The composition of architectural concrete, manufacturing technology, the scope of the archikamny

Known by many as "archikamny," architectural concrete is a multipurpose and visually beautiful material that is frequently utilized in contemporary construction. This kind of concrete is made specifically to retain the strength and longevity that concrete is known for while also improving the aesthetic appeal of buildings and other structures. It is distinct from regular concrete due to its composition and manufacturing process, which makes it a great option for a range of uses.

Architectural concrete usually consists of a mixture of different additives, aggregates, and cement. These additions, which enhance the concrete’s workability and finish, can be anything from color pigments to unique chemicals. Manufacturers can produce concrete that satisfies particular design requirements, such as those for smooth surfaces, intricate textures, or vibrant colors, by carefully choosing and combining these ingredients.

A number of crucial processes are involved in the production of architectural concrete to guarantee that the finished product satisfies strict structural and aesthetic requirements. This involves using exacting methods for molding, curing, mixing, and finishing. To achieve the desired appearance and performance characteristics, each step is meticulously regulated. Because of this, architectural concrete can be customized to meet a variety of functional requirements and design goals.

Architectural concrete can be used for a wide range of purposes, from strong structural components and landscape features to ornate moldings and decorative facades. It is a preferred material among designers and architects who want to build stunning, long-lasting structures because of its capacity to replicate natural stone, wood, and other materials. Whether utilized in public, commercial, or residential settings, architectural concrete never fails to stimulate the building industry’s imagination and inventiveness.

Composition	Manufacturing Technology	Scope of Use
Cement, sand, water, pigments, additives	Mixing, molding, curing	Decorative facades, sculptures, interior elements

What is art concrete

When regular concrete is insufficient to finish a task, art-concrete—a sturdy and workable material—is utilized. Since the archikamen resembles plasticine, you can use it to create a wide range of intricate decorative elements, such as figures, stucco moldings, statues, columns, openwork lattices, park sculptures, etc., to decorate construction objects and plots.

If someone were to ask you what architectural concrete is, why it’s important for a given job, or how to make it, you could sum it up this way: it’s just regular concrete mixed with different ingredients to give it extra strength, color, texture, and other desirable qualities.

A sand-cement mixture is used to create artistic concrete. Different additives are added to the mixture to control technological and decorative parameters, such as the curing time, strength level, plasticity, resistance to moisture and temperature changes, and pigment to achieve the desired color.

The principal constituents of the content:

• Water
• Portland cement
• Quartz sand, marble chips (large or small aggregate)
• Pigment
• Additives for obtaining the desired properties (modifying, reinforcing)

Visually resembling a natural stone dresser, the material lets you create exquisite architectural and landscape decorations while saving a ton of money on ornamental details. The archikamen is normalized in accordance with state standards, GOST 26633-2015 and GOST 25192-2012, just like the rest of the concrete. You can make the plaster and finishing composition yourself using a recipe or buy them from specialty stores.

Types of architectural concrete

Regarding the mixture’s properties, composition, and formation process, the archikamen occurs:

• Geometric – to create ordinary monolithic structures in formwork, in work it is similar to construction made of simple concrete.
• Decorative – for finishing finished structures, using various tools and technologies.
• Sculptural – for creating three-dimensional decorative compositions. It is characterized by increased plasticity, resistance to external influences, long hardening (so that something can be modified in the process). The process of producing sculptures is simple: a frame is created, covered with a mesh, concrete is applied to it, after light setting with tools and hands, a form is created.

The material can be either white lightweight (for making low-weight products and elements) or white decorative (for finishing facades, various interior surfaces). Transparent and textured formliners, polished and photo concrete, colored and washed concrete, and colored and washed concrete stand out among contemporary decorative materials. Only under industrial production conditions and with specialized machinery can complex materials be created.

Methods of forming art concrete

There are various ways to form arch concrete, depending on the work process, the instruments employed, the influence principles, and the extent of the operation.

The primary techniques for creating archstones are:

1. Packaging (tamping): After the solution is poured, it must be manually tamped with a stick or rod. The most intricate, stiff decorations are made in this manner.

2. Pressing: Hydraulic presses and molds are used to create durable, frost-resistant, thin-walled parts.

3. Pressure during vibrations is known as vibrocompression. A vibration press and a mold are used in the process. Paving slabs and stones are created in this manner. The process is not too expensive, the objects are made quickly and easily, and they are durable.

4. Casting: Deep vibrators can be used, and the solution is poured into molds on vibrating platforms. The products aren’t very high quality, but they are cheap.

5. Embossing: To achieve the required texture for the base, work is done using matrices. The technology is frequently applied to building and site finishing, path construction, and the decoration of vertical surfaces.

In order to achieve particular structural and aesthetic qualities, cement, water, fine and coarse aggregates, and additives are mixed to create architectural concrete, also referred to as archikamny. Precise mixing and proportioning are required during the manufacturing process, which is then followed by molding and curing to create strong, eye-catching forms that can be utilized in a variety of construction settings. This material is a popular choice for modern architecture because of its ability to mimic natural stone and its versatility in creating intricate designs for facades, interior elements, and landscape features.

Advantages and negative properties of archstone

Due to the unique qualities and characteristics of art concrete, it is possible to carry out a variety of tasks, lower the cost of numerous projects and procedures, and increase the scope of its application.

The main advantages of archstone:

• Fine-grained flat structure, which lends itself well to grinding and allows you to get a perfectly flat and smooth surface.
• Immunity to sunlight – concrete does not fade, does not change physical properties and appearance.
• High level of strength and resistance to various external factors – temperature, humidity, wind, impact, abrasion, vibration, etc.d.
• Minimal hygroscopicity, due to which the material does not undergo carbonization, therefore it retains strength and integrity for a long time.
• Plasticity and ease of use – providing the opportunity to implement a maximum of original ideas.
• Low cost of the entire process – from purchasing materials and preparing the solution to creating a form, sculpture, finishing.
• Ability to add various additives, compositions to change the performance properties and achieve the desired characteristics.
• Environmental friendliness of production and the archstone itself, which is also important.
• Ability to accurately imitate various more expensive textures.
• Ease and simplicity of maintenance.
• A chance to achieve a perfectly smooth surface that does not slip and is completely safe.
• Good level of fire safety.
• Ease of maintenance without the need to use special products and involve professionals.

Reinforcing fiber can be added to art stone to create a reinforced structure for creating unique designs. Fibers can be made of glass, steel, or plastic. Glass fiber concrete is a strong, lightweight building material that looks like mothers-in-law and has exceptional strength and resistance to airborne influences. Usually, shrinkage is totally nonexistent.

The characteristics of the concrete itself and utilizing them explain the material’s drawbacks. Therefore, the drawbacks frequently include the requirement for extra wall and floor reinforcement when employing heavy decorative elements. Because finishing is heavy, it is either not done on light and wooden structures, or a more sturdy foundation is built beforehand. Facades with extensive decoration need the use of specialized tools, labor at a high cost, and equipment.

Because the mixture hardens in a day or two, it is challenging to create small elements and decorative details out of art concrete, and the process is labor-intensive. When decorating with intricate geometry, precise measurement and careful component adjustment are required. However, it is challenging to categorize all of these elements as drawbacks; rather, they are merely guidelines that should be followed in order to produce work of a high caliber.

Calculation of cement mortar

Architectural concrete has the same composition as regular concrete used in building and maintenance projects. However, they use high-quality white or light gray Portland cement for the production of archstone; this cement is typically grade M-500 or DO-400. Gray cement should not be used because it will eventually cause the product’s color to fade.

Before beginning work, Portland cement needs to be sifted (just like sand) to remove lumps and foreign impurities from its composition. The type of cement used has a direct impact on the mixing ratios.

You will require the following composition for the M-500 brand:

• Basic material – 1 part
• Quartz sand – 3 parts
• Water – 3 parts

Squeeze the composition firmly in your hand for two to three seconds, then let it go. If water comes out, you need to add sand; if the lump dissolves, you can add a little water. This is how you determine if the solution is ready to use.

The following table shows the proportions:

Calculation of concrete composition

Different mixtures are added to the final solution to create art concrete, which allows for the modification of its properties, characteristics, color, etc. Determining the appropriate ratio of material volumes is contingent upon the specificity of the decorative product.

The pigment is the most crucial element; it can be any color, but natural hues are typically selected. To create the desired colors, pigments can be combined. To achieve a rich shade, the dye volume should not exceed 5% of the total; in other cases, it should be between 2-3%.

Artificially created, pigments are bright and evenly distributed. Unlike natural ones, which are almost never used in production anymore, they are 100% safe and ensure maximum durability. Contemporary pigments offer color stability, are simple to fix, chemically resistant to a variety of stimuli, do not change color while in use, and prevent concrete from fading over time.

Concrete is treated with plasticizing additives for dry matter (C-3 0.5% and others). Fiber must be present in the composition to increase strength; polypropylene, at 0.6 kg/m3, is a common type of fiber. Additives are used during the manufacturing process of structures intended for outdoor use and exterior decoration to enhance their resistance to frost. Add small crushed stone, marble chips, or other materials in place of sand if you need a more unique texture.

Methods of decorative and protective treatment of structures made of art concrete

There are various methods for processing art concrete products to give them the desired look and level of protection. It is possible to apply specific protective coatings to the surface. Staining, lining with mosaic, gilding, applying images, and other techniques can be used for decoration.

Methods of mechanical processing:

• Engraving – allows you to create various designs, patterns, inscriptions, and achieve the desired finish of vertical surfaces.
• Sanding – creates unevenness on archstone.
• Grinding and polishing – to achieve maximum smoothness of surfaces of sculptures, geometric structures, finishing.

Technology of manufacturing architectural concrete

If you decide ahead of time on the composition that will meet the necessary qualities and characteristics, you can easily create architectural concrete by hand. To prevent lumps, all ingredients must first be sifted through a sieve. Next, combine the cement and filler (crushed stone, quartz sand, or other materials), then add pigment and unique mixes to improve the required qualities.

It ought to yield a uniformly dry mass. Create a hollow inside of it and add water to it. The volumes for the most popular brand, M-500, are shown above, but the proportions of the materials vary depending on the goals of creating art stone and the cement brand. The material can then be processed using a variety of methods.

Decorating techniques for architectural concrete:

Spraying

This choice works well for handling vertical surfaces. To complete the task, an acid dye and a specialized sprayer are needed. To get the right shade, the paint is added to the concrete solution layer by layer.

Stencil painting

This method is used to process large flat surfaces. In specialty stores, stencils are available pre-made, or they can be custom-made from any appropriate sheet material. This is frequently how different patterns and brickwork are created.

Stamping

A typical technique for processing rubber or silicone matrices on both vertical and horizontal surfaces. To achieve the desired effect, the stamps are coated with pigment and moisture-resistant additives before being pressed into the concrete. The matrices are taken out once the surface has solidified, and the completed concrete is then impregnated with protective materials.

Preparing architectural concrete requires precise propagation of all proportions and constituents, and is a relatively simple technological process. In this instance, additional design and processing enable you to get the best outcome possible.

Application areas of decorative concrete

Archikamen is employed for many different purposes. Most frequently used for personal plot decoration (sculptures, fences, small-scale architecture, etc.), paving slab production, building and premises exterior and interior decoration, border, step, column, and various relief creation, etc.

Unusual material types are available from modern manufacturers. Thus, if you add 5% of the mixture’s volume to glass fiber filler that has a diameter between 2 microns and 1-2 millimeters during the mixing process, you can achieve the effect of light transmission.

The material is highly costly; professional installation is necessary for this type of architectural concrete because improper installation can result in the loss of a structure valued at approximately 3,000 euros per cubic meter. Such an archstone is something you can create with your hands.

What creative concrete can be used for:

Paths

They can be made in two different ways: either cast slabs and lay them in rows, or pour the material in a continuous layer and use stamps to knock out the desired design. In order to create a path, you must first mark the area, then excavate up to ten centimeters of soil, install formwork and reinforcing mesh if needed, fill it with crushed stone, pour the solution out, and decorate it.

Fences

Pillars and slabs are created by casting them out of mortar to build a fence. Typically, stamping or other techniques are used to decorate the surface.

Sculptures

They have a striking appearance and let you give the website a unique style. In order to create sculptures with hollow interiors, a reinforcement frame is welded, covered in an overlapping mesh, concrete is laid out, small details are sculpted, and the piece is painted the color of choice.

Wall decoration

Serves as an aesthetic piece while also providing insulation and shielding the space from outside influences. The process is very straightforward: after the surface has been cleared of debris and dust, it is dried, primed multiple times, and then decorative concrete is applied with a spatula and processed as needed.

White decorative

When it comes to architectural concrete, white decorative is most frequently utilized for facade design and decoration as well as large room interior decoration. A range of textures and forms are used in the creation of interior items, which include decorative products, fences, steps, columns, sculptures, and more. T.D.

An excessively large load limit is the primary operating condition. If it is not met, there’s a chance the design won’t hold together after installation.

White light

Lightweight decor items are the most common application for this kind of material. Stairs with tile work that mimics real marble or sandstone appear incredibly unique and pricey. Simultaneously, the texture of the artificial material is precisely replicated by the architecture, but it is far superior and requires less money to produce.

Making architectural concrete with your own hands

Making the material yourself is not hard. The ingredients are readily available at any construction supermarket, and the technology is straightforward. The following are required tools: trowel, concrete mixer, alignment spatula, washing machine, rollers, matrices, and stamps (based on the intended creation).

The following materials are needed for home production: two parts clean water, modifiers (adhesives, plasticizers, antifoaming agents, for frost resistance, strength, etc.d.), dye, one part binder (white Portland cement M-500), and three parts filler (crushed stone, sand, marble, or granite chips).

The steps involved in creating art concrete:

• Sift dry components through a sieve.
• Mix cement and filler.
• Pour the dye into the dry homogeneous mixture, mix.
• Add the selected modifying additives to the mixture, mix.
• Carefully make a depression in the dry mixture, fill with water.

Manufacturers provide ready-made solutions for those who prefer not to figure out the proportions and what ingredients are needed for 10 liters of cement to get the right consistency and finished product. It is sufficient to inquire, state your needs, and then buy a canister of liquid and a dry mixture. The final solution will possess the appropriate qualities, appearance, and color.

Flower pots made of art concrete

Archstone is frequently used to create a variety of flower pots for both indoor and outdoor use. Two parts white Portland cement, two buckets (ideally plastic) of varying diameters, two parts quartz sand, the same quantity of granite chips, solid oil, and reinforcing mesh with three-millimeter cells are needed to make them.

The steps are as follows: first, choose two forms with walls that differ by approximately 2 centimeters each; lubricate with grease; next, prepare a solution following the standard procedure; pour into a large form to create a layer that is 5 centimeters thick; tamp; finally, install a smaller form and fill the space between them. You can install a reinforcing mesh between the walls to increase the product’s durability.

Concrete used for architecture, or archikamny, is distinguished by its aesthetic appeal and adaptability. Typically, it is made up of a mixture of cement, aggregates, water, and different additives to improve its qualities. Many textures, colors, and finishes can be achieved by adjusting these components, opening up a plethora of design options.

Architectural concrete is made by carefully mixing, pouring, and curing the material. Manufacturers can guarantee that the concrete satisfies particular strength and durability requirements and produces the intended visual effects by closely regulating these steps. Its appearance is further improved by methods like polishing, surface treatments, and casting in molds.

Because of its adaptability and aesthetic potential, architecture is used extensively in design and construction. Its uses are almost endless, ranging from ornate facades and elaborate sculptures to practical components like flooring and countertops. It is a popular option for both interior and exterior projects because of its exceptional durability and ability to mimic natural materials like wood and stone.

Architectural concrete essentially blends form and function, offering a robust material that can be tailored to meet different design requirements. It is an invaluable tool for architects and builders due to its distinctive composition and manufacturing process, which permit creative freedom in construction and design. Architechture continues to influence the built environment in novel ways, whether it is used for structural or decorative reasons.

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