The complexity of building a house, cottage or just a building for office space is determined by several factors. Among them - the choice of the project, the development of communication systems, the calculation of the necessary building material and other components, determining the type of foundation. Also noteworthy is the question of the number of external corners of the structure. Creating a project with six or less corners belongs to the category of simple construction work. When building a house with corners, the number of which is from six and above, the process will be long-term and time-consuming. A prerequisite for the success of such a project will be the connection to the work of a professional bricklayer.

Masonry of expanded clay concrete blocks for walls:

One of the simplest in construction will be the laying of expanded clay concrete blocks for a single-layer wall. To create use walls of expanded clay blocks, foam concrete, ceramics or hollow bricks with insulating material. Some bricks and hollow claydite-concrete blocks are to be laid on a heat-saving mixture. In addition, manufacturers of building materials offer a wide selection of special molds that can be used when making crowns and lintels of ceilings. The inclusion of forms in the process of walling greatly facilitates the work. The indisputable advantage of single-layer walls is the simplicity of plastering in a proven way. Also, the advantages include a high level of thermal insulation and rapid wall forcing. A single-layer wall can be treated with a solution of cement and lime, which significantly reduces the cost of the interior decoration process.

The next in increasing complexity and cost of work is the laying of expanded clay concrete blocks for a two-layer wall. The carrier layer is usually laid out of expanded clay concrete blocks or the same hollow ceramic brick with a thickness of at least twenty or forty centimeters. A second insulation layer is installed outside. To do this, use polystyrene or mineral wool. The creation of thermal insulation from the inside is made by laying out a thin layer of plaster mix. This process is the most laborious. The successful construction of a two-layer wall from expanded clay concrete blocks is ensured by the use of all components from one manufacturer. Only under these conditions can we expect guaranteed good quality and aesthetics of the facade. The main advantages of a two-layer wall include thermal insulation and the absence of thermal bridges.

The laying of expanded clay concrete blocks for a three-layer wall uses proven technologies. The first layer is a bearing, laid out of expanded clay concrete blocks or hollow ceramic bricks. External insulation is carried out using facade bricks, stone or clinker bricks. A protective wall is being built with a thickness of at least ten centimeters. An accurate calculation of the masonry of a three-layer wall of expanded clay concrete blocks is required. Especially at the joints of the walls, during the installation of insulation. It is especially important not to miscalculate the air ventilation in the walls of the facade. The beauty of three-layer walls, as well as practicality and technical parameters attract professional builders.

One of the most popular building materials is expanded clay concrete. Sex screeds are made from it, and walls and partitions are filled with it.

Most often, blocks are made from this material - individual elements created for the construction of structures.

Wall thickness from expanded clay concrete blocks can be different. This parameter depends on the size of the product itself, for what purpose the unit is used, and on the terrain in which you use it.

Features of expanded clay blocks and material properties

Expanded clay is a natural material that is made from carbon clay by firing at high temperatures, resulting in the formation of separate fractions. The smaller the fraction, the higher the value of the material.

The product itself has good indicators of thermal conductivity, it is often used, warming them with building floors and frame walls. But most often with the addition of expanded clay and concrete, they produce blocks that are very popular both among professional builders and ordinary people who plan to build their own home.

They can be created both at specialized enterprises and independently, most importantly, have the appropriate forms for pouring the product and know the proportions and production technologies. This material has certain characteristics, which can be found in detail in the table below.

Block constructions of a bearing wall and various partitions are mounted much faster than brick ones and have a lower cost (for material costs). Despite the fact that visually, the brick seems to be a more complete product, the density of expanded clay blocks is much higher.

The product in question is most often produced in two types:

• septum block;
• wall.

Expanded clay block, designed for external and load-bearing walls, is created with a size of 390 x 190 x 188 mm, and a product designed to create partitions between rooms in rooms is 390 x 190 x 90 mm. When purchasing expanded clay concrete blocks as a material for erecting the exterior walls of houses and various buildings, one should take into account the factor that it includes all environmentally friendly materials that do not emit harmful impurities.

The choice of masonry for the exterior wall of the house

Almost every owner when building his house is faced with the question: “How thick is the outer wall to make?”, An unequivocal answer to it is not always easy to get. Since its thickness depends on the masonry, which is used in the construction. The masonry, in turn, is different in different regions of the country, depending on climatic conditions.

In addition, the outer wall is not always created only from expanded clay blocks. In the cold regions of the country, so that there is a minimum wall thickness, use combined masonry. In addition to blocks, various (stone wool, polystyrene foam) and brick are involved in them.

Only after the final choice of the masonry option is it worth starting the calculation of the thickness of the expanded clay concrete wall.

There are certain postulates and rules that should always be taken into account and observed when organizing walls of expanded clay blocks. These include:

• when laying the supporting wall with ordinary, the external masonry should be at least 40 cm thick;
• if the premises are laid out in large blocks of expanded clay concrete with a size of 590 x 290 x 200 mm, then the outer wall is erected with a thickness of 60 cm, and the insulation is laid in special gaps.

When choosing and forming a wall cake, each owner should take into account such a parameter as the coefficient of thermal conductivity. It is available in every building material used for the construction of walls.

How to calculate wall thickness?

For self-construction of a building it is not enough to know , how the external wall will be built, and from what materials it will be made, it follows that each owner will learn how to calculate the thickness of the structure. They can vary significantly depending on the construction site and the parameters of the materials used.

The main parameters for calculating the thickness of the outer walls is the thermal conductivity coefficient and the coefficient of heat transfer resistance.

The coefficient of thermal conductivity λ has each material depending on the thickness of the product used. The heat transfer resistance coefficient is designated as Rreg, and directly depends on the area where the structure will be built. Each region has its own coefficient; it can be found in various construction documents (Construction Norms and Regulations and State Standards).

The wall thickness is denoted as δ and equals:

δ \u003d λ * Rreg. For more information on how to lay walls from blocks, see this video:

In our country, there are certain established procedures that many builders who build houses from expanded clay concrete blocks adhere to. They believe that the walls of this material in the northern regions should be at least 60 cm, in the central - 40-60 cm, and in the southern 20 - 40 cm.

Summing up the written material, it should be said that in order to erect a structure, it is necessary to qualitatively calculate all the parameters, including the wall thickness of expanded clay concrete.

This material is now used in construction more often than many others, so it’s worth digging through the literature and finding the required values \u200b\u200bif the goal is to create a reliable and warm home.

Expanded clay is called one of the types of concrete. Recently, it has become quite often used in construction work: the construction of cottages, farm buildings, garages. It is also used to fill the frame for multi-storey buildings, which are built of reinforced concrete.
This material has become so popular that it is already difficult to imagine a country in which it would not be used by builders. More precisely, claydite-concrete wall blocks made in advance are used.
The thickness of the surface, finished with expanded clay concrete block, mainly depends on which option you choose masonry. Each option, in turn, depends on weather and climatic conditions. It also takes into account how heavily the building is operated. When the construction is capital, often not only one claydite concrete blocks can be used. In addition, bricks, foam slag stones are used. The thickness of future masonry will depend on what kind of insulation is required for a particular building. Various heat-conducting and moisture-repellent characteristics of the insulation will also be taken into account.
Depending on the choice of masonry, you will calculate the thickness of the walls, which is made of ceramic blocks. Moreover, the outer and inner layer of the finishing plaster applied to the wall will be taken into account:
The first option: if the supporting wall is laid out in blocks of 390: 190: 200 millimeters, then the masonry should be laid with a thickness of 400 millimeters, not counting the layers of internal plaster and insulation that is outside.
The second option: if the design of the load-bearing wall consists of blocks measuring 590: 290: 200 millimeters, then the wall should be exactly 600 millimeters. In this case, a heater should fill in special voids in the blocks between the walls.
The third option: if you decide to use a claydite-concrete block with a size of 235: 500: 200 millimeters, then the wall thickness will be 500 millimeters. Plus add layers of plaster to the calculations on both sides of the wall.
Thermal conductivity is a property of a material that characterizes the process of heat transfer from warm to cool objects. This is known to everyone since the lessons of physics.
Thermal conductivity in the calculations is expressed through a special coefficient. It takes into account the parameters of the bodies between which heat is transferred, the amount of heat, and time. This coefficient shows how much heat can be transferred over one hour from one body to another, which are one meter thick and one square meter square.
Different characteristics have their effect on the thermal conductivity of each material. These include the size, type, presence of voids of the material or substance, its chemical composition. Humidity, air temperature also affect this process. For example, low thermal conductivity is observed in porous materials and substances.
For each specific building, its own wall thickness is measured. It varies depending on the purpose of the building. For a residential building, the thickness norm will be exactly 64 centimeters. This is all spelled out in special building codes. True, some people think differently: that the bearing wall of a residential building can be 39 centimeters thick. In fact, such calculations are more suitable for a summer house, a country cottage, a garage, and buildings for household purposes. It is possible to erect interior wall finishes of such a thickness.
Calculation Example
Very important is the moment of accurate calculation. It is necessary to take into account the optimal thickness of the walls, which are made of expanded clay concrete blocks. To achieve the result, use a very simple one-step formula.
Builders, in order to solve this formula, must know two quantities. The first to know the coefficient of thermal conductivity, about which it was said earlier. In the formula, it is written through the sign "λ". The second quantity to consider is the heat transfer resistance coefficient. This value depends on many factors, for example, on the weather conditions of the area where the building is located. The area in which the building will then be used is also an important factor. This value in the formula will look like "Rreg". It can be determined by the norms and rules of construction.
The value in the formula that we need to find, namely the thickness of the wall under construction, we denote by the symbol "δ". As a result, the formula will look like this:
As a result, after solving this formula:
δ \u003d 3 x 0.19 \u003d 0.57 m.
we understand that wall thickness should be 57 centimeters.
δ \u003d Rreg x λ
To give an example, you can calculate the thickness of the wall under construction in the city of Moscow and its region. The value of Rreg for this region of the country has already been calculated, officially established in the special rules and regulations of construction. Thus, it is 3-3.1. And the size of the walls can be taken for any example, since you will already be counting yours on the spot. The thickness of the block can be completely different. For example, it will be possible to take 0.19 W / (m * ⁰С).
Experienced builders, experts recommend making the wall thickness from forty to sixty centimeters, if the building is located in such central regions of Russia as Moscow, St. Petersburg.

It is important to ensure proper thermal insulation at home. This will prevent premature destruction of load-bearing structures and reduce heating costs. In the building materials market, there are now many products for creating wall fences. All of them have different thermal insulation properties. Next, the question is examined whether it is necessary to insulate expanded clay concrete external walls and how to conduct it.

Material characteristics in terms of heat engineering

The thermal conductivity of the material is highly dependent on its density. Among expanded clay blocks, the following classification can be given:

Comparative characteristics of the thermal insulation properties of various materials

• construction materials - density 1200 - 1800 kg / m3;
• structural and heat-insulating - density 500-1000 kg / m3.

The thermal conductivity of structural materials is comparable to ordinary ceramic bricks, so the wall should have a sufficiently large thickness for heat engineering. Structural and heat-insulating types have characteristics similar to “warm” porous ceramics. The thickness of the walls of the house at the same time turns out to be smaller, but for private housing construction it can be further reduced through the use of effective heaters.

Materials for thermal insulation

Now manufacturers offer a fairly large range of heat insulators. To protect the walls, you can use:

• mineral wool (plates and mats);
• styrofoam;
• extruded polystyrene foam (penoplex);
• polyurethane foam;
• ecowool;
• “Warm” plaster.

The most common of these methods are mineral wool and polystyrene foam (polystyrene and foam). Their thermal insulation characteristics are approximately equal.

Thermotechnical calculation

When buying blocks, the manufacturer should always indicate their properties. The thickness is calculated, and its performance will require a characteristic such as thermal conductivity. There are two ways to perform this calculation:

• "manually";
• using special programs.

Self-calculation is not difficult to perform, but in a person who does not have a building education, it can cause difficulties. It’s best to take advantage of the non-complicated Teremok program, which works in two modes:

• counting the thickness of one of the layers of the wall structure;
• checking heat transfer resistance if thickness has already been selected.

To work with software, the following initial data will be required:

• thermal conductivity of expanded clay concrete blocks;
• width of blocks;
• thermal conductivity of a heater;
• insulation thickness (not needed if the program is in the first mode).

Having selected the values, you can start warming the walls of the house.

Production technology

First of all, you need to determine which side to fix the material. Insulating walls from expanded clay concrete blocks from the outside is the most competent solution. It is possible to carry out work from the inside, but only if fixing the heat insulator from the outside will cause great inconvenience and lead to increased labor and financial costs.

The process of protecting a wall heater depends on its type. For various materials, the technology has slight differences, so it is worth considering each of them separately.

Mineral wool is attached to a pre-installed frame. Work should be carried out in the following order:

• wall surface cleaning;
• vapor barrier mount;
• installation of the frame;
• installation of insulation;
• waterproofing;
• facade decoration with the provision of an air-ventilated layer, at least 5 cm thick.

The interlayer is needed to drain the condensate from the insulation, which loses its properties when wet.

Polyfoam and foam

Fastening materials is the same. The arrangement of the layers is the same as in the previous case, the only difference is that the installation of the frame and the presence of a ventilated layer are not required. Penoplex is resistant to moisture, so you can do without vapor barrier. The external wall of the house is made of expanded clay concrete blocks simultaneously in two ways:

• on special adhesive for expanded polystyrene;
• on the dowel.

First you need to cut the sheets, then try on them in size. After that, glue is applied to the material. It is necessary to glue polystyrene foam with dressing so that there are no extended vertical seams. Once gluing is completed, the thermal insulation outside the house is additionally fixed with plastic dowels.

The use of expanded clay concrete in the construction of external walls, partitions and ceilings is a common practice, this masonry material is appreciated for its strength, good insulation properties, compliance with safety standards and stability characteristics. The thickness of building structures, the size and number of blocks, determines the calculation, taking into account their functional purpose and performance indicators of a particular brand. In this case, the main reference point is the manufacturer's data and the requirements of SNIP 23-02-2003.

To calculate this value in relation to structures in contact with the external environment or areas with different temperature conditions, a simple formula is used: δ \u003d R ge g · λ, where λ is an indicator of the thermal conductivity of expanded clay blocks, and R ge g is the heat transfer resistance coefficient determined empirically and depending on the climatic conditions of the region and the type of premises (unheated or residential). For the Moscow Region, its official value varies between 3-3.1 m² · ° C / W, Murmansk and the northern strip - 3.63, southern cities - 2.3.

The exact value for a particular large settlement is taken from the tables, it is considered averaged over the region and is suitable for use in calculations to determine wall thickness for nearby objects.

Given this parameter and the approximate thermal conductivity of blocks with a strength class of at least B3.5 within 0.19-0.21 W / m · ° C in central Russia, the external walls of houses with single-layer continuous masonry should be made at least 57 cm thick. In practice, the value of this indicator is always higher, the minimum recommended norm for these regions is 64 cm. Deviation to the lower side is permissible only for rarely used buildings: baths, summer residences, garages or workshops; to protect the facades from freezing, it is recommended to cover 5 cm with a heater layer .

When calculating the thickness of the partitions, the key factors are the requirements of acoustic comfort and their expected self-supporting abilities. In the absence of the need for fastening heavy furniture or equipment on them, a normative minimum of 190 mm will be sufficient if the elements with good sound absorption are used - hollow or lightweight, based on highly porous expanded clay granules. If you need a simple separation of the internal space, thinner products (90-100 mm) are used. When laying bearing partitions, the width is increased to 40 cm.

Factors of influence on the wall thickness of expanded clay concrete blocks

Based on the foregoing, the dimensions directly depend on two criteria: climatic conditions of use (the greater the difference between the temperature in the street and the specified range inside, the higher the coefficient of resistance to heat transfer) and the thermal conductivity of the material. In the case of expanded clay concrete, the latter is closely related to the density grade, size, number of voids and degree of moisture. The best thermal insulation indicators are slotted stones with a specific gravity of up to 700-1200 kg / m3, the worst are solid with a high proportion of heavy sand and small granules in the composition.

At first glance, reducing the thickness is very simple - by using lightweight and hollow blocks. But due to the inevitable decrease in strength, this method is suitable only for partitions and frame houses, but not for external capital walls. As a result, when constructing a building in a cold climate, the builder has two options: to make the thickness within the design limits, thereby increasing the load on the base, or to insulate. The second is recognized as more effective, depending on the location and method of location of the insulating layer distinguish:

1. Well masonry from two parallel walls of the same size from expanded clay blocks connected by reinforcement. The advantage of this option is the possibility of using both bulk materials or low-density hardening foams and board varieties as insulation.
2. Three-layer with external thermal insulation and subsequent cladding with brick or partitioned products from expanded clay concrete. The difference from the previous scheme is in a different way of fixing the insulation and a thinner external wall.
3. Systems with ventilation facades attached to single-row masonry. This option is one of the most popular, with a standard thickness of the elements its width varies within 20 cm. This allows you to significantly reduce the weight load on the foundation and make it less massive. The insulation in such cases always has a rigid and slab form, the lath for fastening the cladding is laid in advance.
4. Walls with a thickness of 20-40 cm (in 1 or 1.5 blocks, respectively), without porous or fibrous insulation, coated on one or both sides with a thick layer of heat-insulating plaster.

The nuances of laying products from expanded clay concrete

After determining the dimensions of the structures and choosing the method of dressing (single-layer in a half-block, in a block, two connected walls with a heater in the middle or other options), it is recommended to make an accurate diagram taking into account the thickness of the joints and the need for reinforcement. The calculation of the number of elements and the volume of the connective solution is carried out in advance, as the last selected classic cement-sand or specialized ready-made mixtures. It is advised to carry out installation work in the warm season, the base under the rows is reliably isolated from soil moisture by rolled materials and a 20-30 mm layer of centralized printing.