Fly Ash Cellular Lightweight Concrete Properties and Uses

Cellular lightweight concrete is one of the latest emerging technology in making the concrete. The CLC has many benefits over normal conventional concrete.

As we know the Fly Ash is the waste product of thermal power plant which cannot be easily disposed of. This solves the problem of disposal of fly ash and also reduces the cost of construction. The fly ash base CLC is environmentally friendly and it is produced with low energy.

The density of the fly ash based cellular lightweight concrete is lower than the normal concrete but the strength is the same. With this design, we can get a large number of bricks with less concrete.

The manufacturing process does not require any complicated techniques. The manufacturing process is the same as CLC and normal concrete just the foam generating machine is used.

Fly Ash Cellular Lightweight Concrete

This is the version of lightweight concrete which is produced like normal concrete with ambient conditions. It is manufactured by making a slurry of Cement + Sand + Fly Ash (26% – 34% content) + water.

The cellular concrete is a lightweight product having Portland cement, cement-silica, cement-pozzolan, lime-pozzolan, lime-silica pastes or pastes containing blends of these gradients with having a homogeneous void or cell structure and it is obtained by gas-forming chemicals or foaming agents.

The density in cellular lightweight concrete is controlled by gas or foam which is generated by foam generator.

CLC is an air-cured lightweight concrete with fly ash that is their main ingredient which can be produced at large projects sites like traditional concrete, utilizing equipment and molds used for traditional concreting.

It is suitable for places like India for low-rise load-bearing construction and for partitioning work in multi-story blocks.

Fly Ash is a new material for manufacturers. Fly Ash can have more than 25% (26% to 33%) of the total solid material constituents of CLC mixes for different density outputs.

The Fly Ash is the waste product from the thermal power plants for over 25% constituent material. This CLC can be produced for a density range of 400 kg/m3 to 1800 kg/m3 with high insulation value and a 28-day cube crushing strength of up to 275 kg/cm2.

It is not only the waste material usage but also saves 40% of cement.

The density of the cellular lightweight concrete is 400 kg/m3 to 1800 kg/m3.

The benefit of Cellular Lightweight Concrete is fireproof, termite-proof, thermally insulated, soundproof, environment-friendly.

Cellular Lightweight Concrete – Density Range

The CLC has a wide range of densities like 400 kg/m3 to 1800 kg/m3 for different applications.

Lower densities like 400-600 kg/m3 are suitable for thermal insulation applications. It is the fire, termite, water-proof-ness, termite-resistance, and very low water absorption and it is environmental friendliness. It is also used in laying sound-insulating layers for structural slabs for intermediate floors for high-class hotel buildings for minimizing noise between lower and upper floors. This is also used for filling depressions in bathrooms or other floors etc. It is a very good alternative to Thermocole, glass wool, wood wool, etc.

The medium density of 800-1000kg/m3 is used for pre-cast blocks for non-load-bearing walling masonry in framed structures. The size of the block is 500x250x200 mm and internal partition blocks are 500x250x100 mm. Also, it can be manufactured in the desired size.

The high-density range is 1200 kg/m3 (crushing strength 65 kg/cm2) to 1800 kg/m3 (crushing strength 250 kg/cm2) is grade material used for:

The in-site casting of structural walls and roofs of low-rise individual or group housing schemes.

It is used for reinforced structural cladding or partitioning panels.

For making pre-cast blocks (500x250x200/100 mm) for load-bearing walling masonry for low rise buildings.

Properties of CLC

It has properties like

Low weight

Good fire resistance

Thermal insulation

Thermal expansion is negligible

No Freezing and thawing

Sound absorption

Less tendency to spall.

Use of the CLC

It is used for the construction of partition walls.

Partitions for heat insulation purpose.

Construction of hollow filled floors.

What is Reinforced Concrete? It’s Uses, Benefits & Advantages

The reinforced concrete is a combination of traditional cement concrete with reinforcements (steel bars). The combination is made to utilize the compressive strength of concrete and tensile strength of steel at the same time to provide maximum strength. The meaning of reinforced is the steel reinforces the concrete and makes it stronger construction material.

The reinforced concrete needs to be specially engineered. If the amount of the reinforced is not enough the concrete can be weak or may have a failure. With many advantages, the reinforced concrete has disadvantages too. The reinforced concrete can be molded and shaped which is a limitation for other materials and also give freedom to create innovative designs.

The reinforced concrete is very popular building material having characteristics like strong, easy to work with, adaptable, versatile, durable and affordable. It is mainly used in the construction of foundations of rooftops of the building, highway construction, precast structures, floating structures, hydro-power tunnels, irrigation canals, drain, and all other conceivable structures.

Advantages of Reinforced Concrete

Strength

It has very good strength in tension as well as compression which makes it one of the best construction materials.

Economical

The concrete constituents are widely available worldwide and also inexpensive. Also, the production cost is very low. It is widely used as the reinforced concrete has less maintenance cost as it has a long-lasting nature of reinforced concrete.

Reinforced concrete has durability, resilience, required low maintenance and energy-efficient. The concrete structures reduce the operating cost of operational energy consumption.

Versatility

The concrete can be placed into various shapes if shuttering or formwork configuration to form desired shapes, form, surface, texture and sizes at the construction site. The concrete is in liquid form when it made which is more suitable for many architectural requirements.

Durability

The reinforced concrete structures are durable. It is having no effect of rainfall, snow and can last up to 100 years.

As concrete has low permeability it can resist chemicals that dissolve in water like sulfates, chloride and carbon dioxide and all these cause corrosions in concrete without serious deterioration.

These make reinforced concrete more suitable for underwater submerged applications like pipelines, dams, canals, linings and other waterfront structures.

Fire Resistance

The concrete does not catch fire or burn. It can be withstanding heat for 2 to 6 hours for rescue operations in a fire. The reinforced concrete buildings are more fire-resistant than other construction materials like steel and wood. The reinforced concrete is suitable for fireproof steel and high-temperature applications.

Ductility

The steel provides ductility to the reinforced concrete structures. The ductility in concrete shows the distress in cracking and deflection if the reinforced concrete having the overloading. This enables the engineers to consider engineers to save it from concrete damages.

Seismic Resistance

It is properly designed for reinforced concrete structures that are resistant to earthquakes.

Ease of Construction

As compared with the steel used in the structure, reinforced concrete requires less skilled labor for the erection of the structure.

Ability to consume and Recycle Waste

There are several industrial wastes and by-products like fly ash, slag known as GGBFS or ground granulated blast-furnaces slag, waste glass and like the ground, tires can be recycled as a substitute for cement or aggregate or supplementary materials. The concrete production reduces environmental impacts due to industrial waste and also improves the characteristics of concrete and consequently, the quality of the structure is not compromised.

The concrete can be recycled as aggregate for the use as sub-base material in roadbeds and parking lots, gabion walls as riprap to protect shorelines or in other applications or granular material with reducing the amount of material which is landfilled and need for virgin materials in new construction.

One of the main advantages of concrete is its ability to use different application methods. Concrete is also hand-applied, poured, pumped, sprayed, grouted and it is also used for application for shotcrete and tunnels.

Disadvantages of Reinforced Concrete

  • The Reinforced concrete structures are heavier than others like steel, wood and glass structures.
  • The usual concrete building needs massive formwork, centering, shuttering to be fixed which requires lots of site space and labor work.
  • Concrete requires time to attain its full strength. So, it is not used immediately after construction. The steel structures are ready to use.
  • The main process of using reinforced concrete are mixing, casting and curing. Which all are affects the final strength.
  • The price of the forms used for casting RC is high compared to other techniques.
  • The shrinkage causes crack development and strength loss.

Applications of Reinforced Concrete

  • Buildings
  • Bridges
  • Flyovers
  • Water Tanks
  • Roads
  • Floating Structures
  • Foundations
  • Marine Structures
  • Pipes and Conduits
  • Precast Works
  • Chimneys and Towers
  • Retaining Walls
  • Bunkers and Silos

Tips for Fly Ash Bricks Manufacturing

The fly ash bricks manufacturing business is more and more profitable and fastest-growing business in India. The people in India is started using the Fly Ash Bricks to save earth for the future. There is also a reason for the ban of red clay bricks in some of the states.

Here are some tips that need to be considered before starting of fly ash manufacturing process.

  • Land Requirements
  • Factory Location
  • Water Availability
  • Environmental Issues
  • Project Cost
  • Cement Manufacturers
  • Labour Availability
  • Profit
  • Fly Ash Availability
  • Where to purchase a machine?

Land Requirement

To start a fly ash brick manufacturing business required a minimum a half-acre of land. It is suggested that one-acre land is enough for stock and curing the bricks.

Factory Location

Find the location which is near to the 100 km radius of Thermal Power Plant to easily get the fly ash quota from EB.

Water Availability

The fly ash bricks manufacturing process required lots of water. So it is advisable to establish a factory where the freshwater is easily available.

Environmental Problem

Fly ash required special care while unloading in open space as it is dangerous to the atmosphere. The factory should be not in a residential area as the micro dust particles are harmful to the surrounded people.

Some are using Silos to store fly ash. As it is not necessary for everyone.

Project Cost

The project cost includes plant, machinery and working capital is approximately 30,00,000 Rs. This estimation is based on machinery with the production of 12,000 bricks per shift. (The Diesel power generator is not included).

Cement Manufacturers

The cement manufacturers have installed giant silo’s in thermal power plant to collect the fly ash. They get the majority share of fly ash from thermal power plants. Fly Ash manufacturers have to struggle to get the fly ash.

Labour

If you want to run your business successfully you required labour. As the work with fly ash, there is somewhat dusty so it is hard to get suitable labours. You can attract labours with high pay and also give some incentives.

Profit

The profit is varying from place to place. But in this business, you will definitely make 1 Rs. per brick as profit.

Your profit is depending on the availability of raw material, labour, power supply.

Fly Ash Availability

If you want to succeed in your business, is dependent on the availability of fly ash from the thermal power plant.

If you planning to start a fly ash manufacturing business do proper research for where and how much you can get fly ash. One source is to bought fly ash from the black market, so it is advised to get your fly ash quota to continue to making fly ash bricks.

Where to get Machine?

In the process of fly ash bricks, machine required regular maintenance and tune-ups. This service is only provided by experts who have long experience in this field. The new machine manufacturers give discounts but the machines are not sustainable.

The rotary type hydraulic machines are recommended for new entrepreneurs as it is cost-effective.

Advantages of Block Making machine and Concrete Block

The use block making machine is increasing in the past few years as the concrete blocks have many advantages like economic, have strong build quality and versatility.

Q Green Techon PVT LTD is one of the leading concrete block making machine provider in India. They constantly research on block making the machine to provide machines with the latest technology. The Q Green Concrete Block making machine is specially designed to ensure the best quality final product for performance and return on investment.

Here are the benefits of concrete blocks manufactured by concrete block making machine.

Versatile

As the concrete blocks are used more and more these days in modern construction. They are available in a verity of colors, shapes and surface textures for both indoor and outdoor.

Performance Constructive

The concrete blocks are high performance constructive as they are bigger in size and have less joints which are most important.

Uniform

These concrete blocks are uniform and with that, we can find the required material for it.

Reduce Costs

The concrete blocks are easy to use and increase speed and accuracy.

Strength

Concrete blocks made with Q Green Techon machine has a compressive strength of 10N/mm2 which can be used in resistant walls.

Resistance to Fire

Concrete blocks are good fire resistance, up to 240 minutes. It is even maintaining its structural characteristic in the fire.

Assembly Quality

These concrete blocks should be fitted in assembly. Concrete blocks made with the machine has high quality and there is the number of types of a block made with it like lintels, kerbs, pavers, corner blocks, half blocks, assembly blocks etc.

Acoustic

The concrete blocks perform well in acoustic and also achieved the current regulations with simple implementation. There are also concrete blocks that provide up to 60 dB of acoustic insulation.

Thermal Insulation

Concrete stores heat for a longer time. the dense materials like concrete slowly cooled and heated. This is very important in energy consumption.

Water-Resistant

The outdoor concrete blocks have very low water absorption. There are also waterproof concrete blocks that are 0.22 g/m2. Along with that, the concrete blocks are breathable which are not freeze and cleaned easily.

Benefits of Prestressed Concrete

What is Prestressed Concrete?

Here we are talking about what is prestressed concrete and why it is widely used these days. We will also see the advantages and where the prestressed concrete is used.

The prestressed concrete has the ability to eliminate the traction forces of the concrete by adding artificial compression tensions before applying exterior loads. And also assure that when it is superimposed, the total permanent tensions should lie between the limits which the material can bear indefinitely. This technique is widely used in modern days to building all the architectural and engineering projects. As this method has many benefits.

There are many advantages of using prestressed concrete which is given below.

Structural Strength

With the use of the prestressed technique in concrete gives the maximum strength by providing an internal compression force which counteracts the traction force produced by loads of the structural elements.

The durability of the Construction

One of the principal benefits of the prestressed beams is it eliminates the crack from all the load stages. There is no crack which means the structure has a greater capacity to withstand loads, impacts, vibration and knocks and minimize the possibility the corrosion in steel which increases the durability of the construction.

Save Money

The tensile concrete allows using of large spans in construction due to the length of pieces which saves material and it is light in weight also. These tensile prestressed beams are using in places like an industrial warehouse which provide better light. It is also used in car parks as these plates allow greater separation. Between loading columns and resulting in saving of material and have large space.

Creative Design

These pieces are easier to use to make any beautiful architectural elements.

Production

The large-scale production of prestressed beams and hollow core slabs provide quality control. High production and minimum production cost which very helps full for large architectural buildings and other projects.

Construction

The construction speed is increased by using prestressed concrete. As the many parts of the building can assemble at the same time. And this helps both economically and also save time.

Fly Ash Bricks Composition

Here we provide information about fly ash bricks composition. We describe a process with which material you can manufacture fly ash bricks in less price. The fly ash bricks are made with mainly three different mixing ratios. The price of brick is mainly depending on which fly ash bricks mixing ratio is used.

The cost of fly ash bricks is depending on which composition is used. But whatever fly ash bricks mixing ratio is used and along with that, you have to maintain the quality too.

You can make quality bricks with using best mixing ratio and raw materials as per market requirements. Business is about how to increase profit by using the proper mixing ratio to manufacture fly ash brick at a low cost. Here we explain the 3 very trusted and proven mixing ratios to manufacture fly ash bricks.

  1. Mix Proportion for Fly Ash Brick Manufacturing

  1. Fly Ash – 55 to 60%
  2. Sand or Stone dust – 20 to 25%
  3. Sludge Lime – 15 to 22%
  4. Gypsum – 5%

The material is used to manufacture a fly ash brick is depend on raw material availability and requirement of bricks. It is suggested to use Sludge Lime as it is less expensive than Hydrated Lime. The above mixing ratio is more profitable mixing ratio than below two. The Sludge lime is waste material and costs less than hydrated lime. Sludge lime is usually wet and has lumps and it is used to make quality fly ash bricks.

  1. Mix Proportion for Fly ash brick Manufacturing

Here Hydrated lime is used instead of Sludge lime.

  1. Fly Ash – 57 to 65%
  2. River Sand or Stone dust – 18 to 27%
  3. Hydrated Lime – 9 to 12%
  4. Gypsum – 5%

This mixing ratio is widely used to make quality fly ash bricks. As hydrated lime is easily available this fly ash brick compositions are used by many fly ash brick manufacturers.

  1. Mix Proportion for Fly Ash Bricks Manufacturing with cement instead of gypsum and Lime

  1. Fly Ash 50 – 60%
  2. River Sand or Stone Dust – 30 to 40%
  3. Cement – 8 to 12%

In this mixing ratio, the cement is used instead of gypsum and lime. This ratio is not so used because it is costly and not preferred by entrepreneurs. The price of cement is more than gypsum and lime; thus, this mixing is used only when gypsum and lime are not available.

We Q Green Techon PVT LTD. Provide best quality fly ash making machines in India. Our machines are equipped with the latest technology to manufacture a maximum number of fly ash bricks. We have different types of fly ash making machines having various manufacturing capacity. We provide service both on-site and overcall also.

Cellular Lightweight Concrete Materials, Applications and Advantages

Cellular Lightweight Concrete is also known as CLC. In other words, CLC is also known as foamed concrete. The CLC is widely used for construction purposes as it has various advantages and usage than the traditional concrete bricks.

The foamed concrete is manufactured from mixing of Portland cement, sand, fly ash, water and performed foam in varied proportions. This CLC (Cellular Lightweight Concrete) can be produced at building sites with the use of machines and molds used for normal concrete.

Cellular Lightweight Concrete Materials

One of an important characteristic of foamed concrete is it has self-compacting property as there is no compaction is required. And also, it easily flows out from the pump to fill the mold. With this property is can be pumped to maximum distance and height.

Structure of Cellular Lightweight Concrete

Cellular Lightweight Concrete contains Foam, Fly ash and Cement.

First is Foam: The foam is generated from Foam generator and it produces foam by using an appropriate agent. The air is maintained at 40 to 80 percent of total volume. The size of differs is from 0.1 to 1.5 mm in diameter. The main raw material is used to generate Gentile and organic substance.

Fly ash: Fly ash is generally a waste product form Industries. And the main thing is fly ash is not easily disposed of. As the fly ash is an important ingredient of CLC solves the issue of its disposal and it is also very economical. And this makes also foamed concrete as environment-friendly.

Cement: Cellular lightweight concrete is a homogenous combination of Portland cement, cement-silica, cement-pozzolana, lime-pozzolana, lime-silica pastes all have same cell structure and it is obtained from gas-forming chemicals of foaming agents at measured levels.

Concrete Materials

How to manufacture Cellular Lightweight Concrete

  • The clc batches are manufactured by mixing the raw material in the concrete mixer. The strength changes with the used material and air pocket content.
  • For continuous cellular lightweight concrete is manufactured by mixing light mortar and preformed foam under pressure in a special static mixer.

density of Cellular Light weight Concrete

Density is measured in kg per m3. The regular density of concrete is 2400 kg/m3. And the foamed concrete density ranges between 400 kg/m3 to 1800 kg/m3.

In the Cellular lightweight concrete, the density is increased by foam filling and it is generated by foam-generator. The using of fly ash in CLC decrease the density but it did not affect the overall strength and structure.

Cellular Lightweight Concrete

Density

Foamed concrete is made in various ranges for a different purpose.

  • Lower density (400-600 kg/m3): This type of low-density CLC is ideal for thermal and sound insulations. These density CLC resist against fire, termite and moisture. And it is also used as a substitute for glass wood, wood wool and thermocol.
  • Medium Density (800-1000 kg/m3): These density bricks are used for manufacture pre-cast blocks for non-load bearing brickwork. Size of these bricks is varied on different design and construction requirements.
  • High Density (1200-1800 kg/m3): This structural grade material used for

Construction of load-bearing walls and ceiling of low rise structures, the formation of partitioning walls, production of pre-cast blocks for load-bearing brickwork.

Advantages of CLC (Cellular Lightweight Concrete)

CLC has various advantages depends on their applications.

  • Lightweight
  • Fire Resistant
  • Thermal Insulation
  • Sound absorption and Acoustical Insulation
  • Environmentally Friendly
  • Cost-Efficient
  • Termite free and resist freezing issues.

Lightweight: CLC is lightweight which helps in weight management of building material and craning work.

Fire Resistance: The air pockets in the structure are mainly responsible for high fire resistance. The high density of clc walls can last for hours in fire.

Thermal Insulation: The low-density foamed concrete is perfect for thermal insulation. At this density, it has a density that supports structure.

Sound Absorption: Low density increases acoustical insulation.

Environmentally Friendly: Low weight fly ash concrete bricks use an industrial waste.

Cost-Effective: As it uses industrial waste but also save the production cost of concrete blocks. And it saves the construction cost.

Cellular lightweight concrete is termite-proof and resistant to freezing issues.

Application of Cellular Lightweight Concrete

  • CLC is preferable for thermal insulation as bricks and clocks instead of flat roofs and non-loading walls.
  • The low strength material is used for old sewer pipes, wells, unused cellars and basements, storage tanks, tunnels and subways.
  • It is also used to the built a heat-insulated light wall panel.
  • It maintains the acoustical balance of concrete.
  • Used in light heat resistant ceramic tiles.
  • Soil water drainage purposes.
  • It is used in a bridge to prevent freezing.
  • Also used for Perlite plaster and Perlite lightweight concrete.

What is the difference between Lightweight concrete and Aerated Concrete?

There is confusion between gas or aerated concrete. In aerated concrete the bubbles are formed chemically with the reaction of aluminum powder with calcium hydro oxide and other alkaline compounds.

Aerated concrete is a mixing of an air-entraining agent to concrete. The foam concrete is manufactured with a different technique.

The CLC has different properties for various requirements thus it is widely used for building projects around the world. It is also contributing to preventing the air, water and noise pollution.

This CLC brick has both properties and profitable and its fire-resistance makes it more preferable as construction material by builders and architects.

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