Cellular Light-weight Concrete (CLC)

Description
Cellular Lightweight Concrete (CLC) is produced by the mixing of sand, fly-ash cement foam and water in requisite proportion in ready mix plant or ordinary concrete mixer. The mixed slurry is then poured into moulds of pre-cast blocks / structural components / assembled form-work of building elements or over flat roofs for thermal insulation as per I. S.: 6598. It is essentially aircured, thus can be produced at project site, utilizing equipment and moulds normally in use for conventional concrete. The foam is produced with the help of a Foam Generator by using a foaming agent. The foam contains isolated air bubbles, which creates million of unconnected tiny voids/cells in the mix resulting in lighter weight of concrete. CLC can be produced in wide range of controlled densities from 400 kg/m3 to 1,800 kg/m3. The density recommended is 1.000kg/m3 (oven-dried) for blocks and 1.200 kg/ m3 to produce prefab elements and walls cast in-situ. CLC has moderate embodied energy content and performs very well as thermal insulation. Blocks are made to very exacting dimensions and are usually laid in thin-bed mortar that is applied with a toothed trowel, although more conventional thick-bed mortar can be used. CLC has a long life and does not produce toxic gases after it has been put in place. It offers a substantial material savings as little cement and no gravel is used.

PERFORMANCE SUMMARY Appearance

Cellular Light-weight Concrete is very light coloured. The addition of foam into the concrete mixture creates millions of tiny voids or cells in the material, hence the name cellular concrete. Although there is no direct path for water to pass through the material, an appropriate coating is required to prevent water penetrating into the CLC material. The quality of CLC production can be controlled accurately at the project site, just like Concrete. The surface finish depend upon the formwork and moulds used during casting.

Structural Capability
CLC, like conventional concrete ages well, increasing its strength by as much as 50% (!) between 28 and 90 days after pouring, As long as CLC draws humidity from the atmosphere it will keep on increasing its mechanical properties. Curing takes place within the same period as conventional concrete. If cast in the evening, the concrete it could be demoulded the next morning. Curing can be speeded up by heat, steam or chemical (accelerators). CLC is an excellent and competitive material for low -rise, load-bearing construction and outside walls as well as partitioning work in multi storeyed blocks.

Thermal properties
Air is known to be the best insulation material available. Air voids, if smaller than 2mm each, consequently increase thermal insulation substantially. Normal aggregate concrete has a specific thermal conductivity (Lambda) of 2.1 W/mK, compared to 0.405 only for 1200kg/m3 cellular concrete. To offer identical thermal insulation as a 100 mm thick CLC wall, the equivalent thickness of dense concrete wall would have to be more than 5 times thicker (i.e. 500 mm) and ten times heavier.

Sound insulation
Due to its high sound insulating properties it is used as a sound barrier between suspended structural floors, where its light weight and strength is a added advantage.

Fire and vermin resistance

Fire rating of cellular concrete is far superior to that of brickwork or dense concrete. Just a 100 mm thick wall of 1200 kg/m3 CLC, offers a fire endurance (heat transmission) of three hours. Moreover, there are no dangerous fumes or spread of fire as experienced with plywood partitions having rigid (styropore, urethane) insulation material - often the reason for loss of life of entrapped individuals due to toxic fumes during fires. CLC does not harbour or encourage vermin.

Durability and moisture resistance

CLC, like conventional concrete ages well, increasing its strength by as much as 50% (!) between 28 and 90 days after pouring, As long as CLC draws humidity from the atmosphere it will keep on increasing its mechanical properties. As a consequence of closed cellular structure of the material, the water absorption of CLC is lower, being in the range of 5% to 12%, depending on density. But it may require a surface protection to resist moisture penetration, affects of very harsh climatic conditions. Reinforced slabs were produced for tests in CLC of densities between 1000-1400 kg/m3, where the non-protected reinforcement was covered with 25 mm of cellular concrete. After four months, tests confirmed there was no corrosion on the 1200 kg/m3 specimen.

Toxicity and Breath-ability

Our protein-hydrolisation based foaming agent warrants high stability of the foam, successfully withstanding the manifold forces occurring when mixing, conveying (pump-able), casting and during the hydration process. The foam causes no chemical reaction in the concrete but merely serves as wrapping material for the air entrapped. It produces no toxic fumes or emission over its lifetime. Store-life of the foaming agent is guaranteed to be at least 24 months when adhered to instructions (before its integration into the concrete mixtures). However, CLC is a concrete product, and similar precautions should be taken as when handling and cutting concrete products. Personal protective equipment (such as gloves, eye wear, respiratory masks) is required during cutting due to the fine dust that is produced by concrete products.

Sustainability (environmental impacts)

In view the use of flyash 33% (an environment polluting industrial waste) being a major ingredient of CLC, CLC and this being a good substitute of ordinary clay bricks (which use high energy and precious agricultural topsoil) the Govt. of India has given special import duty concessions for specialized equipment. Its low density, good thermal and sound insulation and long life make it a good choice as a construction material.

Buildability, availability and cost

This lightweight concrete has higher consistency due to absence of coarse aggregate (gravel) and a ball bearing effect of the foam on the concrete is of great advantage for it flows by itself into the moulds and shuttering and any cavities, thereby doing away with the necessity of compaction or vibration. CLC is an air-cured lightweight concrete that can be produced at project site, utilizing equipment and molds normally in use for conventional concrete. Utilizing, the most traditional mixers and very successful truck mixers to produce cellular concrete, by installing and integrating a foam generator, into the existing concrete or prefab plants, with little investment and maintaining the production procedures being followed. However, a full range of stationary and mobile equipment to produce and precisely dose the foam, through a conveying system feeding sand and cement to a mixer, with highly effective horizontally operating screw and integrated concrete pump, could be sourced and setup to increase productivity.

Applicability
The wide range in densities and consequently their different thermal and structural properties make CLC equally suitable for use: As reinforced load-bearing in-situ walls and roofs in Low Rise Buildings. Even block-work (made from pre-cast blocks produced at the project site or obtained from a pre-casting plant) can also be used for load-bearing low rise constructions. Non load-bearing internal or external walls in High Rise Buildings. Thermal Insulation of building roofs and walls & roofs of cold storage.

Manufacturers
Celcrete India M-5C, Shalimar Apartments,Shalimar Garden (main) , Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, U.P. 201005, India Email: manishclc@yahoo.co.in Phone: +91-011-65285932 Cell: 98910 44982, 99110 72877, 9810078920, 9892324313 Website: www.celcreteindia.com Aerocellcrete India

21-A, Pocket - F, Mayur Vihar Phase - II, Delhi 110091, India Email: aerocellcrete@gmail.com Telephone: 9873127126 Website: http://aerocellcrete.co.in/ APCO Concrete Blocks and Allied Products # 31 Castle Street, Ashok Nagar, Bangalore 560 001, India. Mobile: +91-0-98450 65712 / 13 / 15 Website: http://www.apcoblocks.com BERG India PVT. LTD R-17, Ground Floor, Haus Khas, New Delhi 110 016, India Phone : 011-26511538 Fax: 011-26462428 Eco Vision Industries D-15 & 16, Site-B, UPSIDC, Surajpur Industrial Area Greater Noida-203207, India. E-Mail : pareek@ecovision.in Phone : 0120-2569899 Mobile : 9810309630, 9310309630 Website: www.ecovision.in Rakesh and Associates 105 Stanford Plaza, Oshiwara Link Road, Andheri(W), Mumbai - 400 053. INDIA. Tel : +91-22-2673 3630 / 2673 2985 / 2290 6899 Telefax : +91-22-2673 2985 E-Mail : sales@rakesh-associates.com Website: www.rakesh-associates.com