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INTRODUCTION
1
Types of Aerocon bricks
One interesting aspect of Aerocon brick is that it lets the user build the walls of with the
thickness of his choice. Contrary to the wall made by traditional bricks, walls made
with Aerocon bricks are thinner but are still sustainable.
However, depending on different various needs of internal and external walls,
Aerocon bricks are available in different sizes and varied thickness as follows. Aerocon
bricks are currently available in three sizes: Infill, Jumbo, and Thermal blocks
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Infill blocks
The size of the Infill Aerocon brick is 600X600 mm and the thickness varies in the
ranges of 75,100,125,150,200 mm. The main advantage of Infill blocks is that they can
easily replace 60% of the concrete in roof slabs and thus help in saving significant
amounts of concrete, steel, labor, water, plaster etc. These blocks are especially suitable
for building roofs in large column-free constructions.
Jumbo blocks
Jumbo blocks are typically in the size of 600X300 mm, and thickness ranges from
75,100,125,150, to 200 mm. The unique large size of Jumbo Aerocon bricks results in
the usage of much fewer bricks and hence less mortar is required. These bricks are more
suitable for non-load bearing walls, multi-storeid buildings etc.
3
Thermal blocks
These blocks are also called as Aerocool thermal blocks whose size and thickness is
300X200 mm and 50 mm respectively. These blocks are ideal for roofing since they
delay the transmission of heat flow and also help interiors remain warm during winters
and cool during summers.
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CHAPTER 2
COMPARISION BETWEEN AEROCON BRICKS AND
CLAY BRICKS
Comparison between Parameter AAC Blocks Clay Bricks
Autoclaved Aerated
Concrete (AAC)
blocks and clay
bricks Serial
5
weight leading to
savings in steel and
concrete
13 Energy Saving Approx.30% heating None
and cooling
5 Aerocon block is extremely light, just one-third the weight of clay bricks
or one-fourth the density of R.C.C. They are much easier to handle on the site.
6 They are easy to install and can complete the construction procedure in a
shorter span in case of scarcity of labour and in the usage of mortars. The
required time to complete a building with aerocon blocks is 1/3 lesser than that
of the conventional building materials.
7 The edges of the blocks are such that they allow easy workability and
accurate dimensioning and are easy to cut, drill, nail, shape and chase using
ordinary wood working tools. Power tools can be used for rapid chasing for
embedding service lines.
6
1 Aerocon blocks can be cut virtually in any shape or angle making them
extremely adaptable.
2 Aerocon block covers the same area as that 14 clay bricks do enabling a
faster construction results in saving of labour, time and material.
5 Aerocon blocks are available in various sizes and shapes.They are available in
three types; Infill blocks, Jumbo blocks and Thermal blocks. They are included
into the category of Green Building materials because they don ‟t emit VOC
(Volatile Organic Compounds) which cause environmental pollution.
6 Apart from being eco-friendly these blocks are also light weight with high
thermal insulation, fire resistance, sound insulation, have strength and durability,
have consistent quality control and gives a perfect finish with dimensional
stability. Buildings constructed out of these blocks ensure long term
sustainability and save a lot of water during the construction.
7 Excluding the eco-friendly characteristics of these blocks, they are also used
in construction for various other reasons. There are a number of problems
involved in acquiring the sand and bricks and also the prices of these basic
materials are hiking up. As the traditional construction materials have a higher
price the initiation of Aerocon blocks acts as better substitutes with affordable
prices. Due to these reasons the Aerocon blocks are in great demand.
8 Hence, it is one of the revolutionary materials that can be used to make the
world a better, greener and cleaner place to live in. It is a revolutionary material
that
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combines the unique properties such as durability and strength, low weight, very
simple construction technology and excellent environmental performance.
CHAPTER 3
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
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General considerations
AAC masonry components(block units) can be used to build load bearing or non load
bearing walls.
1 O-block units used to build pilasters.
2 U-block units used to build bond beams and lintels.
3 Control joints on AAC reinforced walls must be placed at maximum 16 ft.
o.c.
Installation Guide
1 Check foundation.
2 Receiving and distribution of AAC wall units.
Installation requirements
1 Tools
2 Equipment
3 Other materials
4 Installing O-block for pilasters in first course
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Utilities installation after the walls are built
1• For electrical conduits and piping installation, a chase is cut using an
electrical router or a chasing tool.
2• When required depth of chase is bigger than maximum depth recommended,
additional O-blocks are used to lodge the pipes or interrupt wall continuity.
3• After installation, the chase are filled with repair mortar or cement sand mortar.
Renders
1• Surface patching:
Rasp block joints and other areas where AAC surface is out of plane.
1• Surface must be cleaned using a scrub brush and any loose or damaged
material be removed.
2• A rubber float is commonly used to smooth the wall surface.
3• Fiber glass mesh:
This should be installed directly over one layer of render in all control
joints, around windows, doors and utility locations.
Finishes
1• AAC masonry walls can be finished with stucco , acrylic texture coats, or a
combination of both, also laminated stones, ceramic or clay tiles, concrete
pieces and ornamental products.
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Raw Material
Lime Powder
Lime powder required for AAC production is obtained either by crushing limestone to
fine powder at AAC factory or by directly purchasing it in powder form. Although
purchasing lime powder might be little costly, many manufacturers opt for it rather than
investing in lime crushing equipment like ball mill, jaw crusher, bucket elevators, etc.
Lime powder is stored in silos fabricated from mild steel (MS) or built using brick and
mortar depending of individual preferences.
Cement
53-grade Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) from reputed manufacturer is required for
manufacturing AAC blocks. Cement supplied by „mini plants ‟ is not recommended due to
drastic variations in quality over different batches. Some AAC factories might plan their
captive cement processing units as such an unit can produce cement as well as
process lime. Such factories can opt for „major plant ‟ clinker and manufacture their own
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cement for AAC production. Cement is usually stored in silos.
Gypsum
Gypsum is easily available in the market and is used in powder form. It is stored in silos.
Aluminum Powder/Paste
Aluminum powder/paste is easily available from various manufacturers. As very small
quantity of Aluminum powder/paste is required to be added to the mixture, it is usually
weighed manually and added to the mixing unit.
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CHAPTER 4
PRODUCTION PROCESS
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Once the desired weight is poured in, pumping is stopped. Similarly lime powder,
cement and gypsum are poured into individual containers using screw conveyers. Once
required amount of each ingredient is filled into their individual containers control
system releases all ingredients into mixing drum.
Mixing drum is like a giant bowl with a stirrer rotating inside to ensure proper mixing
of ingredients. Steam might also be fed to the unit to maintain temperature in range of
40-42o C. A smaller bowl type structure used for feeding Aluminium powder is also
attached as a part of mixing unit. Once the mixture has been churned for set time, it is
ready to be poured into molds using dosing unit. Dosing unit releases this mixture as per
set quantities into molds for foaming.
Dosing and mixing process is carried out continuously because if there is a
long gap between charging and discharging of ingredients, residual mixture might start
hardening and choke up the entire unit. In modern plants, entire dosing and mixing
operation is completely automated and requires minimum human intervention.
This entire operation is monitored using control systems integrated with
computer and CCTV cameras. As with any industrial operation, there is provision for
human intervention and emergency actions integrated inside the control system.
Autoclaved Curing
After cutting into the desired sizes & shapes, „green‟ AAC blocks are transferred into
autoclaves. Autoclaves are used for steam curing under pressure. AAC must be pre-cured
and steam cured to finish the physical and chemical changes, and then to achieve enough
strength for desired usage. A batch of AAC blocks is steam cured for 10-12 hours at a
pressure of 12 bar and temperature of 190°C. In hot and humid conditions, AAC blocks
undergo last stages of hydro-thermal synthesis reaction to transform into a new product
with required strength and various physical performances. Autoclaved curing imparts
inherent properties and performance of AAC.
Grouping
Grouping could be the last step of AAC production (in some AAC plant, the AAC will be
further processed into panels after leaving autoclaves). After the cured AAC leaves the
autoclaves, inspection and packaging is done.
16
Hi
Process Flow Chart. Pre
ssu
re
Ste
am
Fly Ash Gypsum Lime OPC Cur
ing
for
Water 8
Ho
Flyash Weight Weight Batched urs
Slurry Batched
Batched
Ec
o-
Br
ic
ks
Re
Pouring ad
y
Mixture
fo
to mix ingredients r
Sa
le
Main
Raw material
Aluminum
CHAPTER 5
ANALYSIS
Market
Shelter is third skin, according to a German Concept, which implies its importance next
to human Skin and Clothing. This also shows the attachment of human race to this
fundamental requirement.
Building Material accounts for major component of the construction cost. Depending
on the location they can contribute to 60 - 70 % of the cost of construction. With the
ever increasing population, the demand for housing increases. This directly creates
demand for this prime commodity of building.
Add to the above fact the nearby area of this project site is undergoing a major
infrastructure revolution. As Residential, Commercial, IT companies, and Industrial
establishments are coming in, we can conclude that the Blocks unit will prosper and
flourish in this environment.
There is a central government gadget notification mandating government
departments and CPWD to use 100% Fly Ash based Bricks in their all constructions-
directly of through contractors. This factor will help the marketability of this product
immensely.
Fly Ash policy of the Government also mandates that 20% of Fly ash Generated by a
power plant must be given free of cost to SME sector on a priority basis.
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Carbon Credits Estimates
AAC blocks are being seriously considered for CDM projects in India for earning
Carbon Credits. As the CER Generated is also relatively less, four or five such units
can be bundled together to make a Group CDM in the same sactors.
This project is likely to generate 1 CER per each 7 or 8 Cubic Meter of Blocks
production, depending on, and subject to the CDM methodology adopted, and the
interpretation of additionality and baseline parameters by the validating authority.
Just for a rough estimate of CERS, for an annual production of average size AAC
plant, that is 100000CM/Annum, we are likely to get around 12500 CERs on full
capacity Production. At present market rate of 11.5 Euros per CER and @ Rs. 60 per
Euro, we can expect to get additional revenue on CER. But we must expect to take a
cut of around 20 to 30% of CERs, if we want to forward sell the CERs and get the
CDM part sponsored by the buyer
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Raw Material Suitability
Almost 95% of the raw materials can be made suitable for AAC line through proper mix
design. Also we can have many different mix designs for the same denicity…same
strength of Blocks. We will help you to get the Best quality blocks at optimal cost by
means of designing proper Mix as per your input raw materials.
The following are basic guidelines (certainly not the final call) on the suitability of
basic raw materials for AAC.
1.Fly ash (65-70%)
SiO2 ≥ 45-55 40
SO3 ≤ 1 2
Reference : The fineness can be 0.045 or 0.080 square sieve left amount.
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2. Lime (8-25%)
Item Grade
st nd
Super Gr. 1 Gr. 2 Gr
A(CaO+MgO)Quality Fraction % ≥ 90 75 65
MgO Quality Fraction % ≤ 2 5 8
3. Cement (6-15%)
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4. Gypsum/Plaster (3-5%)
CaSO4 > 70%
MgO < 2%
Chloride < 0.05%
Type and recommendation for supply depend on raw materials and mix formula
Bureau of Indian Standard Code no- 2185(Part-3):1984 discusses in details regarding the
AAC blocks specifications in India. The prime requirements for AAC blocks (of ISI
standards) in India as per the above said code are as follows.
Lightweight
AAC blocks are about 50% lighter than clay bricks of equivalent size. This
translates into less dead weight of buildings and allows entire structure to be lighter
therefore reducing amount of steel and concrete used in structural components like
beams, columns and roof/floor slabs.
Environmental impact
Manufacturing of AAC does not have high energy requirements. Moreover since AAC is
light weight, it also saves energy required for transportation and leads to reduced CO2
emissions by transport vehicles. Since AAC is made from fly ash – an industrial waste
product – generated by thermal power plants, it offers a low cost and sustainable solution
for today and tomorrow. AAC is a requisite for green buildings.
Easy transportation
It is easy to transport AAC as it does not suffer from high transit breakage usually
associated with clay bricks.
Longevity
AAC does not lose strength or deteriorate over time. Buildings constructed with AAC
do not require routine repairs that are required for buildings using clay bricks.
Shorter Project Duration
Buildings can be built with AAC 50% faster compared to clay bricks. This translates to
lower project completion times benefiting project developers.
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Thermal Insulation
AAC offers excellent thermal insulation. This reduces recurring cost of energy required
for heating and cooling. Better thermal insulation also allows usage of smaller HVAC
than required conventionally.
High survivability
Millions of air pockets in AAC cushion structure from major force and prevents
progressive collapse of a building. AAC structures are known to maintain structural
integrity despite of heavy rains, extremely low temperature and salty air.
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Fire Resistance
Due to high fire resistance offered by AAC, structures made from AAC have higher rate
of survivability in case of fire.
Sound Insulation
Sound absorption properties of AAC make it ideal material for reducing ambient noi
se.AAC is well-suited for establishments like hospitals and offices situated in noisy
areas.
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Contribution to Nation
AAC factories create many jobs directly and indirectly creating a social impact.
Along with that they pa
Weather Resistance
AAC does not decay, rust, deteriorate or burn. AAC has been found to be earthquake
resistant. AAC structures are known to maintain structural integrity in heavy rains,
extremely low temperature and salty air.
Pest Resistance
Primary raw material used to manufacture AAC is fly ash. Fly ash (or pond ash) is an
inert material and does not allow termites or other pests to survive.
Excise Duty and VAT contributing to national economy
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Product Disadvantages
The major disadvantages of autoclaved aerated concrete are listed below.
1 The production cost per unit for ACC is higher than other ordinary
concrete.
2 Number of manufacturer is limited. So, cost will drastically increase in
places far from the manufacturer and need to travel a long distance.
3 It is not as strong as conventional concrete.
4 Very few contractors who are familiar with ACC.
5 Construction with autoclaved aerated concrete may will need special
permission.
6 Environmentally friendly
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CHAPTER 8
CONCLUSION
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REFERNCES
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