Cement and sawdust blocks

Blocks of cement and sawdust are called arbolite. They have many advantages, the main ones being thermal insulation and sound absorption. It is an environmentally friendly, reliable and affordable option for the construction of low-rise buildings and adjacent outbuildings.

A mixture of cement with wood sawdust, or in another way Arbolit - lightweight and reliable modern building material. It has high thermal insulation performance. Such bricks are widely used in the construction of houses, various outbuildings, baths, fences and fences.

To create bricks from cement and sawdust, there are certain requirements for the composition developed by GOST.

All materials used must be of the highest quality:

• The water must be free of impurities, rain or drinking water can be used.
• Sawdust should be well dried and soaked in special solutions to prevent rotting and mold.
• Sand - most often used with medium to coarse particles, you can mix them with fine sand, which should not exceed 10% of the total mass.
• Recommended cement is M400 class Portland cement.

To improve the quality of the material, the manufacturing technology allows 2-4% of various additives that are diluted in water:

• slaked lime;
• liquid glass;
• calcium chloride.

Considering the composition of the mixture for blocks of cement and sawdust, the following percentage can be expressed:

• 55% are wood chips;
• 26% - sand particles;
• 12% - cement;
• 7% - purified water.

The technical characteristics include the following norms of the main indicators of cement-sawdust blocks:

• The brick density is 500-900 kg / m2.
• The percentage of wood chips in comparison with other elements is 80%.
• The strength of Arbolit reaches a maximum of 3.5 MPa.

• The level of elasticity of the manufactured blocks is in the range from 250 to 2300 MPa.
• The thermal conductivity of the material is 0.8-0.17 W.
• Frost resistance of buildings is measured in 50 cycles.
• The blocks are subject to a slight shrinkage of approximately 0.8%.

Wood concrete production technology takes into account many factorsassociated with the choice of sawdust. Chips from coniferous tree species are considered the best, the use of deciduous trees is permissible, but they must be subjected to additional treatment for fungal diseases.

The sawdust must be clean. Do not allow particles of leaves or bark to enter. The standard length is 40mm, width is 10mm and thickness is 5mm. Violation of the parameters during the preparation of the solution can lead to poor quality of the finished product.

This brick comes in different strength grades - from M5 to M20. Each brand is used in different conditions:

• M5 is used for the construction of external and load-bearing walls and the foundation of the building.
• M10 is used for the reconstruction of dilapidated buildings and basements.
• M15 and M20 - for interior walls and partitions in the room.

The main components of wood concrete are:

• Portland cement;
• sawdust;
• sand;
• lime, necessarily slaked in advance;
• water.

The quality of the components and their proportions affect the density of the cement-sawdust blocks. The greater the proportion of the cement component, the stronger the finished material will be, but at the same time the thermal insulation rate will drop sharply.

The high density of bricks will reduce the performance of thermal insulation, increase frost resistance, moisture resistance, as well as the resistance of the reinforcing mesh to rust.

Reinforcement is often used when creating blocks. It strengthens the brick, allows you to increase the load on the structure. But in the reinforcement, resistance to low temperatures, moisture, and corrosion decreases.

A large amount of added sawdust will increase the thermal insulation performance, but will reduce the strength, making the block unsuitable for the construction of load-bearing structures.

A small amount of cement can make the brick brittle, unreliable, and prone to collapse. The buildings will not be able to support the heavy weight. It is better to use such a product only for wall insulation and the construction of internal partitions in the room.

Construction from wood concrete blocks does not require the construction of additional foundation elements - it is lightweight in comparison with ordinary bricks.

The cement block perfectly copes with the task of insulating houses. You can use it in the basement, additionally insulating the house.

Bricks are easy to use, they lend themselves to various types of processing:

• saw cut;
• drilling;
• driving in nails.

It is an environmentally friendly, mildew and mildew resistant material. It allows you to build buildings in latitudes with moderate and low air temperatures, as it is considered frost-resistant. The elasticity and weight of the blocks allows you to erect buildings on any type of soil, even without an additional foundation.

Buildings require good waterproofing, especially if it is a sauna. They quickly absorb moisture, so it is best to refrain from building the bottom of the house from this product. If it is not possible to use other material, it is worth raising the building above ground level and finishing with concrete.

Based on the manufacturers' guarantees, the words of experts and the feedback of people who erected buildings from cement-sawdust blocks, the main pros and cons of such a material were highlighted.

Positive traits:

• simplicity and comfort in work and installation;
• convenient weight and size;
• the possibility of cutting and drilling;
• heat preservation;
• excellent adhesion properties;
• affordable price.

Disadvantages:

• poor moisture resistance;
• long manufacturing time;
• compulsory construction of vapor barrier and waterproofing systems;
• spoilage by small rodents.

The main properties that blocks have:

• thermal insulation;
• fire resistance (withstands the heat of direct fire for three hours);
• environmental friendliness;
• soundproofing;
• durability (several generations);

• profitability;
• a light weight;
• frost resistance;
• resistance to mechanical stress;
• shock resistance;
• resistance to decay, cracking and shrinkage.

Ready-made cement and sawdust bricks can be found in any building materials market. But you can always try to make it yourself.

The manufacturing technology is quite simple, the main thing is to thoroughly and evenly stir the mixture. The quality of wood and cement sawdust is also very important.

As an element for binding materials, various variations of the components are used:

• cement;
• gypsum;
• clay.

If you plan to use the future product to build a house and supporting structures, then you should give preference to such a cement brand as Portland cement.

To facilitate the process of work and reduce the time spent on mixing the mass, you can take an automatic or manual concrete mixer. This will also guarantee the quality and homogeneity of the mixture.

Wood chips are prepared in advance. Sawdust is first moistened in calcium oxide, then they are kept for at least 3 days in the open air. It is important to mix the composition regularly. To clean the sawdust mass of foreign particles and large elements, it is sieved through a special sieve.

Chips are poured with water in which special additives are dissolved:

• liquid glass;
• slaked lime.

In this solution, sawdust is soaked for a certain time, and then thoroughly dried in the fresh air.

The ratio of cement and sawdust in the prepared mass depends on the required strength grade. For load-bearing walls, cement predominates in the composition, for buildings with a low load and internal partitions, more sawdust is added.

Structures can be made of any material, the main thing is that they should be easy to disassemble. This will make it easier to remove the bricks.

It is better to make the bottom of the mold from a sheet of iron to prevent moisture absorption. Or if this material is not available, in order to oil the wood well, you can still take, for example, linoleum.

Do-it-yourself production of blocks of cement and sawdust requires strict adherence to certain stages:

• Prepare sawdust - soak and treat with special compounds, dry thoroughly in the open air.
• Sift wood chips through a sieve, remove large pieces and foreign particles.
• Thoroughly mix the sifted material with dry components - cement and sand.
• Gradually pour water into the resulting mixture, stirring very thoroughly. It is better to use a concrete mixer, it will allow you to correctly bring the mass to homogeneity.
• After completing the preparation of the mixture, it is necessary to check the quality. To do this, take a small amount of the mixture and squeeze in your hand. It should be flexible and easy to wrinkle. Moisture should not be released from it.

• If water still flows out of the mass or extraneous drops appear, it means that at one of the stages the manufacturing process was disrupted or the proportions of materials were incorrectly observed. Products cannot be made from this mixture.
• After preparing the mixture, use it within an hour or two. During this time, you need to decompose everything into a shape.
• The mass fits into prepared forms, do not forget to oil them thoroughly. Each layer 20 cm thick is tamped. This is necessary to compact the mass and remove air from the solution.
• The resulting blocks are left to dry directly in the mold for 3-4 days.
• After this time, you can disassemble the forms and fold the resulting material for construction work for further hardening in a dry room. This process will take at least three months.

How to make a wood concrete block with your own hands, see the next video.