Homemade building blocks. DIY cinder blocks at home. Proportions of solution for making cinder blocks

Homemade machine for the production of building blocks with your own hands

The modern building materials market offers a large assortment wall blocks. But not everyone knows that reducing the cost of building a private house, cottage, garage or utility room is quite real. Instead of buying bricks or cinder blocks, it’s enough to start making them yourself. To do this, you need to use a machine for producing blocks, and if the budget does not allow, you need to make a vibropressing machine yourself.

Inexpensive factory models of vibrating machines are not characterized by high productivity, but for private use this is not required. True, buying a machine to build a small house, which will require about a thousand standard-sized blocks, will not be entirely profitable. Therefore, as an option, you can consider renting equipment for a certain period. This will be enough to procure building materials for future use.

Factory machine for making building blocks with your own hands

Types of building blocks

Brick is still the main material in the construction of high-rise buildings, but for low-rise construction it is cheaper to use other building materials. If you exclude wood, which is now expensive, the choice will still be varied. Modern wall materials are made from:

• foam concrete;
• slag concrete;
• aerated concrete;
• expanded clay concrete.

Block characteristics comparison table

As a filler for cinder blocks, a variety of and sometimes exotic materials are used, which are industrial waste: screenings, broken glass and bricks, sawdust, wood chips.

Let's first consider how expanded clay blocks and cinder blocks are made independently, as the most budget-friendly among all the above building materials.

Expert opinion: Machine for the production of cinder blocks

If you do not have the necessary knowledge and skills to manufacture a machine yourself, we recommend renting equipment. If you want to make your own machine for the production of building blocks, use only quality materials. We advise great attention pay attention to the stage of creating a design drawing and calculate all the nuances in advance. Take factory equipment as a sample or already finished equipment friends and acquaintances.

Dmitry Orlov

DIY expanded clay blocks

If there are no problems with expanded clay in your region, you can consider yourself lucky: expanded clay concrete, despite its cheapness, is rarely found on sale, but this construction material characterized by a whole range of positive properties. To make expanded clay blocks you will need:

• expanded clay itself;
• cement;
• sand;
• water.

The main material for creating the mixture will be fine expanded clay

When mixing the solution, it is important to adhere to a certain sequence: expanded clay is added to the water, then cement, and finally sand. The proportions of the solution are as follows: for nine liters of water, use 54 kg of expanded clay, 9 kg of cement and 27 kg of sand. The result will be a mixture weighing about 100 kilograms, with the yield of finished blocks in the amount of 9-10 pieces.

Manufacturing technology of expanded clay concrete blocks

If it is not possible to use a specialized machine (such equipment is not cheap), expanded clay concrete can be produced on a non-industrial scale using special matrices. You will also need an appropriate container for the solution, a flat area and formwork made of wood or metal in the shape of the letter “E”.

A concrete mixer, a standard piece of equipment in a builder’s arsenal, will help reduce time losses and reduce labor costs. If there is a shortage of time, the problem can be solved by using a vibrating machine; a simple model of such a machine can be made independently.

To do this, it is enough to attach a low-power but high-speed electric motor to the mold, which is converted into a full-fledged vibrator using an eccentric. The vibrations of the matrix force the mixture to be distributed in the mold as densely and evenly as possible, improving the strength characteristics of the finished products. Factory-made brick making machines have maximum productivity: professional machines are equipped additional equipment, allowing you to automate the process, eliminating heavy manual labor. But such vibropressing machines also cost a lot.

Do-it-yourself cinder block production

Expanded clay is an excellent and inexpensive material for making building blocks, but even more in an economical way construction is the use of cinder blocks. Having comparable sound and heat insulation characteristics, slag concrete is made from materials whose cost is an order of magnitude lower.

The industry is not interested in producing cinder block building materials - it is more economically profitable to produce expensive analogues (building blocks made of foam concrete, aerated concrete, brick). But special equipment for forming cinder concrete blocks is on sale, and quite a lot. The range of prices for such vibrating machines is enormous: from simple models with a static matrix, which can easily be assembled in a garage from scrap materials, to fully automated lines.

Cinder block: manufacturing technology

A modern cinder block has dimensions of 188x190x390 mm, a solid building material characterized by sufficient strength for arranging foundations and multi-storey construction, hollow ones are used in all other cases. Voids can be round, rectangular or square shape, the number varies from one to 8-10 voids, the voidness rate is in the range of 25-50%. Almost equal in strength to monolithic products, hollow cinder blocks allow you to save expensive cement by almost half.

For quick and high-quality mixing of the mixture, it is advisable to use a construction concrete mixer

Building blocks are a common material for the construction of structures for various purposes. They differ in size, components, manufacturing method, but all are popular wall structural material. Building blocks are manufactured in industrial conditions, in household They also make concrete products and cinder blocks, which requires a DIY building block maker. Based on the material used, these products are divided into the following types:

• slag concrete;
• concrete;
• aerated concrete;
• fiber foam concrete;
• polystyrene concrete.

Cinder blocks as a building material

Cinder block is standard concrete products, only instead of heavy gravel and crushed stone, filler in the form of waste slag is used. This replacement gives the material lightness compared to concrete and additional thermal insulation properties, since slag has a thermal conductivity coefficient that compares favorably with heavy and dense crushed stone.

The production of cinder blocks involves exact dosage components in solution, namely:

• cement grade not lower than 400 or 500, take one part (bucket);
• quarry sand, mix 3 parts (buckets);
• slag, burnt out brick, expanded clay, this material is added in the amount of 5 parts (buckets);
• water.

To obtain cinder blocks of the same quality as in the factory, use a solution of medium viscous consistency. A liquid solution will reduce the strength of the blocks, and a thick solution will create uncontrollable voids inside when it hardens.

Concrete blocks

Building blocks made of cement, sand and crushed stone are used for the construction of wall and other structures, if required increased strength. The ratio of components for standard concrete is taken in the ratio 1:3:6; other options for the concrete mixture are described in the builder's handbooks and depend on the brand of cement used, the size of the aggregate and the type of sand.

Construction sawdust blocks

For the construction of residential buildings, dachas, cottages, light and warm wall material from sawdust, sand and water. The binding component in the solution is lime. The amount of material added to the solution changes the properties of the final product. An increase in the mass of sawdust leads to an increase in thermal insulation properties, but contributes to a decrease in strength. With an increase in the amount of sand in the solution, the strength increases, while the frost resistance limit increases, which increases the performance properties of the material. Blocks are widely used in private housing construction as cladding for insulating structures.

The main advantages of the blocks are the availability of materials and low price, long service life without destruction, ecological cleanliness material, ease of obtaining. The installation for the production of building blocks with your own hands is available in manufacture and is popular among home craftsmen. Sawdust concrete has an increased drying time, so several parts are made inside the product. through holes to improve air flow.

The dimensions of sawdust blocks are not strictly regulated; their width is taken as a multiple of the wall thickness. If we talk about standard sizes, then the blocks are made according to twice the thickness of the brick (140 mm - 65x2 + 10 cm). When making sawdust stones, the dry ingredients are first mixed, then water is added, and mortar mixers are used for the work.

Aerated concrete building blocks

Their preparation includes difficult process saturation of the solution with gases, which is difficult to reproduce at home. Aerated concrete building blocks are distinguished by their lightness, high noise-insulating and heat-insulating properties.

Fiber foam concrete products for masonry

Fiber foam concrete is inherently an environmentally friendly wall material containing sand, foam and cement. High-tech machines for building blocks spray foam into the mass of the solution, it forms uniform closed particles of space. To increase the strength of the blocks, manufacturers use polyamide fiber reinforcement throughout the entire mass. This wall material is very durable, does not rot, is lightweight and durable.

Their fiber foam concrete blocks are produced in various sizes. For load-bearing walls use 20x30x60 cm, which weighs 22 kg. To build a brick wall of the same size, you will need 18 stones, they will weigh 72 kg. Blocks of smaller thickness (10 cm) are used in the construction of walls inside a building, partitions, and they are used to insulate floors and walls. The thermal conductivity of fiber foam concrete is 2.7 times less than that of brick and 2 times less than that of slag concrete and shell rock.

Large block sizes reduce application cement-sand mortar for masonry 20 times compared to building a wall from small stones. Fiber foam concrete does not burn when exposed to high temperatures does not change shape and does not highlight harmful impurities when heated.

Polystyrene concrete blocks

The material is classified as another type of light wall concrete blocks. It differs from standard concrete in better performance and reduced production costs. The innovative wall material surpasses all known lightweight concrete in weight, even foam concrete is one and a half times heavier. Thanks to this indicator, houses are built without the usual massive foundation, and the cost of transporting material is reduced.

The production of polystyrene foam blocks involves carefully combining cement, sand, polystyrene foam particles and special additives to retain air in the total mass. All other physical characteristics of the material put it a step above conventional materials. Low water absorption and vapor permeability make expanded polystyrene concrete resistant to repeated freezing and thawing, which affects the durability of constructed structures. After the construction of the walls standard materials slight shrinkage occurs throughout the year. In the case of polystyrene foam blocks, they do not wait this long.

Installation for the production of building blocks with your own hands

Used for the manufacture of building structures special device, operating on the principle of a vibration processor.

Such a vibrating machine or vibrating table is designed independently. A self-made installation for the production of building blocks significantly reduces the cost of the blocks and, accordingly, the walls of the house.

Preparation of the solution

The solution is prepared from sand, cement, water and filler, which is used as various materials, as written above. To check the consistency of the solution for fluidity, throw a small amount onto the ground. A high-quality mixture does not spread in watery streams; when clenched in a fist, it sticks together into a lump.

The production of cinder blocks involves thorough cleaning slag from foreign debris; chips and unburned parts of coal are not allowed to get into the solution. Sometimes gypsum is added to the solution. In this case, three parts of slag and one part of gypsum are mixed, and water is introduced at the same time. This solution is quick to use as the plaster hardens in minutes. The slag is pre-soaked with water before mixing. To improve the quality of output products, modern plasticizer additives are added to the solution. Their action increases the frost resistance, water resistance and mechanical strength of the blocks.

Depending on the purpose, two types of concrete blocks are made - solid and hollow. The former are used for the construction of durable structures, load-bearing walls, and foundations. The second type of blocks is used as partition material; it insulates well from cold and extraneous sounds.

Making concrete blocks without a vibrating table

Of the two technologies, use wooden form, which is intended for the natural spreading of the solution without vibration, is in constant demand. Placing the solution into the prepared form is carried out in several stages. First, the container is filled with a third of the solution, after which the walls of the mold are carefully tapped with a hammer around the perimeter for high-quality shrinkage. concrete mortar. In the next two stages, the solution is added according to the original technology until the mold is filled. The production of building blocks with voids involves inserting two plastic bottles with water, which remove it after setting.

The forms are left to dry for 2-5 days. Then the blocks are carefully removed from the collapsible structure and laid out on pallets until completely dry. With this method of production there is no need to purchase.

The following tools and equipment will be needed: a sieve for sifting sand, molds for mortar, a trough for mixing or a concrete mixer, a hammer for tapping, a bucket, a shovel, a trowel, and drying trays.

Method for making blocks using a vibration machine

To do this, purchase or make your own vibrating machine for cinder blocks. A special metal form is installed on the machine plane, and concrete mixture with slag filler, one third of it is poured into it. After this, a vibrating table is connected to the action for up to 20 seconds, which allows you to remove all unnecessary air bubbles from the solution, and the cement will receive good shrinkage. The solution is poured into the mold three times. The blocks are removed from the mold in the same way as with the vibration-free manufacturing method.

The cinder block does not tolerate drying out in hot weather in the open rays of the sun, so on hot days it is sprayed with water and covered with oilcloth or cellophane so that the moisture does not evaporate so actively. Formed, completely dried concrete blocks gain 100% strength on the 28th day, and after that they are ready for use in construction.

Features of making cinder blocks

The molds are made independently, using metal or wood; the width of the boards is at least 190-200 mm. They are connected into a prefabricated structure, the side parts of which are detached to remove the finished block. The overall design combines no more than 6 cells for laying concrete. Ready design installed on a dense, waterproof material, such as oilcloth, forming the bottom of the mold.

If wood is chosen as the material for the mold, it is pre-treated with impregnations or primers to increase moisture resistance. The molds are made from dry wood. These conditions are met, otherwise during the work the wood will move away from the water and the geometric size of the block will change. The standard dimensions of stones are 400x200x200 mm, but each private manufacturer makes blocks for their own construction.

For metal matrices, sheets with a thickness of no more than 3-4 mm are taken. When welding a structure, all welds are made from the outside so as not to round the corners of the block. The voids inside the cinder block are made using pieces of metal pipes of suitable diameter, for example 80 mm. The distance between the pipes and the distance from the walls are controlled, the composition is welded in strips for rigidity and fixation.

If equipment is being made for the production of building blocks, then when attaching the vibrator to the table, after tightening the nuts, they are still lightly welded. The motor must be covered with a protective casing made of any material against splashes of solution, water, and dust.

Technology for the production of sawdust concrete blocks

The available materials are not pre-processed, and you can buy them at any hardware store, so the production of blocks from sand, lime and sawdust begins immediately after purchase. To mix the solution, use a concrete mixer or mortar mixer, since manually mixing wood waste is difficult.

Dry sawdust, passed through a coarse sieve, is mixed with sand and cement. Lime or prepared clay dough is added to the solution. The resulting mixture is mixed well and only then water is added, gradually pouring it in small portions. To determine the readiness of the solution, squeeze it in your hand, after which fingerprints should remain on the lump, which indicates the correct proportions.

Before filling the forms with the solution, they are lined thin layer sawdust Internal holes in the blocks are made using wooden plugs about 70-80 mm in size, which are installed in the matrix before pouring the solution. The material of the building blocks is placed tightly into the mold using a special tamper. The container is filled to the top and left to dry for three days. After this period, the solution gains about 40% of its required strength.

The molds are disassembled, and the blocks are dried for another four days, after which the strength becomes 70% of set limit. Finished products are transferred to pallets and protected from direct sun rays. Drying of blocks is faster if you leave gaps between the products during storage. It is advisable to place the trays in a draft or use a fan for forced ventilation.

Sawdust concrete blocks gain 100% strength after drying for 3 months, but they can be used after a month of ventilation. At this time their strength is 90%.

Machines and equipment

To make the number of blocks required for construction, a ready-made vibroforming machine is purchased. The TL-105 brand has good performance. And although its power is only 0.55 kW, it produces about 150 concrete blocks with different aggregates per hour of operation. Its approximate cost on the market is approximately 42,800 rubles. Modern manufacturers Machine tools produce many types of machines for the production of blocks with additional functions. Prices for machines are different, and the cost of building blocks directly depends on this.

For small private construction, a 1IKS vibration machine is suitable; it costs about 17,000 rubles, the power is only 0.15 kW, such equipment produces 30 blocks per hour. When buying a machine, take into account the level of production of blocks for construction needs.

In conclusion, it should be noted that making building blocks with your own hands will greatly save money on the production of products. The cost price does not take into account the wages paid to the employee. Invoices and production costs, taxes and other deductions, therefore, making the building material cheaper than the house.

Cinder block is an artificial wall stone made from a mixture of slag and cement, intended for the construction of walls of one-story buildings. It is also used as additional insulation in the construction of frame houses. The production of this material is possible at home on your own. It is not recommended to make just the foundation panels yourself. The requirements for the reliability of the building's foundation are very high, so it is better not to save money and buy ready-made elements.

There are the following types:

• solid - have the greatest strength, intended for the construction of load-bearing walls and partitions, cladding;
• hollow with a degree of voidness of 40% - they have higher heat and sound insulating properties due to the presence of cavities inside, they are cheaper, but are inferior in strength due to the thinness of the walls;
• hollow with a degree of voidness from 25 to 30% - have optimal proportions in terms of thermal conductivity and strength, the most popular.

Depending on the thickness, the blocks are:

• wall - standard size 390 x 190 x 188 mm;
• partition - 390 x 90 x 188 mm.

At self-production Dimensions can be arbitrary, a prerequisite is stability of dimensions.

Specifications

• Cinder blocks have a relatively low thermal conductivity coefficient - from 0.20 to 0.65 W/m3 (better than brick). Due to this, they are often used not only as a structural material, but also as insulation.
• Density - from 750 to 1450 kg/m3. It differs from all other types in its high strength - grades from M35 to M125. This parameter must be taken into account when designing communications, as it is difficult to cut.
• Frost resistance is up to 50 freeze-thaw cycles without visible damage.

Advantages:

• low price;
• availability and variety of materials for manufacturing, the ability to obtain products with the required set of parameters suitable for specific purposes;
• environmental benefits - due to the use of waste from the metallurgical industry (slag), as well as broken bricks and concrete remaining during the demolition of old buildings, the number of construction waste dumps is reduced;
• fire resistance;
• is not a favorable environment for the development of fungi and mold, and is not susceptible to damage by rodents;
• ease of wall installation.

Flaws:

• very high degree of hygroscopicity - strongly absorbs moisture from the air, reliable cladding on both sides is required;
• the presence of substances hazardous to health (sulfur) - to completely weather them, the blocks are kept for outdoors at least a year, upon purchase it is necessary to check the environmental safety certificate;
• due to the need for high-quality waterproofing and cladding, the total cost of the building is slightly lower than when using more expensive building materials; significant savings are obtained only when making it yourself.

Utility, household, industrial premises, garages.

About slag for block production

This is a silicate waste from metal processing; it is sifted through a sieve. Slag obtained by burning various types solid fuel(coal, firewood), contains radioactive components, therefore it is not used for the construction of residential premises.

Types of slag:

• granulated (granular slag);
• non-granular.

For the production of building blocks, the largest fraction of granular waste is selected, smaller (non-granular) waste is used for the production of asphalt and paving slabs. Price for 1 ton of material - from 100 rubles. There are non-ferrous and ferrous metallurgy wastes (blast furnace), the second option is preferable, since those obtained from the processing of non-ferrous metals are more expensive.

Composition of the mixture for obtaining blocks

Cement of a grade not lower than M400 is selected as a binder. The filler either consists entirely of slag, or is mixed - crushed stone (permissibly secondary), ordinary or expanded clay sand, fine expanded clay, and crushed brick are added in a small proportion. Proportions for cinder blocks: 8-9 parts of filler, 1.5-2 parts of binder. If the cement is M500, then it can be taken approximately 15% less than M400.

Slag usually makes up at least 65% of the total aggregate volume. For example, out of 9 parts, at least 6 are made up of it, the rest is supplemented with sand and crushed stone. But it is theoretically possible to use brick or concrete waste and screenings for production with your own hands. Regardless of the type of material, it is customary to conventionally call such products slag concrete. Classic proportions: 2 parts sand, 2 parts crushed stone, 7 parts slag, 2 parts Portland cement M400.

Water is added in a ratio of approximately 0.5 parts. The finished mixture is semi-dry. To check the quality, a handful is thrown onto a hard surface. If the lump has crumbled, but when compressed it easily regains its previous shape, then the composition is suitable for use.

To obtain a colored block, add colored chalk or crushed brick chips. To increase strength, professional plasticizers are introduced. Sometimes gypsum, sawdust, and ash are added as a partial replacement for slag.

It is better to mix the components in a concrete mixer or mixer, but such equipment is expensive. Small quantities are mixed by hand, a labor-intensive process.

Cinder block production technology

They are made in two ways:

• manually - the quality of the finished products is low, uneven, but generally meets the requirements of the standards;
• vibration casting, using a vibrating table or vibrating machine - they are more durable.

They are produced in large volumes using the vibration pressing method. The equipment for this method is expensive, so it is not suitable for home production. The room should be well ventilated, with a flat, hard floor. This necessary condition for drying and storage.

Regardless of the chosen method, the prepared mixture is first placed in special rectangular frames. They are made of plastic wooden boards or metal sheets, always collapsible and without a bottom - for easy removal. For the same purpose, before pouring, the walls are lubricated with grease or soapy water. It is more convenient to use formwork made of several cells (usually from 4 to 6). When making wood, choose boards with absolutely smooth surface, otherwise, when stripping the formwork, knots and irregularities will cling.

Hollow formers - cylindrical or rectangular, made of metal or wood - are additionally attached to the bottom of the mold for hollow blocks. Instead of them you can put glass bottles, after the mixture has hardened, they are removed.

2. Do-it-yourself machine.

A simple ready-made machine for cinder blocks costs from 6,500 rubles. But if you wish and have a set necessary tools and its parts are easy to make at home yourself.

Procedure:

• Weld four steel sheets 3-4 mm thick rectangular shape without bottom with internal size 390x190x190 mm.
• Weld a steel strip along the perimeter of the top of the box.
• TO lower parts Weld guides on the short sides for easy removal and movement of the machine.
• Cut from metal pipe round section about 6 cm in diameter, three parts of equal length.
• Place the sections in a vertical position in a row along one line at a distance of approximately 4 cm from each other and connect them by welding or gluing jumpers between them. TO external parties Also attach jumpers to the outer pipes to connect them to the walls. The exact dimensions of all parts depend on the diameter of the void formers and the length of the box.
• Close the pipes from above with plugs. Insert the pipe structure inside the mold and attach.
• Install height limiters on the inner walls of the box.
• Attach handles to the short sides.
• Cut a clamping cover from the fifth steel sheet. During the production of blocks, it is put on the void formers so that they protrude. Therefore, the lid must have slots for pipes and jumpers between them, 1-2 mm larger in size.
• Weld two U-shaped handles on top of the resulting part. They are installed vertically along the short sides of the lid.
• Attach the platform motor-vibrator to one of the long sides of the mold with bolts or welded studs. Since its cost is relatively high and it is difficult to purchase, it is possible to use a twin-shaft motor from washing machine. TO homemade engine balancers are attached.

3. Making cinder concrete blocks by hand.

• Spread plastic wrap on a flat surface or floor. Place the greased molds on it.
• Prepare the mixture following the recommended proportions.
• Distribute it among the forms. For hollow blocks, insert bottles (if there are no void formers).
• Level the surface and remove excess mortar.
• After 5 hours, remove the bottles.
• After 24 hours, remove the blocks.
• Lay out on a flat horizontal plane.
• After a week, fold in several rows and leave to dry for another 21 days. During the drying process, they are covered with film. Optimal conditions- air temperature from +20 to +25°C, no direct sunlight.

If there is a vibrating table, the forms are placed on its surface. The vibration is turned on for about a minute. Exact time better define empirically by making test bricks. Exceeding the exposure time to vibration leads to deterioration in quality. Then the structures with the compacted mixture are removed from the table and treated in the same way as for manual production (see paragraphs 5-8 of the instructions).

4. Making cinder blocks with your own hands at home using a vibrating machine.

Manufacturing scheme using a simple machine:

• Lay out pieces of plywood or OSB measuring 500x300 mm on the floor. They will serve as supports for the blocks.
• Place the machine on the first sheet of plywood.
• Prepare the composition, observing the recommended proportions.
• Fill in the form.
• Turn on the engine for 20-30 s (for more precise definition For the optimal time of exposure of the vibrator to cinder concrete, it is recommended to make test bricks and evaluate their strength and uniformity of the finished material).
• Turn off the vibration - the mixture settles a few centimeters, fill the box to the top again. Turn on the motor and press the lid. It should rest against the height limiters on the inner walls.
• After turning off the vibration, remove the machine from the block and move it to the next substrate.
• Repeat all steps on each prepared sheet of plywood.

Readiness times and drying conditions are the same as for manual production.

The construction of a house from blocks is progressing faster than from bricks. You can buy them freely, but many people make building blocks with their own hands.

Blocks in construction are used not only for building walls. The use of building blocks for the foundation also speeds it up. Of course, these blocks must be very dense: 1.5 tons per 1 cubic m. Making blocks with your own hands, if you look at it, is not such an extremely difficult matter.

Where to begin?

And the beginning of everything is making molds.

Forms

There are molds for building blocks with standard sizes on sale. And at home you can make building blocks in sizes that suit you. We take sheet metal, cut out the required shape from it and weld the shape. Molds are also made from wood; they are good for adobe blocks. There is no need for a bottom here. But the handles on the sides will come in handy, it’s more convenient to work with them.

Material for homemade building blocks

What's great about DIY building blocks is that they use material that you already have or can easily purchase.

Basically, blocks are made from cement with various fillers, but craftsmen, like manufacturers, sometimes do without it. Depending on the selected material, it is possible to produce homemade building blocks of the following types:

• slag concrete;
• blocks based on liquid glass;
• adobe;
• chip concrete or wood concrete.

How the filler is used:

• ash;
• slag;
• dropout;
• crushed stone;
• gypsum;
• perlite;
• expanded clay;
• sawdust;
• straw;
• broken bricks and more.

Blocks without cement

Making building blocks using this technology is not available to everyone, because the mixture contains liquid glass. Unless you negotiate with the nearest concrete products plant and buy the main component there. The mixture will consist of:

• two dozen parts of river sand;
• one and a half dozen parts of liquid glass;
• 4 parts chalk;
• 3 parts slaked lime;
• 2 parts kaolin.

Manufacturing process

• First the sand is sifted;
• chalk is added;
• everything mixes well;
• slaked lime is introduced;
• kaolin or brick crushed to a powder state;
• liquid glass.

The starting raw material should be homogeneous and dough-like. Before pouring this dough-like mass, wet the inside of the molds. If you wish, you can add color to the building blocks. To do this add:

• chalk of any color;
• red brick ground into powder.

Fillers are added to such blocks: slag, expanded clay, shavings. Their strength is high - they are much stronger than cement ones.

Expanded clay concrete blocks

Expanded clay concrete blocks are one of the types of cinder blocks, where expanded clay serves as a filler.

Compound

• cement - 1 part;
• expanded clay - 5 parts;
• sand - 3 parts;
• water - about one part.

Technology

The technology for manufacturing expanded clay concrete building blocks is generally the same as any other:

• the starting material is placed in pre-lubricated molds;
• compacted;
• the form is removed after 10 minutes;
• the product remains in place;
• after 12 hours it is transferred to a place protected from precipitation and direct sunlight.
• in warm weather the blocks will become hard in a little less than a month.

If you plan to make thick walls (about 0.5 m), then blocks with voids are better. To do this, wooden inserts are inserted into the mold: round or square. And so that they can be easily removed, before inserting, wrap them in roofing iron.

Advantages

• light weight;
• frost resistance;
• breathability;
• moisture resistance;
• strength;
• low cost.

A house made from expanded clay concrete blocks is built faster than from brick; less mortar is needed for masonry.

Adobe blocks

Components

For this type of block, the material is literally under your feet. All you need is:

• clay;
• straw;
• river sand;
• water.

Features of selection

In order for the building blocks to have characteristics that meet all the requirements, you need to know something about the features of selecting components:

1. It is better to prepare the clay in the fall, cover it with film and let it overwinter - this will improve its quality.
2. First sift the sand, freeing it from impurities.
3. Straw can be taken from the field where wheat, rye or barley has just been harvested. If the straw remains from the harvest of the previous year, then the quality will not be the same - after all, after lying there, it begins to rot.

How to determine the percentage of components

• clay - 1 cubic meter m;
• straw - 20 kg;
• sand - 25%.

In order not to spoil the entire batch of blocks, you need to make a small experimental batch. So we do this:

• we combine all the components in small quantities and write down the proportions;
• make a batch;
• form a ball;
• leave in the sun to dry for about 1 hour;
• we throw it on the ground at a height of one and a half meters.

If all components are selected in the required proportions, then the ball will remain intact. Did you add more sand than you should? It will collapse or crack. Is there enough sand? The ball will blur. This is how we practically select the most best option.

Preparation

To prepare the mixture for several dozen blocks at once, you need to make a hole in the ground: round with a diameter of about 2.5 m or rectangular 1.5x2.5 with a depth of half a meter. Line its bottom with polyethylene. Although some ready-made container will do: a trough or old bath. Then everything is done as it was done in the old days: we put on high rubber boots and walk, mixing everything until smooth.

Manufacturing

• While the batch is in the manufacturing stage, we are preparing a platform for the products: we select a flat, sunny place;
• We bring the mixture in buckets;
• fill out forms;
• compact;
• remove excess by running a board along the upper edges of the mold;
• remove the form.

The finished blocks should dry. This usually takes several days. It is important that they are not exposed to rain. Then they are transferred to a shelter and dried further. They will be completely ready in 10 days.

A house made of adobe blocks turns out to be very warm and comfortable. In addition, this building material is environmentally friendly, durable, and fireproof. It is used for buildings no higher than 2 floors.

Sawdust concrete blocks (arobolite)

The technology for making sawdust concrete blocks is similar to making adobe blocks, but the components do not need to be mined, but purchased.

Components

Before you start making, you need to purchase:

• cement - M300 or higher;
• sand - fraction no larger than 1.8 microns;
• not slaked lime;
• sawdust (coniferous wood).

Preparing the Components

• sift through sawdust;
• mix dry cement and sand;
• add lime here and mix again;
• add sawdust and repeat the mixing procedure;
• pour in water;
• In order for the components to adhere well to each other, add calcium chloride or alumina sulfate;
• we control the quality of the mixture.

To control quality, we roll the ball and squeeze it in our palms. If water flows, there is too much of it in the mixture; if the ball crumbles, there is too much sawdust or sand.

Let's start production

• Line the form with plastic wrap;
• add the mixture;
• we ram;
• Without removing from the mold, leave to harden for 5 days;
• remove from the mold and dry further.

The drying process will take a long time - from 1.5 to 3 months: it all depends on the mass of the block.

Equipment

If the construction is large-scale, then it may make sense to spend money on equipment for building blocks. For example: there is a mini-machine for sale for the production of wood concrete RPB-1500 BL. Its productivity is 1 sawdust block with dimensions 19 x 19 x 39 cm per minute. Produced by a Russian manufacturer - INTEK.

Vibrating tables are widely used in the manufacture of building blocks. They solve the problem of compacting mixtures. The vibrating table consists of:

• movable table;
• engine;
• control panels;
• sometimes a transformer is included in the kit.

The compaction of the working mixture occurs under the influence of vibration created by a vibration motor.

Duty cycle

• place the mold on the movable table;
• place half or completely dry mixture into the mold;
• start the engine;
• drying.

How to choose?

There are 3 types of vibrating plates capable of compacting material by weight:

• up to 75 kg;
• from 75 to 160 kg;
• from 160 kg.

Based on these indicators, you should select the optimal vibrating table option for yourself.

Manufacturers

They are produced by:

• Russian company VPK;
• LLC "Stroymash";
• "Red Poppy" plant in Yaroslavl and others.

Vibrating tables are also supplied by foreign manufacturers:

• Spain - Enar and Hervisa;
• Germany - Wacker;
• Italy - Batmatic;
• France - Paclite.

-> Manufacturing, construction, Agriculture

Mini-production of cinder blocks at home

Today everyone knows about the advantages of using cinder blocks in construction. Why is cinder block so good? The main advantage is, of course, its low cost. Other advantages include good structural and thermal insulation properties. In a word, cinder block is an excellent building material that is in constant demand in the building materials market.

And yet, now the most important thing for us is the low cost of manufacturing cinder blocks and extremely simple technology its production. To open your own small production of cinder blocks no complex devices or tools are required. All you need is to make suitable forms for casting cinder blocks. Moreover, you can make cinder blocks not only standard sizes, but also to make cinder blocks to suit your specific needs - wide, narrow, long, short, absolutely any size!

The main components of cinder blocks are cement, water and various fillers (slag, sand, crushed stone, crushed brick, expanded clay and even sawdust). The cost of manufacturing cinder blocks is very low precisely due to the use fillers, and the most expensive component of a cinder block is, of course, cement. The filler, as a rule, is purchased literally for pennies, or construction waste (for example, broken bricks) and what is, as they say, “at hand” are used.

How to open your own mini-production of cinder blocks

So, what does it take to make your own cinder blocks? For mini-production of a small number of cinder blocks, aimed primarily at personal needs, you will only need a suitable container for mixing the solution and a mold for casting cinder blocks of the required size. The number of molds for casting cinder blocks directly depends on the volume of your production. Calculate how many cinder blocks you will make per day, if 20, then you will need 20 molds, if 100, then, respectively, 100. This is due to the fact that the finished cinder blocks will be dried directly in the molds.

Molds for cinder blocks usually wooden or metal, in the form of an open box with a bottom and side walls. To save wood or metal, you can make a mold with several compartment cells, so that 4 to 6 blocks will be poured into one mold at once. When producing in this way, the solution must be made thinner so that the mass becomes more homogeneous and fills the molds well. The size of a standard cinder block is 400 x 200 x 200 mm, but you can make them any size to suit your specific dimensions.

To save solution and reduce the weight of the cinder block, insert punches- blanks (as a rule, they have a cylindrical shape), filling part of the internal volume of the cinder block, which are removed after the block has dried. Even empty glass bottles can be used as punches in the home mini-production of cinder blocks - insert them with the neck down, remove the excess solution and level the surface. After 6 - 8 hours, the punches are pulled out, and cavities remain in the block. The number of punches can be from 2 to 3, it all depends on the size of the cinder block.

The cinder blocks dry for about a day directly in the mold, then they should be carefully pulled out and stored in stacks. The time for a cinder block to fully gain strength is about 28 days.

The described technology is perfect for organizing mini-production of cinder blocks the so-called “handicraft method” at home.

For more serious production of cinder blocks, you will need to purchase or manufacture some starting equipment. Basic kit includes a concrete mixer and a vibrating table. These two simple things will allow you to greatly increase your productivity.

Vibrating table allows you to significantly reduce the production time of cinder blocks and reduce the number of molds used for pouring. The forms themselves are best made of metal. For convenience, weld handles to it, and to the bottom 2 - 3 pipes with a diameter of 50 - 80 mm - to create internal cavities.

Using a vibrating table allows you to pour thicker solution. After filling the solution, the form is sent to a vibrating table, where the block is compacted within 30-40 minutes. Next, the form is turned over and the cinder block is removed by lightly tapping (it should not fall apart, we achieve the desired thickness experimentally). Remember, you cannot disturb it for about a day until it has completely hardened. Therefore, it is necessary to provide in advance a flat, clean area for storage and final drying.

Vibrating table is possible do it yourself. To do this, you will need a sheet of metal approximately 800x800x5 mm, an electric motor (2-3 kW) and springs. We weld 4 springs to the sheet at the corners, attach an electric motor in the center, and put a pulley with an offset center on the shaft. Place it on a solid base and secure it. Remember power cable must be securely connected and insulated! A metal sheet The table should be reliably grounded.

Solution for the production of cinder blocks.

Cement can be used of any grade from 200 to 600.

Examples of mixtures for cinder blocks based on cement PCM-400
(weight is indicated in kg, water in liters).

Heavy and dense cinder block:
1. Cement 240, sand 1950, water 90 - 130.
2. Cement 200, sand 920, crushed stone 980, water 90 - 130.
3. Cement 230, broken brick (fraction 5 - 20 mm) 990, sand 540, water 90 - 130.

Lighter and slightly less durable:
1. Cement 250, expanded clay 720, water 100 – 140.
2. Cement 200, ash (coal or shale slag) 960, water 90 - 130.
3. Cement 260, sawdust (wood) 150, sand 1100, water 100 – 140.

Various materials can be combined. The recommended cement ratio is 1 to 8 or 1 to 9, but if you want to increase the strength of the block, add a little more cement. But even with this cement content cinder blocks turn out to be very durable.

And don’t forget that cement gains its final strength in 28 days!