|
About:
|
AAC Blocks, price, sizes: The new age building construction material for resilient structures
By choosing eco-friendly construction materials for building your dream house, you are not just doing your bit to conserve the environment but also saving on your overall construction costs. Among the innovative construction materials used across the world, autoclaved aerated concrete blocks (AAC blocks or bricks) are considered superior to other conventional materials like burnt clay bricks that cause environmental hazards. The benefits of AAC blocks as an affordable and sustainable alternative to traditional building materials are being widely recognised in India. In this article, we explain AAC blocks and their advantages and disadvantages in house construction.
AAC blocks are a precast, foam concrete, sustainable construction material made from aggregates of quartz sand, calcined gypsum, lime, portland cement, water and aluminium powder. After mixing and moulding, the concrete is autoclaved under heat and pressure and it thus gains its distinctive properties. AAC bricks are in high demand, owing to their high strength, load-bearing and thermal insulation properties.
AAC block is used as a construction material for interior and exterior structures. The blocks may be coated with a stucco finish or with siding materials like veneer brick or vinyl siding.
AAC blocks are also known as autoclaved aerated concrete blocks, which are one of the environment friendly and lightweight construction materials.
Autoclaved Aerated Concrete
Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) is made with fine aggregates, cement, and an expansion agent that causes the fresh mixture to rise like bread dough. In fact, this type of concrete contains 80 percent air. In the factory where it is made, the material is molded and cut into precisely dimensioned units.
Cured blocks or panels of autoclaved aerated concrete are joined with thin bed mortar. Components can be used for walls, floors, and roofs. The lightweight material offers excellent sound and thermal insulation, and like all cement-based materials, is strong and fire resistant. In order to be durable, AAC requires some type of applied finish, such as a polymer-modified stucco, natural or manufactured stone, or siding.
Key aspects of AAC, whether designing or building with it, are described below:
Advantages
Autoclaved aerated concrete combines insulation and structural capability in one material for walls, floors, and roofs. Its light weight/cellular properties make it easy to cut, shave, and shape, accept nails and screws readily, and allow it to be routed to create chases for electrical conduits and smaller-diameter plumbing runs. This gives it design and construction flexibility, and the ability to make easy adjustments in the field.
|
