The convenient sizes of slag stone allow to use this construction material in the most various spheres. Private houses, trade pavilions, garages, premises for animals and other outbuildings are built from it. This masonry material is so entered into our life that almost no one guesses that it appeared not so long ago by historical standards. The first building, which was built from cinder blocks in 1910, is the Hermitage garage in St. Petersburg.
Manufacturing technology of slag stones their types
The name of the cinder block comes from the fact that earlier in the manufacture of these blocks only ordinary slag was used, which was poured into the solution with concrete. Today this artificial building stone is made from any kind of clastic material found in almost any locality:
- Slag remaining after burning coal. Where there are boilers for this fuel.
- Volcanic ash in seismically active terrain.
- Granite rubble or screenings in mountain regions.
- River debris rubble or gravel.
- Coarse sand
- Fragments of bricks, concrete or cement.
- Shards of glass.
- Expanded clay or his baby.
Any of these components is mixed with cement and water, after which the solution is poured into forms. The size of the cinder block depends on the shape parameters. Hardening occurs on special vibrostand. The method is called vibropressing.
Helpful advice! If you need perfectly smooth and identical cinder blocks, then buy them from major manufacturers. If the main criterion is price, then you can purchase the material from private owners or even make it yourself.
There are two main types of standard cinder blocks: hollow and corpulent. The first type has sound-proof qualities, as there is an air gap inside it. Therefore, it is common practice to make interroom partitions from hollow blocks. Solid cinder blocks used for the construction of the external walls of the building and even the foundations for light structures.
Both of these species have subspecies. Standard sizes of cinder blocks by subspecies are as follows:
- Normal or ordinary cinder block has dimensions 390x190x188mm.
- Facing cinder block can be 390 x 120 x 188 or 390 x 90 x 188 mm.
Some manufacturers produce cinder blocks whose dimensions differ from these. Most often these are 395 x 195 x 195 and 400 x 200 x 200 mm. Since this masonry building material is also produced in an artisanal way, products of other sizes can also be found on the market. It all depends on the manufacturer’s matrix. Different stones and the number of voids and their shape.
Slag stone is a fairly warm building material. Its minimum thermal conductivity lies within 0.27 W / m * K, and, for example, for a brick it is 0.8 W / m * K. This indicator is quite strongly dependent on the type of filler material. If it is more dense, then the coefficient of thermal conductivity increases. The density can vary in the range of 750 – 1455 kg / m. Cube.
There is such an indicator for cinder blocks, as the compressive strength. It is very important, and here’s why: if you press on a stone with a force of 50 kg and the block collapses, then they will assign it the M mark – 50. The highest mark is M – 150, and the lowest M – 35.
This material is also divided into cycles of frost resistance. The highest cycle has cinder blocks for the northern regions – 50. Then, in descending order – 25, 15. These numbers are not abstract, but denote freezing and thawing cycles, which corresponds to the seasons of the year.
Note the main positive characteristics of cinder blocks:
- Low cost.
- Low mortar consumption when laying.
- Ease of holding and speed of laying.
- No need to make a strong foundation.
- Universal application.
Speaking about the shortcomings of this simple but common material, we note:
- Bad sound insulation properties.
- Low strength.
- Low environmental friendliness.
Helpful advice! Slag stones are made from various wastes, including metallurgy, which implies the presence of harmful components in them for the human body. For this reason, it is not necessary to build houses from them. They are perfect for non-residential facilities.
It turns out that the material has enough advantages to be used widely. Low cost allows you to build garages and other buildings with little cost, especially if you do it yourself, without attracting construction organizations. In the end, the size of the slag stones and their weight quite allow it to do. In addition, you can set up the production of slag stones for your own needs, which will make building more expensive.
