Concrete masonry and its alternatives
Dense masonry aggregate blocks
In use from the 1940s onwards, dense aggregate blocks are very much the work-horse of the construction industry. Their distinctive properties of durability and strength make them an ideal and cost-effect solution for all types of load-bearing walls. Dense aggregate concrete blocks are manufactured from cement, sand and aggregates.
• Typical thermal conductivity: 0.70 – 1.28 W/mK
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Lightweight masonry aggregate blocks
Lightweight blocks are manufactured from cement together with one of a variety of natural or man-made expanded aggregates including: granulated / foamed blast-furnace slag, expanded clay or shale, furnace bottom ash (FBA), pulverised fuel ash (PFA), or the less common pumice (a volcanic material) . The density of the aggregate is generally proportional to the strength of the block - so for example ‘super-lightweight’ aggregates such as expanded clay and pumice used for their excellent thermal performance, feature a relatively low compressive strength.
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Aerated masonry concrete or ‘aircrete’ blocks
First produced in Sweden in 1923 and used in the UK since the 1960s (when they were known as ‘cellular’ or ‘gas’ concrete blocks), aerated concrete or ‘aircrete’ blocks are the lightest of the family
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The blocks can be used both as the inner leaf in cavity walls or as a single skin for external load-bearing construction. As well as their use in walls, clay honeycomb blocks can be used in many of the same applications as concrete blocks. The blocks are formed with a cellular structure of vertical perforations that reduces the material quantity as well as weight whilst providing an increased thermal performance. Blocks are assembled through dry vertical interlocking and thin-mortar horizontal
Most people may not realise but concrete plays a vital part in our lives daily. It shapes and creates the built environment in which we are surrounded by, such as schools, bridges, roads, housing, hospitals, dams and so much mores. Concrete is the most used man made material in the world, averaging around 3 tonnes annually for each person. In comparison with other building materials such as wood, steel, plastic and aluminium, over twice as much concrete is used globally than any of these materials. It is the material choice of most purposes due to its strength, durability, thermal mass and its cost.
A typical foundation is constructed out of concrete in the New England Area. Foundations in the New england area have Continuous footings. Continuous footings have what is called a Keyway in the center of the footing. Keyways are Longitudinal grooves in the concrete. These grooves allow longitudinal support to the foundation walls. Foundation walls are the vertical walls that extend from the footings to the first floor. Foundation walls in the New England area are constructed out of Concrete. Foundations must be waterproofed “ In areas where a high water table or other severe soil-water conditions are known to exist, exterior foundation walls enclosing habitable or storage space shall be waterproofed with a membrane extending from the top of the footing to the finished grade. The membrane shall consist of two-ply hot-mopped felts, 55 pound (25 Kg) roll Roofing, 6-mil (0.15 mm) polyvinyl chloride, six-mil (o.15 mm) polyethylene or 40 mil (1 mm) Polymer-modified asphalt. The
The usage of concrete was explored by the Early Christian and Roman architects but fell out of use throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance period. The material was only fully explored again in the later half of the 19th century but only for mundane purposes where the material was cheap, easy to work with, and versatile, but most importantly it’s fireproof characteristic. In 1870, the idea of reinforcing the concrete was born; steel rods were to be inserted to increase its strength. Taking this principle, Ernest Ransome (America) and Francois Hennebique (France) both developed frame systems. From this, open plan workspaces with large windows were created and it was proved to be well accommodated where fire had previously been a danger. Hennebique’s system used slim vertical posts, thin parallel beams on brackets and floor slabs; this resulted somewhat like a timber frame. Concrete was one of the most flexible materials and one with a least determining form. Concrete relied on its mould and the intelligence of its designer to give it aesthetic qualities for one to appreciate it. This became much more obvious when the architects of the last 19th century attempted to discover a style based on this material.
Asbestos in Liverpool may be found in many homes in different forms depending upon their age. Renovations or demolition of buildings can only be done after a risk assessment to check the location, quantity and condition of any asbestos or asbestos-containing materials in the building. Asbestos was used in building materials for a number of reasons. It was cheap, durable, flexible and naturally acted as an insulating and fireproofing agent. Asbestos-containing cement was used in building materials because the fibers provided strength without adding much weight. Its insulating and fire-resistant properties also made the mineral an ideal substance to add to cement. Flooring, ceiling and roofing tiles were commonly made with asbestos.
Type III construction is also known as Ordinary or Masonry construction. Type III construction is the most common construction type in urban areas. Masonry is one of the oldest and simplest building materials; its use dates back thousands of years (IFSTA, 2016, p. 217) Ordinary construction consists of masonry exterior load-bearing walls that are of noncombustible construction. Interior framing, floors, and roofs are made of wood or other combustible materials. (Christopher J. Naum, 2008) The interior framing of a Type III building is protected with plaster, drywall, or other interior finish materials to provide required fire resistance. Therefore, Type III construction will have concealed combustible voids. (IFSTA, 2016, p. 227) During renovations in Type III, construction new void spaces are created. These include horizontal voids created by dropped ceilings and vertical voids through new utility chases. (Christopher J. Naum, 2008) Furthermore, the most basic masonry structure includes exterior load-bearing
The industrial age brought with it creative freedom. Production in this time was on an unseen scale and saw the proliferation of new construction materials; reinforced concrete, steel, and glass. These materials were experimented with, manipulated, and used to create all sorts of structures that would have been impossible using older methods of construction. The use of these new materials lead to the iconic structures recognizable the world over.
3) Super workable concretes have the ability to fill the heavily reinforced sections without internal or external vibration, without segregation and without developing large sized voids
The result for density of all mixtures with difference proportions of pure copper slag and spent copper slag shown in Table VIII and Table IX respectively. The density of cement-sand brick slightly increased as spent copper slag content was increased. The density of cement-sand brick was increased by almost 13.4% for mixture of replacement 60%PCS as fine aggregates, due to the fact that pure copper slag has higher specific gravity compared to the river sand.
Cement: The main reason for using cement because it hardens when bending on the other hand cement can used to bind block by joints mortar also cement can make the concert impermeable
Concrete is a composite material used widely in the construction industry. Concrete is basically a mixture of cement, water, aggregates and admixture (sometimes). Cement is a fine gray powder that consists of oxidizes calcium, silicon and aluminum. The aggregate used is normally gravel, crushed stone or sand. Admixture is a solid or liquid substance that gives a certain characteristics of the concrete. The cement reacts with water chemically and binds the aggregates together through a process called hydration during hardening or curing of concrete. It means that water helps in the hardening of the concrete while the cement bind the aggregate and also react with water to form a solid mass.
As you see It has a good advantages its provide the building with strength and rigidity,but other techniques are more efficient and better.
Cement is a finely ground compound of limestone and clay or marl (Chandigarh, 2001). It is used in hydraulic binding since it hardens and binds together aggregates and becomes waterproof thereafter. The most popular use of sand is in building and construction where it is used to bind sand and gravel to obtain concrete used in constructing houses, roads, water channels, among others. Yanbu Cement company produces different types of cement such as Portland cement types I, II, III and IV.
[A]Cement [B] Cement paste [C] Cement paste & Fine aggregates [D] Mortar & Coarse aggregates.
Fire brick is constructed of fire clay mined underground. This type of clay has an enormous resistance to heat, and fire brick is used exclusively in areas of high heat intensity, such as fireplaces and furnace liners.
Benefits of utilizing an EPS-block geofoam embankment include: (1) ease and speed of construction, (2) placement in adverse weather conditions, (3) possible elimination of the need for preloading, surcharging, and staged construction, (4) decreased maintenance costs as a result of less settlement from the low density of EPS-block geofoam, (6) reduction of lateral stress on bridge approach abutments, (7) use over existing utilities which reduces or eliminates utility relocation, (8) excellent durability, and (9) ability to be recycled. In a soil removal and replacement situation without the use of surcharging, the use of EPS-block geofoam may result in cost savings compared to other types of lightweight fill materials and conventional fill materials because the density of geofoam is 1/10th to 1/30th of the density of foamed concrete, 1/55th to 1/145th of the in-place density of boiler slag, and 1/100th of the density of conventional granular fill