The industrial production of autoclaved aerated concrete YTONG in our country began in 1989, dictated by the need to solve the environmental and energy problems of society. These masonry blocks quickly became an indispensable construction product due to their qualities and the ease of working with them. All blocks are 60 centimeters long and 25 cm high. Only their thickness is variable - between 5 and 35 cm. This achieves absolute compatibility between the individual elements.
WHAT IS YTONG MADE OF?
Sand with a high quartz content is the raw material with the largest share in the composition of autoclaved aerated concrete - over 60% of its weight.
Next comes cement, which accounts for 20% of the product content, quicklime - with a share of 15%, a small amount of raw gypsum - no more than 5%, aluminum paste - 0.1% and of course water. The raw materials used have a huge share in the construction of the earth's crust and their natural reserves are practically inexhaustible. However, they are used wisely and sparingly.
HOW IS YTONG MADE?
The preparation of the starting materials begins with the sieving and mixing of the sand with natural gypsum and water. This is followed by precise dosing, monitored electronically, more water is added and the resulting mixture is thoroughly homogenized by intensive stirring. In the last 20 seconds of this process, the pore-forming substance is added – a paste of extremely fine aluminum particles. They react chemically with the quicklime and as a result, hydrogen gas is released.
The finished mixture is poured into metal formwork molds with a volume of about 6 cubic meters, where it is aged for a certain time. The released hydrogen bubbles create numerous small spherical pores in the lime-cement-sand mixture. It swells, increasing its volume almost 3 times and gaining initial strength. Then the large blocks are cut to the specified sizes using tensioned steel strings.
The cut blocks are placed on steel grates and moved to the autoclaves, where the main chemical processes of mineral formation and gaining final strength of the material take place.
After the hardening process is complete, they cool smoothly and the product is now completely ready.
WHERE CAN YTONG BE USED?
YTONG blocks are used for building internal partition walls and external – non-load-bearing or load-bearing walls. They are an excellent material for building bathtubs or building low podiums for laying pipelines in bathrooms. They can be easily cut into variously shaped details for building fireplaces, barbecues, various arches and other decorative elements. There are also quite a few successful projects for using the blocks as a material for building masonry furniture – the sides and tops of kitchen cabinets, bar counters, countertops, etc.
The dividing walls between individual homes and apartments are made double-layered, and for better noise insulation, it is desirable to leave a 40 mm wide cavity between the two walls, which can be filled with mineral wool.
HOW TO BUILD WITH YTONG?
Masonry with YTONG cellular concrete blocks is easy and fast, while the masonry is built in a traditional way using conventional hand tools. The extremely precise dimensions of the blocks make the work of the masons as easy as possible. Due to its easy workability and low weight, YTONG cellular concrete is a material widely preferred by craftsmen. Of course, the rules for the implementation of this type of masonry must be strictly observed.
Each block is leveled and its verticality is checked. Glue is necessarily applied to all vertical joints. The correct geometry and precise dimensions of the YTONG blocks allow them to be connected with an adhesive solution, with the thickness of the joint ranging between 1 and 3 mm.
The YTONG blocks are placed tightly next to each other, tapping them with a rubber hammer.
If necessary, they are easily cut and processed with a saw for cutting cellular concrete.
The adhesive of the required consistency is spread in an even thin layer over the entire surface of the rows with the appropriate notched trowel. To obtain quality masonry, all joints - vertical and horizontal, must be well filled. The blocks are leveled continuously. At a certain distance, usually at the third row in height, the walls are fixed to the existing building elements. This can be done, for example, with metal plates, galvanized nails and dowels. In this way, the new wall will be like a natural continuation of the old one and no cracks will appear between the two masonry. Then the masonry continues, ensuring that the gap between the vertical joints is not less than 10 centimeters.
The easy workability of the blocks allows them to be cut to precise dimensions.
The excellent mechanical workability of cellular concrete combined with low weight, the large format of the blocks and the use of adhesive compositions significantly reduce the time required for the execution of the masonry.
HOW TO CUT YTONG?
Cutting the aerated concrete blocks is done easily and quickly using a saw with carbide-tipped teeth. If necessary, inaccuracies in the masonry process are corrected with a special planer or sanding board.
ADVANTAGES OF YTONG BLOCKS?
Due to the many advantages of YTONG blocks, their increasingly frequent use in Bulgarian construction has been observed in recent years. The main reason for this is that construction with them is extremely fast. The large size and low weight of the individual units are one of the reasons, another is the ability to save time for installing thermal insulation, thanks to the thermal insulation properties of aerated concrete. A characteristic of YTONG is its strong porous structure, obtained as a result of the hydrogen released during the reaction of aluminum powder with the other ingredients. As a result of their porous structure, aerated concrete elements reach a thermal conductivity coefficient of 0.16 - 0.20 W/m°C, which provides good thermal insulation of the building with a wall thickness greater than 30 cm.
Another feature of YTONG blocks is their ability to absorb airborne noise. One of the reasons for their great popularity is the possibility of building oval and any atypical shapes, because cutting them and forming elements of different shapes is very easy with a suitable saw. The uniformity of the blocks, the zero possibility of breakage when cutting or planing are the reason for both the accuracy of the dimensions of the cut bodies and the reduced labor intensity of finishing work on walls made of aerated concrete walls.
YTONG has good strength and deformation properties (compressive strength 2.5-7.5 MPa), which allows its use for load-bearing walls. Walls built of aerated concrete blocks place significantly less load on the building structure (from 2.1 to 3.7 times) compared to walls made of ceramic blocks, which in many cases is a significant advantage, especially when reconstructing existing buildings. The use of YTONG leads to a reduction in construction costs due to savings in reinforcement and concrete. At the same time, the seismic resistance of the building increases.
Autoclaved aerated concrete is a long-lasting material and the walls built with it are not inferior to brick ones in terms of durability. In addition, aerated concrete is non-combustible and due to this property it provides good fire protection for the premises. In addition, thanks to its porous structure and good vapor permeability, it allows the walls to "breathe" and the humidity in the premises to be maintained naturally.
According to their chemical composition, YTONG blocks can also be defined as an artificially created stone. It contains practically no free calcium oxide (quicklime) and quartz. Therefore, they are distinguished by a constant volume and there is no threat of corrosion caused by the influence of water. This is because aerated concrete practically does not contain soluble components that could be extracted during prolonged wetting or soaking in water. Unlike concretes with quartz-containing fillers, YTONG materials do not crack even at extremely high temperatures due to the polymorphic transformation of quartz, accompanied by an increase in its volume.
In addition, they have good frost resistance, which allows the external surfaces of the walls to remain without moisture-protecting plaster for several years, while the construction of the building continues, without even causing surface destruction.
YTONG does not age, does not change its structure and chemical composition over time. Protected with cement-lime-sand plasters applied on their outside, walls with these blocks have a practically unlimited life.
HOW YTONG LABORATORY DEbunked THREE MYTHS
At a special media meeting under the title of YTONG Laboratory, experts from the manufacturer of cellular concrete in our country, XELA Bulgaria, as well as independent specialists, using the most modern measuring equipment, demonstrated the qualities of the energy-efficient building material. In this way, they refuted some myths surrounding it, as YTONG sometimes encounters resistance in the inertial thinking of builders and consumers who have difficulty accepting modern products.
Here are the three myths that "fell victim" to the demonstration:
Myth #1: YTONG absorbed water
Fact: YTONG cellular concrete absorbs water much more slowly than all commonly used building materials. In the YTONG Laboratory, a block of cellular concrete was placed in water for about 20 minutes together with a standard ceramic brick. The experiment clearly showed that despite its porous structure, YTONG absorbs noticeably less moisture than a classic brick.
Myth #2: YTONG was radioactive
Fact: Specialists from the Dial EOOD laboratory in Buhovo measured the natural radiation in the room where the YTONG Laboratory took place, and then in the YTONG blocks. In the blocks, the measuring devices recorded radiation lower than the natural background in the room and many times lower than the norms in Bulgaria.
Myth #3: YTONG needed additional thermal insulation
Fact: A comparative experiment was conducted with cellular concrete and high-class ceramic bricks, which proved the superiority of YTONG as the material with the lowest thermal conductivity of all masonry materials. Specialists from Hexagon Build followed the experiment with a thermal camera and proved the excellent thermal insulation ability of YTONG.
WHAT DO WE OFFER?
With us you can find aerated concrete blocks with thicknesses of 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 200, 250 and 300 mm. As we have already indicated, manufacturers have “nailed” the length at 60 cm and the height at 25 cm in order to achieve absolute compatibility between the individual elements. YTONG blocks have the following reliable characteristics: density - 440 kg/m3, declared strength: 2.5 MPa, thermal conductivity coefficient λ10 dry = 0.12 W/mK.
Our prices are affordable.
