The preparation of concrete with expanded clay solves the problem of reducing construction costs

For many years, concrete has served as the foundation of construction, but like any other material, finding ways to reduce its cost without compromising quality is a constant goal. The use of expanded clay in the preparation of concrete is one novel method that is gaining popularity. This approach has a number of useful advantages for the construction process in addition to helping to reduce costs.

Often called lightweight aggregate, expanded clay is created by heating clay to high temperatures, which causes it to expand and become porous. This substance is added to concrete to make a more durable but lighter mixture. Expanded clay can help builders lower the overall weight of their concrete structures, which saves money on transportation and structural support expenses.

Using expanded clay in concrete has benefits beyond financial savings. It enhances insulating qualities, assisting structures in preserving a more constant internal temperature. This translates to lower heating and cooling energy expenses. Additionally, because concrete is lightweight, it is simpler to handle and work with, which expedites construction and lowers labor costs.

Expanded clay is essentially a win-win situation for builders and property owners when used in concrete preparation. It’s a practical method of reducing building costs without sacrificing the general performance of concrete structures. Investigating this technique could be a game-changer if you’re searching for a more clever, cost-effective way to construct.

Aspect	Details
Cost Reduction	Using expanded clay in concrete reduces the amount of cement needed, lowering overall expenses.
Lightweight Material	Expanded clay is lighter than traditional aggregates, making the concrete easier to handle and transport.
Insulation Properties	Concrete with expanded clay has better thermal insulation, reducing heating and cooling costs.
Durability	The use of expanded clay enhances the durability and longevity of the concrete, reducing maintenance costs.

The secret of the appearance of expanded clay concrete mixture

The useful building material expanded clay concrete has supplanted cinder blocks. Regarding the technology used to prepare this pair, it’s interesting to note that they are nearly identical. The filler is what makes it unique.

Expanded clay was used in place of blast furnace slag in cinder concrete, which was made using blast furnace waste. A drastic measure was necessary to rectify the low strength and frost resistance of the products resulting from the blast furnace filler in cinder blocks. Expanded clay improved the material greatly and removed all of its drawbacks.

Classification of the material

The development of new building materials with distinctive qualities and traits, such as expanded clay concrete and expanded clay concrete blocks, has been facilitated by advancements in technology and society. These materials have altered the notion of building construction.

The table demonstrates how different grades of cement, expanded clay filler, plasticizers, sand of various fractions, and water are mixed to produce expanded clay concrete. These ingredients give the solution specific properties. When choosing the appropriate composition for construction, a basic understanding of the material’s technical and physical characteristics as well as its intended use will help you avoid making mistakes.

Concrete types containing expanded clay:

• Heat-insulating. Thermal conductivity coefficient up to 0.2, bulk density in dry mix 300-900/kg/m³, high strength requirements are not imposed on the finished material. Used for screeds in ceilings and floors, providing comfortable conditions for being in the building;
• Structural and thermal insulation. Thermal conductivity coefficient up to 0.5, bulk density of dry mix 700-1400 kg/m³, high strength than the previous solution. Used in enclosing structures as a layer of thermal insulation. Structural and heat-insulating expanded clay concrete is used mainly in the production of single-layer wall panels, as well as large-sized blocks;
• Structural. It works where there are significant loads – bridges, supporting structures of buildings. Frost resistance can have an index of 500, which allows to reduce construction costs and the weight of structures with large dimensions;

Replacing conventional concrete mortar with concrete with expanded clay gives a noticeable gain in several directions.

Because of the following benefits, the amount of mortar used to build walls is reduced by two times, construction costs are decreased, and installation time is accelerated by four to five times.

1. Small bulk density;
2. Excellent sound insulation;
3. Excellent thermal insulation characteristics;
4. Air permeability;
5. High heat resistance over 1000Cᵒ;
6. Excellent mechanical characteristics, confirmed by many years of operation in many countries with different climates;
7. Ecological purity of the material, t.k. only natural materials are used in the preparation.

Be aware that you can create a variety of mixtures for every occasion by combining expanded clay concrete with different constituent ingredients.

One revolutionary way to reduce construction costs is to use expanded clay when preparing concrete. Builders can lower the overall weight of concrete structures by using this lightweight material, which saves money on handling and transportation costs. Additionally, expanded clay has good insulating qualities, which eventually reduce energy costs. In summary, it’s an affordable option that raises the performance and efficiency of concrete buildings while also reducing immediate costs.

Mixing according to various recipes

Not all private construction is located near an industrial facility; you can order ready-made blocks or large-pore expanded clay concrete, for example.

The best solution is frequently concealed in the on-site production of the essential building materials.

• For this, you will need a concrete mixer of 200 liters. It can be purchased in a specialized store or made with your own hands from an old barrel;

• A container for receiving the finished solution;
• A vibrating machine, if you plan to make blocks;

• To prepare 100 kg of expanded clay concrete mixture, which will then be used to produce blocks, you will need:

1. 9.21 kg of cement;
2. 54.5 kg of expanded clay;
3. 27.2 kg of sand;
4. 9.09 liters of water.

This is the recommended dosage.

Calculation of concrete composition

When all the ingredients are loaded in the order listed below, there is a known process for getting the final mixture:

1. Liquid (water) is poured into the concrete mixer;
2. Expanded clay is poured;
3. Cement;
4. Sand.

Kneading takes two minutes, and 10–11 kg of mixture are needed for one hollow block that is 390 x 190 x 190 mm in size, i.e. This amount yields nine or ten blocks.

The table provides more specific information:

Note: To achieve the right mixture, the extended clay concrete recipe calls for a number of ingredients, including washing powder.

Proportions and dosage

The lack of sand additives sets sandless, large-porous expanded clay concrete apart from other, denser compositions. The expanded clay grains are fixed together with a cement solution, leaving a void that lowers the material’s specific gravity and thermal conductivity.

The size of the expanded clay granules utilized determines the final material’s density:

• 1000 kg / m³ specific gravity of a light grade of mortar, if the amount of cement is reduced inside the mixture, and the amount of expanded clay in expanded clay concrete increases;
• There is no sand in the solution at all;
• The proportion of a sand-free mixture calculated for 1 m³ consists of the following dosage:

1. 720 kg expanded clay M200;
2. 250 kg cement sand. The name of the mixture contains the answer to its composition – this is cement with fractional sand;
3. 100-150 l of water.

• When using expanded clay with a bulk density of 400-500 kg / m³, the thermal conductivity coefficient of large-pore expanded clay concrete is 0.25-0.3;
• When using light fractions with a specific gravity of 300 kg/m³, the coefficient decreases to 0.17-0.22, which means that the wall thickness, for example, will be up to 0.5 m.

• Expanded clay concrete – its preparation from M400 cement in private construction of houses and cottages, is often dosed not in kilograms, but in buckets. Buckets are used to load the components into the concrete mixer;
• So, to prepare expanded clay concrete for the construction of monolithic walls, the following proportions are used:

1. 1 bucket of cement;
2. 3-4 buckets of sand;
3. 4-5 buckets of expanded clay;
4. 1.5 buckets of water;
5. Plasticizer for expanded clay concrete according to the instructions for this material.

Note: To artificially create voids that improve thermal insulation characteristics, denser material is used when building partitions than when building monolithic walls, where there is more expanded clay in the solution.

• Specialists in the video in this article show that liquid soap or powder is used as a plasticizer;
• Its dosage per 1 bucket of cement is 50-100 grams;

Solutions for different works

Thus, expanded clay concrete is the kind of concrete that we are thinking about. Dry, semi-dry, or wet can be used for floor screed.

• Expanded clay for floor screed of fine crushing began to be used relatively recently;
• The proportions at the output for the floor contain the following indicators: 20-25 kg of expanded clay gravel, 30 kg of a mixture of sand and concrete, it is better to use for the base on which the finishing screed will be poured;
• The amount of expanded clay in expanded clay concrete for walls is added in the following dosage: 1 part of small expanded clay, 1 part of M400 cement, 1.5 parts of expanded clay sand with a fraction of up to 5 mm. Walls erected from this material are common in low-rise construction;

This building material has several benefits that outweigh its drawbacks.

Two components make up the composition of the floors:

1. Lightweight inserts (blocks) made of expanded clay concrete, polystyrene, sand concrete;
2. Reinforced concrete beams.

Function to remove technological distortions should floors in contemporary homes start to be laid out "the old way," using slabs or monoliths.

One clever way to reduce construction costs without sacrificing quality is to incorporate expanded clay into concrete mixtures. Because expanded clay weighs less overall than conventional aggregate materials, it is less expensive and easier to handle and transport. Additionally, the structure will be under less stress, which could result in additional labor and material savings.

In addition to being economical, expanded clay has superior insulating qualities. This kind of concrete may help buildings stay warmer in the winter and colder in the summer, which could reduce energy costs. Expanded clay concrete benefits both the wallet and the comfort level thanks to this extra feature.

All things considered, adding expanded clay to concrete mixtures is a useful and affordable option for contemporary building projects. This option is beneficial for both builders and property owners as it not only lowers costs but also improves the quality of the concrete.

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