Polystyrene concrete GOST: an overview of the material and products made from it in accordance with the quality standard

A novel building material known as polystyrene concrete combines the strength of concrete with the insulating and lightweight qualities of polystyrene. This special mixture produces a material that is efficient and adaptable. Because it is significantly lighter than conventional concrete and can still offer excellent thermal and acoustic insulation, it is highly valued in the construction industry.

The GOST standards govern the production and quality of polystyrene concrete in Russia. These specifications guarantee that the material satisfies predetermined requirements for durability, density, and strength. Manufacturers can consistently and reliably produce high-quality polystyrene concrete by following these guidelines. Because of this standardization, architects and builders can use the material with confidence in a variety of construction projects, knowing that it will function as intended.

Polystyrene concrete is used to create a variety of products, from lightweight panels and blocks to complete prefabricated buildings. Because of their energy-saving qualities and simplicity of installation, these products are widely used in both residential and commercial construction. Polystyrene concrete’s lightweight nature lessens the overall load on structures, which makes it perfect for both new construction and renovations.

The environmental impact of polystyrene concrete is an additional benefit. The substance makes use of recycled polystyrene, which encourages sustainability and lessens waste. Over time, its insulating qualities lower heating and cooling expenses in buildings by improving energy efficiency. In light of the construction industry’s shift towards more environmentally conscious methods, polystyrene concrete is a particularly innovative approach.

All things considered, polystyrene concrete that is made in compliance with GOST standards is a major development in building materials. Its strength, light weight, and insulation qualities make it a desirable choice for contemporary building projects. For those seeking to innovate and increase building efficiency, it provides a dependable option by standardizing and guaranteeing quality and consistency.

The GOST quality standard governs polystyrene concrete, which is a novel and adaptable building material that blends the strength and longevity of conventional concrete with the lightweight properties of polystyrene. This special blend is perfect for a variety of construction applications, including residential and commercial buildings, as it provides excellent thermal insulation, soundproofing, and fire resistance. Polystyrene concrete is used to make a variety of products, such as blocks, panels, and precast elements. These products are made to exacting standards of quality and offer affordable, environmentally friendly building solutions.

What is polystyrene concrete

To begin with, it’s important to know what kind of material polystyrene concrete is. Let’s take a closer look at the material’s primary attributes and composition.

Composition and technical requirements

Polystyrene and cement mortar are combined to create polystyrene concrete, a composite material. It is a component of lightweight concrete in particular.

The material is made stronger by cement and lighter and has a lower thermal conductivity coefficient thanks to polystyrene. The product is stronger the more cement it contains.

Apart from polystyrene and cement, the composition also contains specially modified additives that can raise the bar for future product quality indicators.

The following set of mechanical and physical attributes is defined by GOST for polystyrene concrete and is subject to control:

• Frost resistance;
• Thermal conductivity;
• Average density;
• Vapor permeability;
• Compressive and bending strength;
• Average density;
• Drying shrinkage.

Let’s take a closer look at it now: what signs ought polystyrene concrete to have?

A concise examination of the numerical indicators of the material properties for GOST R 51263 99 polystyrene concrete:

Indicator name	Value according to the standard, comments
Average density (kg/m3)	Polystyrene concrete can have an average density indicator ranging from 150 to 600. The grades correspond to products that are in a dry state.

Note: Because of its exceptional thermal insulation properties, polystyrene concrete was first primarily used as a thermal insulation material. It wasn’t until ten years after the material first appeared on the domestic building materials market that polystyrene concrete was utilized in the construction of load-bearing walls for buildings.

Note: In practical application, polystyrene concrete can withstand values as high as 300 cycles—a significantly higher number.

• In addition to technical characteristics, it is worth mentioning other. This concerns, first of all, flammability, environmental friendliness and performance properties of the material.
• Despite the fact that one of the main components of the material, polystyrene foam, is flammable, in combination with cement mortar, this negative quality is successfully leveled out. GOST for polystyrene concrete blocks confidently states: the products do not burn.
• Polystyrene concrete does not contain harmful and dangerous substances, and therefore is environmentally friendly.
• The durability of buildings built from this material is high. According to manufacturers, it can reach 200-300 years.

Polystyrene concrete exhibits superior qualities in terms of sound absorption. It is frequently applied to soundproof buildings.

Types and scope of application

The standard states that different types of polystyrene concrete can be made based on specific variables. Let’s investigate more closely.

It can be heat-insulating, heat-insulating and structural, or structural and heat-insulating, depending on the density of the material:

• The first type has a minimum grade for average density, but, at the same time, is characterized by a low thermal conductivity coefficient, which makes it possible to use the material for insulating structures.
• The second type, in addition to the material for thermal insulation, can be used in the construction of structures that are not subject to significant loads.
• The third type can reach a density of up to D600. It is used in the construction of walls, partitions. Simply put – in low-rise construction.

Polystyrene concrete can be used to create a monolithic structure or as a prefabricated product, depending on the application. In particular, there are many different ways that polystyrene concrete products are made.

• 3D wall panels. They are used in the installation of floors, stairs, partitions, ceilings. They are lightweight. Additional strength to the products is provided by a metal frame. Subsequently, the panels are covered with a concrete mixture.

• Ordinary ordinary blocks used to build walls and partitions. Products can be large- and small-format, depending on the size.

• Also in the range of products manufactured using a combination of polystyrene and concrete, there are so-called heat blocks. They are produced in the form of a block and a panel. Products consist of three layers, one of which is polystyrene. They have increased heat-saving characteristics.

• Polystyrene concrete products are also presented in the form of elements used as permanent formwork.

• Ventilation units are distinguished by the presence of ready-made holes that are used for wiring communications.

• Window and door openings can be covered using polystyrene concrete lintels.

• Thanks to the availability of products with a facing side, developers can save themselves from the need for exterior finishing of the building.

As was already mentioned, the construction industry also actively uses monolithic polystyrene concrete. For instance, you can use it to construct walls or other monolithic structures using formwork.

The developer can find all the information they need to use a variety of polystyrene concrete products in the video "Expanded polystyrene concrete GOST: main areas of application of the material" in this article.

Positive and negative qualities of the material

After discussing the material’s general qualities and a few product varieties, let’s examine the material’s advantages and disadvantages to determine if polystyrene concrete should be used instead of other materials in construction.

The drawbacks consist of:

• Tendency to shrinkage;
• The presence of small-scale handicraft industries on the market, where the necessary requirements are not always met during production;
• A requirement related to the need to design ventilation systems;
• Experts advise not to start finishing work earlier than 28 days after the end of block laying;
• Requirement for plastering the surface;
• Low resistance to prolonged exposure to high temperatures;
• Poor fixation of hardware to a wall made of polystyrene concrete. It is necessary to purchase specialized fasteners.
• Additional costs for increasing the level of adhesion of a wall made of polystyrene concrete with finishing materials.
• The density and strength of polystyrene concrete is somewhat less than that of its competitors – varieties of lightweight concrete.

Basic requirements for raw materials

The following specifications are set forth in the documentation for polystyrene concrete—GOST R 51263 99—for the raw materials and materials that go into making the mixture.

• The composition of the future mixture is selected in accordance with the requirements of GOST 27006.
• The mobility and rigidity of the mixture are assigned in accordance with the type of product and the technology of its molding.
• The increase in density due to air loss should not exceed 7%.
• The stratification of the solution during transportation should not be more than 25%.
• When delivering polystyrene concrete mixture in liquid form, the preservation of its properties must be ensured in accordance with the agreement with the consumer. The minimum time period should not be less than one hour.
• The fraction of polystyrene grain used to manufacture the mixture should not exceed 1 cm for the heat-insulating type and 5.5 mm for heat-insulating and structural and structural and heat-insulating polystyrene concrete.
• Information on the content of polystyrene beads should be indicated in the passport for the finished mixture and (or) product.
• The binder is cement grade no lower than 400.
• GOST allows the use of mineral additives.
• Additives that improve the quality of the finished mixture and products made from it must fully comply with GOST 24211.
• All requirements and the fact of their compliance must be reflected in the documentation for the mixture.

Acceptance and control of products

Every building material is subject to inspection and control in compliance with GOST, and the results of these processes must be recorded in the pertinent documentation. Let’s give it a closer look.

Rules for acceptance of material and products made from it

The following are the acceptance guidelines:

• Upon acceptance, a certain number of products that were manufactured within 24 hours (shift) are accepted as a batch, provided that the same raw materials and technology are used.
• If the material is produced in small quantities, products manufactured in several days (no more than a week) are accepted as a batch. Again, they must be characterized by the same composition and manufacturing technology.
• Checking the density and strength indicator is carried out for each batch of goods or a finished polystyrene concrete mixture.
• Control of thermal conductivity indicators, strength and compression, frost resistance are carried out singlely before the start of the release and then at least every six months.
• 1 time in 5 years check the fire resistance and content of radionuclides.
• Acceptance is carried out according to GOST 7473.
• Repeated verification of indicators is made if the previous check was unsuccessful, or the composition or technology was changed in manufacture.
• All indicators must be indicated in the documents accompanying the goods.

Test methods

Testing the end products allows for control over all numerical values of the properties of the polystyrene concrete mixture and its products. In order to do this, samples are chosen and verified using specialized tools and pertinent computations.

Let’s make use of the table, where we will quickly go over the primary testing techniques and their main points.

Methods for testing concrete with polystyrene:

Name of the tested indicator	Essence of the method and comments
Strength	The indicator is tested on samples that have the shape of a cylinder or cube of a certain size. Subsequently, the samples are placed under a press, with the help of which progressive pressure is exerted on them until the products are destroyed.

The load that the sample is unable to sustain serves as the measuring device’s maximum indicator.

This video will demonstrate a test of polystyrene concrete’s strength.

Although we’ve focused on the primary indicators, there is still control over a host of other factors, including radionuclide presence and flammability.

Polystyrene Concrete	Description
Material Composition	Polystyrene concrete is made from cement, water, and expanded polystyrene beads. It"s known for its lightweight and insulating properties.
Quality Standard (GOST)	GOST is a set of technical standards in Russia. Polystyrene concrete must meet specific GOST requirements to ensure quality and safety.
Applications	This material is commonly used in building blocks, panels, and insulating layers in construction, providing good thermal insulation and soundproofing.
Advantages	It offers benefits like low weight, good thermal insulation, ease of installation, and resistance to moisture and fire.
Products	Polystyrene concrete is used to make blocks, slabs, panels, and insulation boards that comply with GOST standards.
Environmental Impact	The production of polystyrene concrete is relatively eco-friendly due to the use of recycled materials and its energy-saving properties in buildings.

Conforming to GOST standards, polystyrene concrete is a unique and adaptable building material. Modern construction materials love it for its exceptional thermal insulation and unique combination of lightweight qualities. This material creates a substantial weight reduction in the concrete mix without sacrificing structural integrity by incorporating polystyrene beads.

Polystyrene concrete is used to make a wide range of products that meet different needs in construction. Effective and sustainable building practices are achieved through the use of this material in construction projects, which ranges from blocks and panels to more specialized items. In addition to making construction easier, the lighter weight also helps to minimize transportation expenses and ease the load on the building’s foundation.

Products made of polystyrene concrete that adhere to GOST quality standards are guaranteed to fulfill strict performance and safety requirements. This dedication to quality ensures the dependability, safety, and durability of buildings made with polystyrene concrete. The standards ensure uniformity and excellent quality in every facet of production, from the choice of raw materials to the finished product.

In summary, polystyrene concrete is a progressive material that satisfies the needs of contemporary construction for efficiency and sustainability. Because it complies with GOST standards, consumers and builders can be assured of its durability and performance. Polystyrene concrete has the potential to significantly influence the future of building materials as the construction industry develops.

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