• Determine the most low level temperatures in the region for the winter season. In areas with unstable weather conditions, severe frost and wind, additional thermally insulated thickened walls must be erected.
• Choose insulation and decide for yourself whether you will install it or stick with regular plaster. For walls up to 300 mm thick, additional insulation with a material thickness of up to 100 mm is required.
• Insulation not only helps keep the house warm. It also repels harmful ultraviolet radiation from foam blocks, preventing it from affecting the structure of the material.

Pay attention! The choice of foam blocks is also influenced by density. This is the first parameter that you should pay attention to. It differs depending on the technical specifications. The higher the density, the higher the cost of the products.

How to determine the thickness of walls made of foam blocks

From the above, we can conclude that the recommended thickness of walls made of foam blocks for a house in a region with moderate winter temperatures is 300 mm with a density of foam blocks D600 and the presence of a layer of thermal insulation.

This is it optimal performance material thickness for all regions of Russia. Thanks to the additional thermal insulation of the walls outside the house, the cold does not enter the room at all, which creates a favorable living atmosphere even in harsh climates.

As for strength, it is noted that the load on the walls, regardless of the number of floors, should not exceed 20 tons (together with the roof, floor slabs, furnishings). According to technical indicators It is known that every 100 mm of foam concrete can withstand a load of up to 10 tons.

Important! Do not forget to pay attention to such technical characteristics as strength and resistance to physical impact. A 300 mm wall is easy to break through with a sledgehammer, but a 400 mm wall is more reliable, and the blocks themselves differ in density and strength characteristics.

The optimal thickness of a wall made of foam blocks can be calculated visually by familiarizing yourself with the indicators in the form of a visual diagram or drawing.

Calculations of thermal conductivity and determination of the optimal thickness based on the formula

The thickness of foam blocks for external walls is selected, not forgetting that the external heat transfer resistance, taking into account all layers of finishing, must be at least 3.5 o C per m 2 / W. To determine the optimal wall thickness, consider the process in more detail, based on different block density indicators.

According to technical specifications, it is known that products with an indicator of D600 and D800 differ in coefficients of 0.14 and 0.21 deg * m 2 / W, respectively.

As exterior finishing use facing brick with an indicator of 0.56 deg * m 2 / W and decorative plaster with a value of 0.58 deg * m 2 / W.

Where to start calculating

When starting to calculate the thickness of a wall made of foam blocks, follow the instructions:

• First, determine the thickness of the brickwork and plaster layer. Often, if the installation of a heat-insulating layer is not provided, then the brick is laid in two rows. It turns out 120 mm.
• This number is converted to meters and divided by the thermal conductivity coefficient facing material. The result is a resistance of 0.21.
• The same is done with the applied layer of plaster, obtaining a final value of 0.03 mm.

Working with formulas and doing some calculations

foam concrete D600 = (3.5 - 0.21 - 0.03) x 0.14 = 456 mm,

where 3.5 is a number expressed as the total heat transfer resistance; 0.21 - brick resistance; 0.03 - resistance of plaster; 0.14 - foam block coefficient.

The result is a rounded number of about 450 mm (remember to convert to meters). This is the optimal wall thickness using the materials described above during the construction process.

Foam concrete D800 = (3.5 - 0.21 - 0.03) x 0.21 = 684 mm,

where 3.5 is the total 0.21 is the resistance of the brick; 0.03 - resistance of plaster; 0.14 - foam block coefficient.

Now it becomes clear how thick a wall made of foam blocks should be. The option to build a wall according to the second example is different in power. Note that the thicker the wall, the higher the costs. Although, if you add here typical facade insulation (expanded polystyrene), the thickness of the facade will decrease significantly.

Important! The optimal thickness of cinder block walls is calculated in an elementary way. Only in this case there is one but! Do not forget to take into account the thickness of the moisture-proof material, since without it the cinder block loses its strength.

If you are planning a bathhouse made of foam blocks, the thickness of the walls in areas with extremely low temperatures, up to -30 o C does not fall below 700-800 mm.

Progress of the construction process: erection of walls

According to the construction instructions, you can build a house regardless of the surrounding factors affecting the material. Below we will talk about some recommendations.

Some rules for building a house made of foam concrete

Observe simple rules individual residential construction, and building a house will not be a problem for you:

1. First, prepare the foundation. Clean from dust and dirt, level if there are any unevenness.
2. Next we start calculating required quantity materials, building blocks and adhesive concrete mortar. There are 30 blocks in 1 m3 (20x30x60 cm). When using a material with such dimensions, the thickness of the foam block walls is 30 cm.
3. Determine the approximate calculation of the glue. For 1 m 3 of wall it takes 30 kg. Therefore, first you should find out the total area vertical surfaces future building.
4. Having purchased materials and collected necessary tool, start mixing the solution for laying foam blocks, of course, if you have not purchased ready-made concrete.
5. First, the concrete solution is applied to the surface of the foam block, which is placed on a tiled floor or foundation.
6. Before laying the next block, apply an adhesive mixture to the end part of the first product, thoroughly coating the surface. Concrete mortar must fill all empty gaps.
7. Excess glue is removed by tapping the block on top with a mallet.
8. The second row is laid out so that the joints of the blocks do not coincide, but are shifted to the side when laying each of the rows of the wall. To do this, cut one block in half and start with half.
9. easy to process, so you can easily adjust the opening to a window or door structure.

Features of façade insulation taking into account wall thickness

At the final stage, the facade of the house is insulated from foam blocks. The thickness of the walls of the structure is determined at the design stage:

• using disc-shaped nails, install special polystyrene foam thermal insulation boards;
• for brick finishing in a foam concrete wall, between the blocks, several rods of thin reinforcement are fixed for connection interior wall With brickwork from the side of the building facade;
• if finishing is planned by plastering the walls, then a reinforced mark is pulled over the foam blocks for better adhesion of the main surface and finishing material. The plaster is applied in two layers: the first is heat-insulating, hiding the mesh, the second is finishing, finishing.

Pay attention! It is better to determine the type of material used and its quantity at the design stage in order to avoid unnecessary costs. Do not forget to take into account all the points: the presence of door and window openings, internal partitions.

Summing up

As you have already noticed, there are few factors influencing the thickness of walls made of foam blocks and the determination of this parameter. These are mainly weather conditions, the presence of a second (third) floor, or attic.

One way or another, it is worth focusing on financial capabilities. It is not difficult to understand that the greater the thickness of the walls made of foam concrete, the greater the consumption of material. Accordingly, the cost of construction increases.

Don’t try to guess the thickness of foam block walls - calculate it at the design stage, because the quality and reliability of the structure depends on it. A house built according to technical requirements, will withstand any frost with minimal heat loss: it will not release heat from inside the room and will not let in cold from outside.