Polystyrene concrete is concrete, the lightweight aggregate of which is expanded polystyrene. According to its properties, polystyrene concrete belongs to lightweight concrete (cellular concrete), but it has a number of significant differences. Its advantages include the ability to vary within wide limits of its density, as a result of which polystyrene concrete can be both structural and heat-insulating material. The extremely low bulk density of the foamed plastic particles allows the production of lightweight concrete with a bulk density that can be selected to suit the requirements of a specific application, and the concrete has a correspondingly wide range of characteristics. Also, unlike foam concrete and aerated concrete, it is not difficult to obtain polystyrene concrete with a density of less than 200 kg / m3, which has increased thermal insulation properties..
Polystyrene concrete (GOST R 51263-99) is a composite material, which includes Portland cement and its varieties, silica filler (quartz sand or fly ash from a thermal power plant, used in the production of high density polystyrene concrete), a porous filler, which is foamed granules polystyrene (PVG), as well as modifying additives (setting accelerators, plasticizers, etc.) The density of the produced polystyrene concrete, as a rule, varies from D600 (for structural blocks) to D150 (when used as a heat-insulating material).
Today, the main method for the production of wall stones (blocks) from polystyrene concrete is casting into metal molds..
The main advantages of polystyrene concrete
Lightweight concrete with expanded polystyrene aggregate (polystyrene concrete) has been known for a long time. While polystyrene concrete has been known for at least 25 years in our market, and in the western market for more than 40 years, so far expectations regarding the volume of material use have been justified only in some areas of application. However, in the building materials industry there is a growing interest in polystyrene concrete, indicating some changes in this regard, mainly due to the following reasons:
– polystyrene concrete has become a serious alternative to cellular concrete, due to its wider field of application, ease of manufacture and excellent thermal performance of the material,
– The requirements for thermal insulation of buildings are becoming much more stringent, as a result of which it has become necessary to functional division of building materials into thermal insulation and bearing load, and these materials must be properly combined in building elements. In this regard, interesting solutions are offered by the use of lightweight concrete with expanded polystyrene (polystyrene concrete) filler.
Applications of polystyrene concrete
This material is used on roofs and floors as heat and sound insulation. It is also used for filling voids in masonry, underground walls, insulation in hollow blocks, ideal for bulk filling and any other filling where high insulating properties are required. It is used for the manufacture of prefabricated blocks and partition panels, covering slabs of suspended ceilings, heat and sound insulation in multi-level residential and commercial buildings.
Polystyrene concrete is used in concrete blocks and panels for exterior walls and partitions, concrete slabs for roof and floor coverings. Polystyrene concrete is used in prefabricated panels of any size for commercial and industrial use, monolithic walls, garden decorations and other areas. Ideal for building superstructures where the weight of the structure is critical.
