What is aircrete concrete?
AirCrete is a lightweight cement based material that contains stable air cells uniformly distributed throughout the mixture. It is a concrete which utilizes a stable air cell rather than traditional aggregate. It is a minimum of 20% (per volume) foam entrained.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of aerated concrete?
In the lower density ranges, aerated concrete is more brittle and has less comprehensive strength than standard concrete. While this may be a disadvantage in load-bearing applications, it is advantageous in an aircrete construction such as domes, roofs, and floors. Besides, aircrete is eco-friendly, waterproof, easy to handle, and economical.
How much does aircrete cost to build a house?
If you compare the cost of aircrete to other materials like concrete, it is relatively inexpensive. You can plan on approximately $1-$2 per square foot of aircrete used. This can add up for large surfaces like a home but it is far more affordable than some materials.
What is the density of aircrete?
Low-density aircrete is less than 300kg/m3. However, specialized foam generating, mixing, and pumping equipment have improved the product making it possible to manufacture 75 kg/m3 density blocks. Dry densities of 25 lb/ft3 to 100lb/ft3 make aerated concrete.
Is Aircrete load bearing?
Aircrete prefab Floor and Roof Panels are load-bearing reinforced products used in social and commercial construction. Aircrete lintels are special load-bearing reinforced products.
Can Aircrete be used for foundation?
Aircrete can be used for foundations. It is light, hardens overnight, and continues to harden over time. It is easy to mold and shape using normal wood-shaping tools. Aircrete mostly consists of cement, water, and foam, although other materials like sand, lime, gypsum, and aluminum are also used.
Can you use aircrete for a slab?
Aircrete is most often used for exterior and interior walls. However, aircrete can also be used for several other home applications, such as precast blocks and panels and concrete slabs for an insulated flooring system.
How long will Aircrete last?
Fire-Resistant A 100mm thick aircrete block can resist fire up to four hours.
Can Aircrete be used for a driveway?
You can use aircrete for walls, driveways, floors, and sub-level. The high performance of this material makes it a long-term, cost-effective solution for any areas where you would have used concrete previously. More cost-effective than most other concrete alternatives.
Is Aircrete waterproof?
The foam is produced by agitating a foaming agent with compressed air to make "aircrete" or "foamcrete". This material is fireproof, insect proof, and waterproof. It offers significant thermal and acoustic insulation and can be cut, carved, drilled and shaped with wood-working tools.
Can you use quikrete for AirCrete?
0:3713:50How to Make AIRCRETE The RIGHT way! [ How to measure Density for ...YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd it works great for projects. Where you don't need the compressive strength of regular concrete.MoreAnd it works great for projects. Where you don't need the compressive strength of regular concrete.
What is the best mixture for AirCrete?
Step 1 - You will be using a 40:1 ratio plan, such as 5 gallons of water to two cups or 16oz of your chosen foaming agent (dawn soap for example). There are other foaming agents such as professional foaming agents, but Dawn soap works well. Mix your water and foaming agent very well in a bucket.
How long does it take for AirCrete to dry?
According to Air-Krete the drying time should be 2 days.
Do aircrete blocks crack?
If the Aircrete blocks are used on the internal skin only and that is later dry-lined with plasterboard then the subsequent shrinkage cracks will never be seen and in any event will probably do no harm.
Can you cut Aircrete?
Again yes. Unlike dense concrete or other lightweight aggregate blocks, you can cut aircrete blocks with a handsaw on site.
How much does Aircrete cost?
Aircrete, a mixture of cement, water and foam, is extremely cheap to make. According to Gibran, the substance costs around $1 to $2 per square foot and per inch of thickness.
Can you build a house with AirCrete?
AirCrete blocks extend your concrete by a very large margin, reducing cost, making blocks lightweight, easy to work with and allowing DIY home possible.
How do you make AirCrete stronger?
If you would like fortified AirCrete blocks, you can use fibers and add it to the mix. This actually makes the AirCrete stronger and more solid. Also some professional foaming agents are claimed to be better than dish soap, if you are okay with the cost this may be something to explore.
How long does it take for AirCrete to dry?
According to Air-Krete the drying time should be 2 days.
How much does AirCrete cost?
Aircrete, a mixture of cement, water and foam, is extremely cheap to make. According to Gibran, the substance costs around $1 to $2 per square foot and per inch of thickness.
What is aircrete used for?
Aircrete features thermal and acoustical insulation properties that make it very different in application than standard concrete. These properties make it ideal for various purposes like insulating floors, roofs, and trench reinstatement. It also eliminates the thermal bridge, which allows the flow of outside air in a regular concrete structure. ...
Why does aircrete take longer to build?
Besides, it would take longer to build because it requires more passes of lower density concrete.
How Strong Is Concrete?
Concrete is the most accepted and widely used building construction material in the world, including fine and coarse aggregate material bound together with a fluid cement.
Why is aerated concrete used?
The goal of aerated concrete is to displace concrete with air. In the mid-1990s, Aircrete was regarded as weak, non-durable, and contained high shrinkage characteristics. The reason is the unstable foam bubbles that occurred when producing very low-density foam concrete, which was less than 300kg/m3.
Why is curing concrete important?
Increasing the Strength of Concrete. Proper curing of concrete is crucial as it leads to increased stability and lower permeability. Besides, the early strength is enhanced if it is kept damp during the curing process. Properly hydrated concrete that reaches its ultimate durability must be adequately hydrated.
How much strength is high strength concrete?
High-strength concrete in large civil projects measure 40Mpa (5800psi) in strength. Also, commercial structures that are very rigid include concrete with 130Mpa (18900psi).
What is accelerated curing?
For high-strength applications, an accelerated curing technique is employed that involves heating the poured concrete with steam. Also, care must be taken during curing to avoid freezing and overheating due to the material’s exothermic setting.
What is aircrete made of?
Aircrete is simply concrete with bubbles. Regular concrete that we use for our roads, basements, and foundations traditionally made from Portland cement. This combination hardens into a highly dense material with impressive compressive strength. The addition of iron rebar adds additional structural integrity.
How do you make AirCrete stronger?
If you would like fortified AirCrete blocks, you can use fibers and add it to the mix. This actually makes the AirCrete stronger and more solid. Also some professional foaming agents are claimed to be better than dish soap, if you are okay with the cost this may be something to explore.
What are the disadvantages of AAC blocks?
AAC Block is Non load Bearing material, it can be used only in wall partitions.
How thin can Aircrete be?
Aircrete Cladding Panels are unique AAC products for façade applications. The product is extremely light and can be as thin as 35mm; it is suitable to be directly applied on the exterior of any building.
Can you use AirCrete for a driveway?
You can use aircrete for walls, driveways, floors, and sub-level. The high performance of this material makes it a long-term, cost-effective solution for any areas where you would have used concrete previously.
Is Aircrete load bearing?
Aircrete lintels are special load-bearing reinforced products. They serve as beams to support the weight of the wall (live, dead and wind) over window or door openings.
How do you make aerated concrete blocks?
First, several ingredients are blended into a slurry: cement, lime, water, finely ground sand, and often, fly ash. An expansion agent like aluminum powder is added and the fluid mixture is cast into a large billet. As the slurry reacts with the expansion agent to generate air bubbles, the mixture expands.
What is aircrete cement?
AirCrete is a lightweight cement based material that contains stable air cells uniformly distributed throughout the mixture. It is a concrete which utilizes a stable air cell rather than traditional aggregate. It is a minimum of 20% (per volume) foam entrained. It is also know as cellular concrete, foam concrete, foamcrete, light weight concrete, ...
What is aircrete?
It is a minimum of 20% (per volume) foam entrained. It is also know as cellular concrete, foam concrete, foamcrete, light weight concrete, aerated concrete. Aircrete is produced in industrial settings and commercially throughout the world. This process typically requires large, heavy, expensive, machinery to create the precise foam ...
Is aircrete a good insulation?
It’s fire, mold, pest, termite proof and water resistant…unlike wood, adobe, cob, straw bale, compressed earth or metal buildings that can rot, rust and decompose in water . Aircrete is not harmed by water.
Can aircrete be pumped?
Aircrete can be sawed, screwed, cut, carved, drilled or nailed and is easy to work with and repair with simple handheld tools. It can be pumped or poured into molds or forms.
Can aircrete be harmed by water?
Aircrete is not harmed by water. (However, it is not impervious to it if not properly sealed) Mix designs can be modified or adapted to meet project specifications or building needs. A refractory mix recipe can be made for areas that will be subjected to intense heat.
Background for this Video
I’ve had many requests to test the strength of my aircrete garden panels. It took some to figure out the best way to go about this. With limited equipment it can be difficult to get measurable results.
Testing to find out how strong is aircrete
In the next episode I’ll test the strength of some CSA concrete panels. So that’s coming right up.
