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Do-it-yourself arbolite blocks: we make arbolite blocks ourselves at home. Making wood concrete with your own hands: production technology and independent work How wood concrete is produced

When it comes to reliable, economical and inexpensive building materials, one of the first to come to mind is arbolite blocks. They make warm and comfortable houses. They are made from available cheap raw materials. In addition, wood concrete blocks can be made with your own hands without overpaying for finished industrial products.

Properties and scope of application of arbolite blocks

Arbolite blocks - wall material group of lightweight concrete used in low-rise (up to 3 floors) construction. Their standard size 200x300x500 mm. Most manufacturers offer a wider range of standard sizes. Residential buildings, low-rise commercial buildings, technical buildings, and outbuildings are used from arbolite blocks.

Residential buildings, commercial and technical buildings, and outbuildings are built from arbolite blocks.

In wood concrete, like building material, a huge number of advantages:

With proper production and use of wood concrete blocks, you will achieve savings on several expense items at once: a lightweight foundation, no additional thermal insulation, reduced heating costs, and a minimum of waste during construction.

The disadvantages of building materials include:

You can protect the building from attacks by mice and rats by pouring high foundation(0.5 m above ground level) or by reinforcing the plaster with a metal mesh.

What is wood concrete made from?

To produce wood concrete blocks you will need the following components:

• wood chips;
• chemical additives;
• cement;
• water.

Requirements for the size of wood chips according to GOST - length up to 25 mm, width 5–10 mm, thickness 3–5 mm

You can take chips of a different size, shavings, sawdust. But remember that too large a fraction reduces the strength characteristics of the block, and a small fraction increases its thermal conductivity.

Experience shows that the most durable wood concrete block is obtained from an elongated needle-shaped filler.

Usually the raw material is pure pine and spruce wood, sometimes hardwood. Chips make up 80–90% of the total volume, which is why the material is often called wood concrete.

The wood concrete block consists of 80–90% wood, so it can be easily cut with a chainsaw

The wood is well dried - humidity no more than 23%. The inclusion of bark and wane up to 10% is allowed. The inclusion of leaves, pine needles, and straw is undesirable.

When selecting filler, proceed from the purpose of the future building. If you intend to build a residential building, the quality of the raw materials is of paramount importance. Wall material for outbuildings can be made from third-rate raw materials, including any plant waste. They just need to be crushed and dried well.

A chemical additive is necessary for the mineralization of wood chips - neutralizing the sugars and resins contained in wood fibers. These natural substances prevent adhesion cement mortar with wood and impair its bonding. For mineralization the following are used:

• sodium sulfate ( liquid glass).
• aluminum sulfate.
• aluminum chloride.
• calcium chloride.

Chemical additives can be used individually or in pairs in a 1:1 combination.

You can further improve the adhesion of chips and chips with 15% lime milk before drying them. Fill the raw materials with a solution at the rate of 200 liters of solution per 1 m³. Let stand for 4 days, stirring the mixture 3-4 times a day. Then spread the filler onto outdoors and stir occasionally. The drying process takes 3–4 months.

Cement should be taken only grade M500, or, as a last resort, M400. It has maximum binding properties, hydrophobicity, and strength.

Calculation of raw material consumption

Calculate the required amount of wood concrete based on the total area load-bearing walls minus the area of ​​the openings.

• If you intend to make standard blocks of 20x30x50 cm, then one block in the plane of the wall occupies 0.20 x 0.50 = 0.1 m².
• Dividing the total area of ​​the walls in m² by 0.1 m², you will get the number of wood concrete blocks in pieces.
• The amount of finished wall material is measured in cubic meters. The volume of one block is 0.03 m³.
• 1 m³ of wood concrete consists of 33 blocks.

To produce 1 m³ of wood concrete you will need:

• 250–300 kg of Portland cement.
• 250–300 kg of dry filler.
• 400 liters of water.
• 8–10 kg of chemical additives.

Equipment and tools

There are machines for sale for making wood concrete blocks at home. They make labor-intensive work easier and faster, but are expensive. If you need wall material only for your home, and you are not afraid of the length of the process, you can do without expensive equipment.

You will need:

For the production of wood concrete, a forced-action concrete mixer is used

The mold is made from steel sheet or wooden formwork. Metal mold consists of two parts. The box is made of steel with a cross-section of 1.0–1.5 mm. Its size is 30 x 50 cm, height 30 cm. The lid is made of steel with a cross-section of 3.0 mm and measures 33 x 53 cm. Apply clearly visible marks on the inner walls of the box at a height of 20.5 cm from the bottom. It’s even better to weld hooks about 5 mm high along the mark line, which will fix the lid to the given block thickness.

The mold for wood concrete blocks is made of steel with a cross section of 1.0–1.5 mm

Wooden formwork can be made from edged boards: box with dimensions along the inner walls of 31 x 51 cm and a press lid 33 x 53 cm. Box height - 30 cm. Inner walls The boxes and the bottom of the lid should be covered with linoleum so that the concrete mass does not stick to their surface.

Instructions for self-production

Preparation of raw materials

1. Sift the wood chips through a fine sieve to remove dust, sand, and small inclusions.
2. Pour 6 buckets of filler into the concrete mixer. Start the drum.
3. Dissolve 300–400 ml of chemical additive in 1 bucket of water.
4. Slowly pour water into the rotating drum. Wait a few minutes until the wood chips are evenly moistened with the solution.
5. Add 1 bucket of dry cement M500 to the drum in small portions. Bring the mixture to a homogeneous state.

Molding

• Pour the finished mixture into a trough or tray, from where it will be convenient to scoop it up with a shovel.
• Cover the tray on which you will form the blocks with film.
• Place the mold in the corner of the tray.
• Using a shovel, fill the mold to the brim and compact the mixture with a block. Its shrinkage will be about 30%. If necessary, add concrete.
• Place the lid in the mold, tap it evenly with a hammer until it drops to the inner height marks of the block.
• Carefully, maintaining an upright position, remove the box from the unit.

If you first place a weight of 2–3 kg in the middle of the lid, protect the raw block from damage by the unexpectedly lifted lid.

• Remove the cover.
• Place the mold box 15–20 cm from finished product and start shaping the next one.

To obtain the highest quality blocks, stripping should be done no earlier than 24 hours after molding the product. During this time, the strength of the block will reach 30%. In this case, it is better to make several dozen wooden formworks, which can be removed and used every 2-3 days. The blocks will reach 100% strength after 30 days of storage in a warm place, protected from rain and wind.

Video: DIY wood concrete block

To make wood concrete blocks, you do not need special knowledge or specialized skills. And if you don't mind the time it takes to create custom pieces, the wall material you make will be as good as the blocks that came off the assembly line.

Arbolite, as a building material, was known back in the days of the USSR, factories were operating and houses were being built. After the collapse of the country, the technology was forgotten for some time, and a few years ago it was remembered again. The material is warm, light, durable, does not conduct sound well, and is also inexpensive. Therefore, wood concrete and wood concrete blocks (arbolite blocks) are increasingly of interest to private developers.

Let’s immediately determine that wood concrete and sawdust concrete are different materials With different characteristics. Wood concrete contains waste from the woodworking industry, but only in a strictly regulated size. There is no other filler anymore. Moreover, everything is prescribed in GOSTs and instructions. And the filler is not sawdust, but wood chips with dimensions recommended by the standard of no more than 40 * 10 * 5 mm.

Properties, advantages and disadvantages

For a private developer, when choosing a building material, the technical characteristics of the material are important. Let's look at wood concrete blocks from this side. So, the characteristics and their brief explanation:

The properties are very good. Another thing is that they will only be provided that the proportions and technology are strictly observed. This is why arblite blocks are dangerous: you don’t know how well they are made.

Performance characteristics

As you can see, the characteristics of the arboblock are quite good. Another plus is the low weight, big sizes and good ability to absorb sounds. A very big plus is that the blocks are easy to cut and can be easily given the desired shape. Another positive point— wood concrete holds nails and screws well. There are no problems on this side either.

• Shrinkage - 0.5-0.6%. This parameter shows how much the geometric dimensions of the wall will change under load. Wood concrete has one of the lowest rates.
• Water absorption 40-85%. This figure is very large. If you put an arbolite block in water, it can absorb a lot of water. For the developer, this means that care must be taken to ensure good waterproofing between the foundation and the first row of blocks. Also arbolite house necessary exterior decoration which will protect the material from moisture. It's not all that scary. It is much more important that the hygroscopicity of wood concrete is low (the ability to accumulate vaporous moisture). Even with very humid air, it does not become damp, but allows vapor to pass through itself, regulating the humidity in the room.
• Fire resistance - class G1. Arbolite refers to materials that do not support combustion. This is their undoubted advantage.

If speak about technical specifications, then there is essentially one serious disadvantage - high water absorption. There is one more drawback, but it is from the field of operation. Mice love arbolite very much. The material is natural and warm. The problem can be solved by making a high base - no lower than 50 cm.

Technology for the production of arbolite blocks

Arbolite refers to lightweight concrete, the technology is almost standard, with the exception of some nuances: the need for pressing and the use of a forced concrete mixer when mixing, not an ordinary gravity one. It mixes the wood chips better with the other ingredients.

Compound

The composition of wood concrete includes four components:

• high-quality cement (M 400 or M 500);
• wood chips;
• water;
• chemical additives.

The cement must be dry and fresh. Chips are of a certain size. The less misgrading there is, the stronger the block will be. Chemical additives are calcium nitrate and calcium chloride ( food supplement E509), liquid glass, aluminum sulfate and some other substances. Please note that they are first diluted in water and only then added to the wood chips and mixed. Any drinking water is allowed, but not industrial water, without contamination. After the wood chips are evenly wet, cement is added. Any other sequence is not allowed.

Types and sizes of blocks

Depending on the density, wood concrete blocks are divided into thermal insulation (up to 500 kg/m 3) and structural (from 500 kg/m 3 to 850 kg/m 3). For construction one-story houses you can use the lightest structural ones with a density of 500 kg/m 3. For mansions of 1.5 and 2 floors, the minimum density is 600 kg/m3 and above.

The sizes of arbolite blocks can be different. The most common is 500*200 mm and different thicknesses - from 100 mm to 400-500 mm. But different factories and workshops produce blocks of different sizes. The molds for them can be welded from ordinary sheet iron, so this is not a problem. The photo shows an example of the assortment of one of the workshops.

As you can see, blocks of 600*200 mm and 600*250 mm are also available and thicknesses range from 100 to 500 mm. You can choose suitable ones for load-bearing walls and interior partitions. You can also make a suitable shape for making wood concrete blocks yourself. That is if you decide to make them yourself.

Proportions

Like any building material, wood concrete is divided into strength classes. For the construction of load-bearing walls of houses, the required strength class is B 2.5.

Quantity necessary materials per cubic meter of wood concrete mortar is in the table (photo above).

Pressing technologies

All these components are mixed and blocks are formed from them. There are several technologies:

• just by pressing:
  • manual on the floor (great effort required);
  • manual rammer on a vibrating table.
• pressing with vibration on a vibrating machine.

The easiest way to do this is by hand pressing. But it is difficult to control the density and strength of the resulting blocks in this way.

Normal production conditions

For the normal process of cement hydration, a temperature of at least +12°C is required. There are no other conditions. The peculiarity of production is that after molding the block, at least 2-3 weeks must pass before it can be used. During this time, the cement will gain about 50-60% strength (depending on temperature) and you can already work with the blocks. That is, blocks must be made long before construction begins. If you consider that wood chips must be left in storage for at least 4 months before being used, then you can start a year before construction.

Another practical point: if you are going to make wood concrete blocks with your own hands, in addition to a platform for mixing and storing components, you need a platform for settling the blocks. The place should be covered, protected from rain and sun. There should be no drafts either.

Wood chips: how to get or where to buy

The best wood chips for wood concrete are made from pine and spruce. You can also use larch, but when mixing it is necessary to double the amount of chemical additives. From hardwood GOST allows the use of aspen, beech, birch, and poplar. The remaining requirements are:

The best wood chips come from lump waste wood. It is first passed through chippers and then crushed in a hammer crusher. The following mechanisms can be used for this:

• Disc chippers with adjustable knives. Not all of them can be adjusted to produce chips of the required size, but the sizes will be close.
• Rotary knife crushers. They produce narrow and not wide chips, and the length is adjustable. That is, this is - a good option. There is only one “but”: there are a lot of knives and if used for a long time, they need to be changed or welded (they don’t sharpen). As an advantage, we add that crushers of this type can be used for re-crushing process chips obtained during the first crushing (after reconfiguration).
• Shredders or roller grinders. This is expensive equipment (about 1 million rubles), mostly imported, but it is excellent because it is manufactured for specific chip sizes.

If making wood chips yourself is not an option, you can buy it. If possible, you can negotiate at the factory where wood concrete is produced. Just check the chip parameters. If there is none nearby, you can take chips from under the calibration machines. Some of them can be adjusted so that the chips are not thick.

Features of making mortar for arbolite blocks

Wood waste contains sugars. If you use fresh raw materials, the sugars may begin to ferment, which will cause the destruction of the integrity of the block. When mixing, chemical additives are added to the solution that neutralize their effects (liquid glass, calcium chloride, alumina sulfate, lime). They can be added in combinations: calcium chloride with liquid glass or alumina sulfate with lime. The total mass of additives should not exceed 8%.

There are other ways to break down sugars. The simplest, but requiring a long period of time, is to keep the wood chips in a pile for at least 90 days in the air. If it is not possible to wait, the wood chips are soaked in lime milk for 3 days, stirring occasionally. Then it is strained, not dried, and used in this form for kneading. Only in this case it is necessary to take into account that significantly less water will be required. This method works well, but it is very troublesome. It is easier to find an opportunity to purchase chemical additives.

The procedure and features of mixing the solution

To mix the solution, use a forced-type concrete mixer. You can also use a regular gravity or “pear”, but you have to knead in it for a long time, although you can adapt - tilt the pear as low as possible when kneading (it hardly mixes when raised).

First, sawdust is poured in and a certain amount of water is added. While the sawdust is getting wet, chemical additives are diluted in a small amount of water, then they are unloaded into a concrete mixer. When all the wood is uniformly wet, cement is poured. It is loaded in portions, waiting for uniform distribution throughout the entire volume. The cement should envelop each chip from all sides. This is only possible if the sawdust is well wet, so we monitor this stage carefully.

Block molding

The solution is poured into molds. Most often they are made of metal and are a box with handles without a bottom. The form is placed on a flat surface (a board, for example). When manually tamping, the molds are filled with wood concrete mortar, layer by layer, each of which is pressed with a metal platform with a handle. In order for the air to escape better, the thickness of the material is pierced several times. metal rod, after which they are pressed again. This procedure can be repeated several times until the desired layer density is reached, after which the next one can be poured. The layers are poured to the upper edge of the block, after final compaction the top is leveled, cutting off the excess with a metal strip.

You can use a lever - mechanical or driven. In this case, the force develops significant and the entire volume can be loaded at once, if necessary, adding to the edge. To achieve high density, you can press several times, now increasing and then weakening the pressure. Experience shows that with this principle of manufacturing arbolite blocks, they are more durable, and depressing (restoring shape due to the elastic force of the chips) is much less pronounced.

Better blocks in terms of strength and with less effort are obtained if vibration is added during the pressing process. In this case, the efforts required to obtain the required strength are reduced significantly. Vibrating tables are made for these purposes. And the process is called vibration with a weight.

The formed block on a stand is transferred to the drying place. If the solution allows and the block holds its shape, the frame can be removed. But sometimes homemade wood concrete blocks suffer from the fact that the solution turns out to be too liquid - this makes it easier to compact. In this case, the blocks are left in the mold for a day. Use and transportation of blocks is possible no earlier than 2-3 weeks after molding.

Features of the construction of their arbolite blocks

The blocks are laid like bricks - with bandaged seams, using cement-sand mortar. One of the features is the thickness of the seam - about 8-10 mm. Between the foundation and the first row of blocks it is necessary to make a very high-quality cut-off waterproofing. This will prevent moisture from leaking through the foundation from the soil. We do a combination of waterproofing - first we impregnate bitumen mastic or any other coating waterproofing, we lay roll waterproofing on top. In the past, roofing felt was always used, but today it is of low quality and will collapse in a couple of years. And it is important to prevent moisture leakage (due to the high water absorption of wood concrete), so use waterproofing or something similar. It is possible, in two layers, also coated with bitumen mastic.

The next nuance is the masonry above the window and doorways. It is best to use special U-shaped blocks in which to lay a reinforcing frame and 4 reinforcement bars with a diameter of 10-12 mm. It is better to tie it down so that there is less chance of corrosion. First, blocks with recesses are installed above the opening. They can be supported from below with a board and spacers. Then the frame is laid, everything is filled with concrete. Leave the structure for a day, after which the supports can be removed and masonry can continue.

There are many nuances of building a house from wood concrete blocks in the video.

Arbolite is light and fairly strong blocks of sawdust and cement, which are used as building material, garages and agricultural buildings. The technology for their production was invented in Holland in the 30s of the 20th century (Durisol is the original name). In our country, this material spread after the 60s.

If we are guided by patented Dutch technology and domestic GOST, then it is possible to produce high-quality wood concrete blocks only in industrial conditions. However this feature does not stop those who want to save their money cash. For several years now, this inexpensive, lightweight and durable building material has been successfully reproduced at home. To make high-quality wood concrete with your own hands, you just need to take into account some nuances that significantly affect the final result.

Wood concrete components

First important information required to make usable sawdust blocks concerns their composition. The main material is wood chips. Where to get it and what it should be like is briefly described below. The second component is the binder. Its role is usually played by cement, and the grade is selected no lower than 400. Well, the third component– water or lime mortar.

In industrial conditions, in addition to the above components, various additives are also used that have a positive effect on the strength and other characteristics of wood concrete blocks. To make the material at home, it will be enough to stock up on lime.

In some cases, adding liquid glass is practiced. However, this is not necessary. This component makes the blocks more durable, but at the same time fragile.

Where to get wood chips for making wood concrete blocks

Usually the main raw materials are taken from large sawmills. It is also now possible to purchase a special machine for crushing wood. In this case, you must adhere to certain conditions. Firstly, the length of the chips should be predominantly 25 millimeters. It is at this size that the wood will serve not only as a filler, but also as a reinforcing base.

Secondly, it is advisable to sift out various types of debris from the chips - earth, bark, large and ungrinded pieces of wood. In production, this procedure is performed using special vibrating sieves. At home, if the wood chips are very dirty, you can wash them in water. This will also get rid of dusty sawdust.

How to neutralize sugar in wood

The cellulose present in the wood chips will negatively affect the quality of wood concrete blocks in the future. To get rid of sugar at home, there are two completely available methods. The simplest of them is to keep the wood chips under open air with periodic turning. This procedure usually takes at least 3 months.

To speed up the process of neutralizing the sugar contained in wood, you can use lime mortar. The wood chips are kept in it for several hours. Upon completion of the procedure, the solution is not drained, but serves to prepare the mixture immediately before forming the blocks.

Preparation of wood concrete mixture

According to the same Dutch technology, it is impossible to mix high-quality raw materials from wood chips and cement in a regular concrete mixer. It takes a lot of time to achieve a uniform consistency without lumps. In production they are used for this forced mixing machines. However, as experience shows, the wood concrete mixture can be prepared even manually with an ordinary shovel, and this does not significantly affect the quality.

The order of work should be approximately as follows. About 5–7 portions of wood chips soaked in lime mortar are placed in a concrete mixer. 3-4 portions of cement are also loaded there. If you plan to add any chemical components, then they are also added at this stage, taking into account the proportions. After loading, everything is thoroughly mixed.

You can check the correct preparation of the wood concrete mixture by touch. If it is slightly crumbly and holds its shape after being squeezed in a fist, then everything is done correctly.

Molding of arbolite blocks

How to produce without defects? There are two ways to get the job done. If you buy a special molding machine, then no problems should arise. More budget option is the piece production of blocks. For this, wooden boxes with a removable bottom are assembled. The inside of the form is upholstered with linoleum or thick polyethylene. To make the loaded mass easier to remove after drying, the finish is pre-coated with a soap solution.

After loading the wood concrete mixture into the molds, the products are allowed to brew for 10 days at a temperature not lower than 15 °C. If the weather is colder, then the time should increase. At the same time, negative air temperatures are unacceptable.

In addition, to achieve maximum strength, it is recommended to cover sawdust concrete blocks plastic film. This will make the hydration process more efficient.

More about production tools

Engage in production quality material impossible without:

1. Wood chip cutter. Also called a hammer crusher. The estimated price of a new machine is 45-50 thousand rubles. The wood chip cutter produces wood chips that are easy to produce (length no more than 25 mm). It is for production in a subsidiary farm that it is enough to install a rotary-hammer type machine. Blueprints:
   
2. Machine for arbolite blocks. Again, the work will require a device not of an industrial scale, but a mini version of it. Since small-scale production of wood concrete is gaining momentum, the price of equipment for garages, sheds and small industrial areas is correspondingly increasing. The equipment will cost the private owner the same 50-60 thousand. One block can be produced in one minute, which gives up to 6.5 cubic meters of material per working day (approximately up to 450 blocks)
3. Concrete mixers. Gravity-type devices common in construction will not work. Their cycle is not enough for a high-quality mixture. Because even your own small-scale production requires a forced-type apparatus (mortar mixer). Usually they are also made with their own hands.
   
4. Press. For small volumes, it is possible to compact the mixture manually, but a private flow line requires a vibropress. The Rifey company has proven itself to be excellent.

   

   Rifey devices.

   

   But the most common device for a production line is “Condor 1”, costing from 265 thousand rubles.

However, private subsidiary farming accepts any auxiliary means, so it is also customary to use “Builder-1” or “Hephaestus-1” mini-machines.

1. Special forms. There is nothing complicated here; you can stamp ordinary boxes for convenience. But there are some tricks. For example, it is customary to cover internal areas with oilcloth. This is simply ideal for drying mortar. Sometimes oil waste is simply poured into the bottom of the mold. There are many innovations, but the most important thing is the process of compacting into the mold itself. It is impossible to arrange the composition evenly right away, so make 3 or 4 bookmarks with periodic tamping.

Do-it-yourself wood concrete from reeds

In fact, the composition of such material includes crushed wood and cement. Such a mass of mixture can harden under the influence of electrical force.

More popularly, this material is called wood concrete. Its difference is that you can choose any tree species as sawdust. It is not forbidden to add even straw to the composition. In appearance, this wood concrete is similar to ordinary chipboard sheets:

Peculiarities:

• Low thermal conductivity;
• Excellent sound insulation;
• Fireproof material (fire does not spread throughout the blocks, but goes out in the inside);
• Lighter than brick or wood;
• With the proper composition, the strength coefficient is not inferior to foam concrete.

The production technology is simple and not complicated. How to do it right:

1. Wood and reeds must be chopped. There is a chipping machine for this.
2. Then the natural ingredients are simply soaked in water.
3. Next, the crushed mixture is placed in a forced-type mixer, where cement and additives are added. The latter are needed for better strength and speed of hardening.
4. Sometimes dyes are added.
5. The mixture is compacted into a steel form (formwork) manually.
6. Next comes the turn of electric current.
7. Voltage must be applied to a steel form (this is a kind of electrode).

Thus, it is possible to produce both blocks for sale and monolithic type of partitions directly at the construction site.

The final stage of production on video

Narrated by VLADIMIR SHVYLEV.

To build houses, builders use different kinds blocks that ensure sustainability and environmental friendliness of buildings. Wanting to reduce the estimated cost of construction, developers produce some block materials themselves. One of these building materials is wood concrete blocks, the basis of which is wood waste and Portland cement. The technology for producing wood concrete in domestic conditions requires preparation and compliance with certain conditions to ensure cement hydration. Let us dwell in detail on the nuances of manufacturing.

Features of arbolite blocks

The performance properties and area of ​​use of wood concrete are influenced by:

• composition of the material;
• recipe used;
• production technology.

Made from high-quality raw materials and in compliance with technology, wood concrete has a complex of serious advantages:

• strength. The strength characteristics of the material allow it to maintain integrity, taking effective loads from building elements;
• frost resistance. Arbolite blocks are able to retain their properties after multiple cycles of freezing with further settling;

Arbolite is a building material made from sawdust, shavings, Portland cement and chemical additives

• reduced thermal conductivity. Walls made of wood concrete support comfortable temperature living space, reduce heat loss;
• soundproofing characteristics. Arbolite solid wood absorbs external noise, providing sound insulation to the room;
• ease. Thanks to the reduced weight, the load on the base of the building is reduced, which increases the duration of its operation;
• harmlessness to others. The building material is made from environmentally friendly raw materials and does not have a negative impact on human health;
• long service life. Buildings can be safely used for 4–5 decades;
• ease of use. The building material can be easily drilled, cut, and plastered without the use of additional reinforcement mesh;
• cheapness. Lightweight blocks are made from inexpensive ingredients and can significantly save on pouring the base.

In addition, due to wood chips being the main ingredient, the material is easy to process. It is easy to screw screws and hammer nails into it. Due to these advantages, the material is popular among developers.

To get a complete picture of the properties of building materials, let’s look at the weaknesses. :

• significant deviations in dimensions. They are due to increased tolerances. Manufacturers use molds of different sizes. Because of different sizes products, the consumption of plaster mixture increases;

Material thanks to harmonious combination best properties stone and wood, will serve faithfully for many years

• disruption of the structure elevated temperature. If a fire hazard occurs, wood concrete does not ignite for a limited time, but when heated, the wood chips smolder and the material gradually loses its integrity;
• increased hygroscopicity. Unplastered arbolite walls quickly become saturated with moisture. To use blocks, you must carefully waterproof the base of the building, as well as perform external finishing.

Violation of the composition and manufacturing technology of wood concrete affects the quality of the product. With a reduced lime content, microorganisms develop, and a decrease in cement concentration affects strength. Builders also note the breathability of the building material, which requires additional thermal insulation. The disadvantages include the possibility of the appearance of a peculiar odor caused by mineralizers and chemical reagents included in the composition of the wood concrete mass.

Wood concrete - composition and manufacturing technology

To make your own products, you should choose the right composition, as well as carefully study the technology. Despite the availability of the ingredients used and the simplicity of the recipe, there are certain subtleties. Let's look at them in detail.

Filler used

Wood chips, shavings or sawdust generated during wood processing are used as the base of the blocks.

Wood concrete is perfect for the construction of residential buildings, bathhouses, garages and other utility structures. As you can see, the scope of use is quite wide

The filler should be carefully prepared:

• clean from inclusions of foreign origin;
• grind to a size not exceeding 5x10x40 mm;
• dry thoroughly for three to four months;
• treat with lime mortar to prevent rotting.

Wood concrete, or wood concrete in common parlance, has established itself as a unique material in its properties close to natural wood, however, characterized by a significantly lower price and improved thermal conductivity. Arbolite blocks gained their popularity back in the days of the Soviet Union and for good reason. Thanks to a number positive qualities they are suitable for the construction of walls of any buildings. The scheme for making wood blocks was undeservedly forgotten, but modern stage construction market, the popularity of these plates is gaining momentum.

Advantages of using sawdust concrete

By virtue of modern technologies, today wood concrete has acquired the properties of an affordable and practical building material that meets the requirements of GOST 54854-2011 “Lightweight concrete with organic aggregates of plant origin.” From here we can highlight a number of its advantages:

• low level of thermal conductivity;
• resistance to biological influences;
• good vapor permeability of the material;
• excellent sound insulation;
• wood concrete is fire resistant;
• ease of processing and installation;
• availability of the technology itself, the possibility of arranging a line at home;
• economic benefits due to reduced costs for heavy foundations, additional insulation and construction time.

The disadvantage of wood concrete blocks is their increased water absorption. But this problem can also be solved with the help of modern penetrating vapor and waterproofing.

Wood concrete production technology

Today, the production of wood concrete blocks can be done at home. To do this, it is necessary to take into account all aspects and stages of production, guided by regulatory documentation.

The production technology of arbolite blocks begins with preparation necessary ingredients. 85% of the raw material is wood. Wood chips, sawdust and shavings are used here. Preferably conifers wood - pine, fir, spruce, but some deciduous trees are also suitable - poplar, aspen, birch. Even the presence of bark, leaves and needles is allowed, but not more than 5% of the total mass. The particle size is standardized to a width of no more than 5 mm and a length of up to 25 mm. Therefore, the workpiece is first passed through a crusher. It is important to have a multi-fraction composition, which will ensure the required density of the blocks.

Preparation of wood raw materials at home can be carried out different ways. You can even build a wood chipper yourself. However, the simplest and least expensive way is to negotiate with a local sawmill to supply wood waste, which they most often burn in vain.

In industrial conditions, special chemical reagents are added to the raw materials - calcium chloride, aluminum sulfate or “liquid glass”. At self-production Not everyone may have them on hand at home. Then the strength of future blocks may suffer due to the large amount of sugar in the composition. In this case, experts recommend keeping the sawdust outdoors for 3-4 months in the open air, stirring occasionally. To speed up the process, you can add calcium oxide to the embankment at the rate of 200 liters of 1.5% solution per 1 m3.

Portland cement grade 400-500 or more is selected as a binder component. The percentage component is 10-15%. If necessary, plasticizers and demineralizers are added to the mixture, but not more than 1%.

Before directly mixing the components, wood waste is filled with lime mortar with a concentration of 5-10% and left for at least three hours. In production in a special bath, this process can take up to three days.

All components are mixed in a concrete mixer until smooth. There should be no lumps. The proportion of ingredients water-sawdust-cement is as follows: 4:3:3. The composition should be slightly crumbly, but retain its shape when compressed.

Receiving blocks

At the molding stage, containers are used to give the wood concrete blocks a standard parallelepiped size of 500x188x300 mm and 500x188x200 mm. If necessary, for slabs of non-standard dimensions, special plates are inserted into the mold, thereby changing the configuration to triangular or, for example, trapezoidal.

For faster hardening, dry calcium chloride is often added to the mixture. Filling is done layer by layer in three approaches, followed by compaction into molds pre-greased with lime milk. The surface of the wood block is filled with a 2 cm layer of plaster mortar. The filled containers are pressed or compacted on a vibrating table. Drying is carried out within 24 hours provided the air temperature is above 18°C.

The disbanded blocks undergo further maturation with periodic wetting with water for at least 15 days at an ambient temperature of at least 15°C.

The production of large-sized arbolite blocks requires additional reinforcement of the slab. To do this, a reinforcement cage is placed in a half-filled form and a layer is poured concrete mortar, then filling with wood-concrete mixture continues.

Necessary equipment

There are ready-made lines for the production of wood blocks on sale, which include the entire production cycle, as well as additional services for launching and calibrating equipment. They differ in the volume of material produced, overall dimensions, power and other characteristics.

However, if you approach assembly at home, you will need the following equipment for the production of wood concrete blocks:

• apparatus for preparing wood chips;
• mixing station or classic concrete mixer;
• molds of the required sizes;
• vibrating table

The production of wood concrete blocks is a process that can actually be organized independently, minimizing the costs of the required equipment. You can make a woodchip crusher yourself using available units. It is also possible to replace the vibrating sieve with manual sifting of raw materials.

Equipment for preparing the working solution can be replaced with a standard concrete mixer. In this case, manual mixing will not be possible without the formation of lumps and clots.

Molds, instead of ready-made ones, are made according to the scheme from simple wooden boxes the right size. They are lined with linoleum or plastic film so that the solution does not stick to the walls.

After filling the molds according to the technology, it is necessary to compact the mixture. Here, a hammer or a handy tool may come in handy. regular drill. The walls of the container are tapped with a hammer, and a drill is used to achieve the best result using the vibration pressing method. Various devices such as a vibrating table are also used, the design of which can be reproduced independently. They reduce the labor intensity of the process and increase overall productivity.

In conditions where it is impossible to create the required conditions for drying the material, drying chamber equipment can come to the rescue. This will significantly increase production costs, but will increase the strength characteristics of the blocks.

Price

Prices for finished wood concrete blocks fluctuate around 4,000 rubles per 1 m3. The cost is completely justified, taking into account the costs of raw materials and all the nuances of the process flow.

Prices for production lines of varying degrees of productivity and individual equipment for wood blocks are shown in the table below.