The thickness of the reinforcement for the reinforcement of aerated concrete blocks. Reinforcement of aerated concrete blocks during masonry. Problem areas that need strengthening

Before building an object, you should carefully familiarize yourself with all building materials and their characteristics. Building a house or a garage from gas silicate blocks, for example, is cost-effective. But in order not to crack, it is necessary not only to correctly select the density of aerated concrete and its strength class, but also to reinforce the masonry.

Aerated concrete masonry reinforcement scheme: 1 - Wall masonry, 2 - Floor slabs, 3 - Strapping belt, 4 - Mauerlat, 5 - Roof truss elements.

It should be borne in mind that even if you build a house with the correct preliminary calculation of the foundation, there is a risk of getting cracks on the facade of the building.

Often this is due to the process of building shrinkage, drying of cellular concrete and subsequently reducing its release moisture.

Reinforcement of masonry has been used for a very long time in Finland. Using this technology and choosing the right characteristics of aerated concrete, you can even build buildings up to 6 floors. After conducting an analytical analysis, it turned out that during operation for 20 years, such houses made of aerated concrete have practically no cracks on the facade. This strength of the walls is achieved by reinforcing the walls and corners. According to Finnish regulations, it is necessary to reinforce the first, and then every fourth row of aerated concrete masonry. To do this, strobes are made in the gas silicate block, into which reinforcement is laid and pressed with an adhesive solution.

Scheme of reinforcement of aerated concrete masonry along the height of the walls: 1 - Strapping belt, 2 - Reinforcement of the masonry of the window sill zone, 3 - Reinforcement of the masonry within the height of the wall, 4 - Reinforcement of the masonry at a distance of no more than 3 m, 5 - At a distance of more than 3 m.

At the corners of the walls, the turns of the strobe in aerated concrete blocks are cut with or using a special power tool. Before you start laying reinforcement in aerated concrete and building walls, the strobe must be cleaned of dust and filled with glue. Steel bars with a diameter of 8-10 mm can be used as reinforcement. In order to be able to bend it in various places, manual devices are used.

The reinforcement should be pressed into the strobe of walls and corners of aerated concrete so that it is completely covered with glue. From the front (external) surface of the gas silicate block, the reinforcement should be located at a distance of 6 cm. It is customary for us to lay 2 reinforcing rods in the wall at once for reinsurance. At the corners of a house under construction, strobes must be made with rounding.

It is imperative to reinforce the masonry of gas silicate blocks under the window openings. An important condition must be observed: under doors and windows, the fittings must extend beyond the opening by at least 90-100 cm, and in the best case, if possible, then by 150 cm.

If they have a thickness of more than 250 mm, then two rods must be laid. If more than 500 mm, then it is advisable to lay three. If the thickness of the blocks is less than 250 mm, then it will be enough to do the reinforcement using one reinforcement bar. Before starting to build a house, it is necessary to calculate not only the consumption of the main material, but also to calculate the necessary reinforcing material.

Tools and materials

  • fittings;
  • adhesive mortar or cement composition;
  • wall chaser;
  • building level, tape measure and other measuring tool;
  • grater, planer, sweeping brush;
  • bucket, water.

Stages of work

  1. After laying the first row of aerated concrete blocks, you need to wipe the seams and check the horizontal position using the building level. With the help of a chasing cutter, a groove is sawn - a strobe. If it is necessary to make two gates, then each of them should be located at a distance of not less than 60 cm from the outer edge of the gas silicate block. To make a strobe, you can also use an electric tool, but there is no particular need to buy it, since it will be very easy to strobe a fresh gas block.
  2. After that, it is necessary to use a sweeping brush and sweep out aerated concrete crumbs and dust from all grooves. Next, water is poured into the bucket, and all the resulting grooves of the aerated concrete masonry are poured. gas silicate building blocks must be hydrated.
  3. The next step will be partial filling (about half) of the resulting grooves with adhesive. For these purposes, you can use ordinary sand with cement to save glue. If the masonry grooves are not cleaned and not sufficiently moistened, then cement mortar will not be able to soak into the walls of aerated concrete and you will not succeed in good reinforcement, since the solution will mix with dust and the block will absorb all the moisture from it. It makes no sense to build insufficiently reliable walls.
  4. If everything is done correctly, then you can take the reinforcement and drown it in the strobes, which are half filled with a solution. Individual rods are laid with an overlap of at least 35 cm (even better 40-45 cm for strength). The ends of the reinforcing bars are bent and gently flooded into the strobes specially prepared for them. Reinforcement of a house or garage from gas silicate blocks must be done in such a way that, under force, the ends of the reinforcement firmly hold the masonry in a monolithic array. It is necessary to build a house, taking into account the fact that the glue after solidification has high strength.
  5. After that, you can fill the strobes with reinforcement with a solution to the end. After drying, with the help of a grater, a planer and a sweeping brush, the masonry surface is leveled and prepared for laying the next row. In the future, it is recommended to make reinforcement every 4th row of aerated concrete masonry.

In a relatively short period of time, gas-liquid brick or aerated concrete has gained great popularity among builders. Low cost, low transportation costs and the absence of difficulties in the process of loading and unloading are increasingly attracting the attention of the consumer.

Professionals identify several advantages of aerated concrete:

  1. The even geometry of the blocks allows them to be laid on an adhesive solution, thereby achieving heat savings of more than 30%.
  2. Processing during the production process gives high strength to the buildings being erected.
  3. The construction of aerated concrete walls provides excellent vapor permeability of the premises and does not require strengthening the foundation due to the light weight of the blocks.

In addition to the above advantages, aerated concrete stands out favorably among modern building materials relatively low price per unit.

Construction of a building

The construction of walls made of aerated concrete must be accompanied by the obligatory laying of a reinforcing frame. The basis of the blocks is cement, quartz sand and gas generators mixed in a certain proportion, and lime, slag and gypsum serve as fillers. Thanks to the autoclave processing of gas silicate blocks, they are easily changed during the construction and finishing process: they are cut, sawn and drilled.

At the same time, such walls can be deformed under the influence of external factors, the movement of the soil or the foundation. Therefore, it is very important to reinforce the walls during the laying process. Particular attention should be paid to loaded places: openings above windows and doors, thresholds.

The aerated concrete wall tolerates compression well, but not tension. Therefore, with a length of more than 6 m, an expansion joint and a reinforcing mesh are required.

Based on the possible loads, several types and approaches are used in laying reinforcing elements:

  1. The most common option for laying a reinforcing structure is its location in the most vulnerable places: openings in the walls. It is recommended to use it in all buildings built from gas silicate blocks. An exception may be buildings erected by means of a monolithic structure, where the aerated concrete wall is not under load. Such material serves only as a filler between the supports.
  2. The second reinforcement method is used when the construction is carried out from fresh products that have not yet undergone shrinkage. Its use is typical at peak construction works when production batches are sent to construction sites. Predominantly, such work is carried out in places with the most significant temperature fluctuations in order to avoid excessive shrinkage when the outside temperature drops or elevated level ground water during the spring period.
  3. The third type in the vastness of our country has not received distribution - vertical. It consists in connecting the lower concrete belt with the upper reinforcing belt. It is used in construction in seismic zones and hurricane-prone regions. It is used in the construction of buildings on sloping terrain (on hills, slopes) and in the mountains.

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Methods for laying a metal frame

To strengthen the erected structure, builders use several methods of laying the frame.

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Deepening reinforcement into the cavity of the stone

The most common type of reinforcement laying is its immersion in stone. To do this, two strobes of approximately 2.5 * 2.5 cm are made along the entire row. It should be borne in mind that it must be done no closer than 6 cm from the outer and inner edges.

The strobe can be done with: an electric wall chaser, a manual wall chaser, an angle grinder or a puncher.

The strobe can be done:

  1. An electric wall chaser is a professional tool. Work proceeds quickly, without the formation of dust and debris. But the cost of such equipment is high enough to purchase it for home use.
  2. Angle grinder. The workflow itself is fast, but accompanied by careful depth and distance measurements. Formed a large number of dust from sawing gas silicate blocks.
  3. Manual chisel. Slow, hard, no dust. Having made indentations right size, it is necessary to remove the crushed stone from them with a brush, vacuum cleaner or building hair dryer. Removing unnecessary rubbish and crumbs, be sure to moisten the grooves. This is necessary for the highest quality adhesion of the solution to the base. At the next stage, wet furrows are filled with more than half of the finished solution. It can be an ordinary masonry mortar or a special thermal insulating one. When using the latter, cold bridges are not formed between the blocks, and precious heat does not escape.

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Steel reinforcement cage laying

An alternative option for reinforcing gas silicate blocks is the laying of paired galvanized strips 8 mm * 1.5 mm in size. Their use does not require pre-training surfaces and cutting strobes. Their laying is allowed on a small layer of mortar, followed by pressing and applying a second layer of adhesive solution.

In order to choose the right reinforcement, preliminary calculations should be made in the ratio of the cross-sectional area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe wall and the thickness of the block. But if you try to do without lengthy mathematical calculations, then you should remember the rules:

  1. With a block thickness of 25 cm or more, it is necessary to use reinforcement at least 6 mm in diameter and lay it in two layers, but not closer than 6 cm from the edge of the block.
  2. If the blocks are less than 20 cm, then it will be optimal to use 8 mm reinforcement and use it in one row, in the center.

Considering the above examples of laying a reinforcing frame for aerated concrete, we can conclude that only a special adhesive composition should be used in order to avoid possible cold bridges.

Its application allows:

  1. Achieve better and even stacking of blocks.
  2. Minimize the masonry joint - from 2 mm for adhesive solution.
  3. The ready-made composition of the mortar significantly reduces the time spent when laying the blocks and increases the volume of work, which reduces the time for the construction of the building.

When performing reinforcement of gas blocks, there are such features and mandatory requirements, how:

  1. The allowable distance between horizontal reinforcing belts should not exceed 100 cm, therefore, calculating necessary material, it should be borne in mind that it is necessary to lay the armored belt every four rows with a block height of 25 cm and every third at 30 cm in height.
  2. Loaded areas near lintels and openings are reinforced with reinforcement up to 90 cm in both directions.
  3. In the absence of a single monolithic metal frame and adjoining walls, reinforcement should be placed on it by bending at a right angle and by overlapping up to 50-70 cm.

Reasons affecting bearing capacity gas silicate blocks are neutralized by the construction of a reinforcing belt at the completion of the structure.

Reinforcement of walls made of aerated concrete blocks is a prerequisite. This rule is dictated by certain operational characteristics aerated concrete. If the walls of this material are not reinforced, the service life of the building is significantly reduced.

Despite the fact that aerated concrete has a high degree of compressive strength, it has a low resistance to tension and bending. The house after construction is exposed to a number of negative factors, such as shrinkage of the building and temperature changes. These factors lead to the risk of shrinkage and thermal deformations.

When a building shrinks, horizontal stress can lead to cracks and gaps in the wall that are incompatible with its further operation. Such violations are called shrinkage deformations. In addition, thermal deformations take place. Almost all materials tend to shrink when the temperature drops and expand when it rises. Such fluctuations can lead to a violation of the structural integrity of the walls.

It is to prevent this kind of problems that the reinforcement of walls made of aerated concrete blocks is carried out. Reinforced rows protect the entire structure from horizontal loads caused by temperature changes or building shrinkage. We are talking about protection against horizontal deformations because vertical loads are damped by gravity. However, it also creates additional stress in the opening area, so that protection against vertical loads is also provided.

Separately, it is worth noting that reinforcement does not increase the bearing capacity of the walls.

Reinforcement materials

Reinforcement of aerated concrete masonry can be carried out different ways and using different materials. The following materials can be distinguished for strengthening the walls:

  1. Fittings. The classic method of reinforcing aerated concrete masonry. For it, reinforcing bars with a diameter of 0.8 to 1.4 centimeters are used. The technology of their application involves the formation of gutters in the masonry, corresponding in size to the diameter of the reinforcement and taking into account the fact that mortar will also be poured into them. As a rule, with a standard thickness of aerated concrete block, two parallel gutters are formed. When reinforcing the corners, the gutters are made in the form of an arc.
Reinforcing bars

In the classic case, metal rods are used as reinforcement. However, there is also a more advanced material - this is fiberglass reinforcement. It is devoid of a number of disadvantages inherent in steel. The following advantages of fiberglass fiber can be distinguished:

  • This composite material has a high chemical resistance and, unlike metal, does not corrode.
  • It bends quite simply, which greatly simplifies the reinforcement of corners.
  • The tensile strength of fiberglass is many times greater than that of metal. With an identical load level, the allowable thickness of composite reinforcement is less than that of metal reinforcement. Thanks to this, you can make smaller gutters for laying it and save mortar.
  • Fiberglass, unlike metal, practically does not expand with increasing temperature. This helps to reduce the mechanical impact on the walls from the inside.
  • Composite reinforcement has low thermal conductivity and does not conduct electricity.

However, this material also has a number of disadvantages, these include the impossibility of fastening its pieces using electric welding. This problem is solved by placing metal tips at the ends of the reinforcing bars, which are subsequently welded. This improvement is made in the factory. In addition, due to its high bending ability, its use in reinforcing floors is not recommended.

    1. metal network. Reinforcement of masonry with an iron network is carried out by applying it to a number of aerated concrete blocks without pre-treatment the latter. After that, the network is covered with a solution. The reinforcing mesh, as a rule, has the following characteristics: the side of the square of the cell is 5 centimeters, the thickness of the wire is from 0.3 to 0.5 centimeters. Slightly higher requirements are imposed on the mesh for reinforcing openings and the first row of masonry: the mesh size is 7 by 7 centimeters, and the wire thickness is from 0.4 centimeters.

  1. Mounting perforated tape. Another option for reinforcing the laying of aerated concrete blocks. The tape is a long strip of galvanized metal dotted with holes, hence the name perforated. Reinforcement with this material is carried out similarly to the method using reinforcement. The difference is that gutters are not made in the masonry. The tape is fastened with self-tapping screws directly to the gas blocks.

Mounting perforated tape for reinforcement of gas blocks

This option is applicable for buildings, the design load on which is relatively low. Since the section of the tape is much lower than that of the reinforcement, its laying should be carried out in a greater number of parallel rows than the laying of metal rods. The advantages of using this material include ease of transportation and saving the solution, due to the absence of gutters in the masonry.

Tape is sold in hardware stores different sizes. Not every one of them is suitable for reinforcing masonry. Tape must be at least 1.6 cm wide and at least 0.1 cm thick.

Masonry reinforcement principles

The strengthening of the walls, necessary in the case of using aerated concrete, will have the desired effect only if all the principles and technologies of proper reinforcement are observed.

Reinforcement of the upper and lower rows

When reinforcing masonry, there is no need to strengthen each of its rows. As a rule, the laying of reinforcement, tape or mesh is carried out with a certain step, for example, every third row. However, there are a number of elements that are always strengthened without fail. These include the extreme upper and lower rows of the wall.

The upper level of the wall is the basis for the roof structure, which is the reason for the impact of additional loads on it. The total mass of the roof presses unevenly on the top row, so its individual parts are loaded more than others. The difference between these pressures can cause a violation of the integrity of the wall. For this reason, the reinforcement of the uppermost row is given Special attention. When strengthening masonry from aerated concrete, even partitions are reinforced in the upper row.

The bottom row of masonry is subject to the greatest loads, because the weight of the entire structure presses on it. Therefore, it is more prone to the risk of shrinkage deformations than others. Reinforcement of the first row is recommended even for small buildings.

Types of wall reinforcement

Applying a division based on the purpose of strengthening the walls, the following types of masonry reinforcement can be distinguished:

  • For strengthening areas with increased load. These areas include door and window openings provided for by the building design.
  • To prevent the occurrence of cracks and ruptures due to temperature and shrinkage deformations.
  • To protect against destructive natural factors. This type gain is relevant for regions where seismic activity or frequent hurricane winds are observed. Unlike previous methods, in this case, vertical reinforcement of the walls is used. This procedure is widely used not only for aerated concrete walls, but also for brickwork. This is a fundamentally different method of strengthening buildings, deserving a separate article.

Reinforcement of openings

The presence of structural openings in the wall plane creates an additional load in the area of ​​their location. To counteract this load, it is necessary to strengthen the row under the window opening. In this case, there is no need to lay reinforcement or other material around the entire perimeter of the row, it is enough to lay them under the window opening and 90 centimeters to each side of it.

Thus, the reinforcement of aerated concrete is not just a common occurrence, but a prerequisite. It allows you to achieve the necessary structural strength for its safe and durable operation. True, it is not enough just to reinforce the masonry from aerated concrete blocks. It is necessary to perform this procedure taking into account all the requirements for production technology.

Often during the repair process it is required to install partitions, and more and more often aerated concrete (gas silicate) is used for this. It is lightweight - it weighs several times less than a brick, the walls fold quickly. Therefore, aerated concrete partitions are installed in apartments and houses, regardless of what the load-bearing walls are made of.

Thickness of aerated concrete partitions

For the construction of partitions inside the premises, special gas silicate blocks having a smaller thickness. Standard Thickness partition blocks 100-150 mm. You can find non-standard in 75 mm and 175 mm. The width and height remain the same:

  • width 600 mm and 625 mm;
  • height 200 mm, 250 mm, 300 mm.

The brand of aerated concrete blocks must be at least D 400. This is the minimum density that can be used to build partitions up to 3 meters high. Optimal - D500. You can also take denser ones - grades D 600, but their cost will be higher, but they have a better bearing capacity: it will be possible to hang objects on the wall using special anchors.

Without experience, it is almost impossible to determine the brand of aerated concrete. You can "by eye" see the difference between the heat-insulating blocks density. D300 and wall D600, but between 500 and 600 it is difficult to catch.

The lower the density, the larger the "bubbles"

The only one affordable way control - weighing. Data on the size, volume and weight of aerated concrete partition blocks are given in the table.

The thickness of aerated concrete partitions is selected according to several factors. The first is whether it is a load-bearing wall or not. If the wall is bearing, in a good way, a calculation of the bearing capacity is required. In real life, they are made the same width as the outer load-bearing walls. Basically - from wall blocks 200 mm wide with reinforcement through 3-4 rows, like for external walls. If the partition is not load-bearing, use the second parameter: height.

  • With a height of up to 3 meters, blocks of 100 mm wide are used;
  • from 3 m to 5 m - the thickness of the block is already taken 200 mm.

More precisely, you can choose the thickness of the block according to the table. It takes into account factors such as the presence of an interface with the upper floor and the length of the partition.

Device and features

If a aerated concrete partitions put in the process of repair and or houses, you first need to apply markings. The line is upholstered around the entire perimeter: on the floor, ceiling, walls. The easiest way to do this is with a laser plane builder. If it doesn't exist, it's better to start with a stream:

  • A line is marked on the ceiling (two points on opposite walls). Between them, a masking cord is pulled, dyed with blue or some other coloring dry substance. With his help beat off the line.
  • The lines on the ceiling are transferred to the floor with a plumb line.
  • Then the lines on the floor and ceiling are connected, drawing verticals along the walls. If everything is done correctly, they should be strictly vertical.

The next step in the construction of aerated concrete partitions is the waterproofing of the base. The floor is cleaned of debris and dust, waterproofing is laid roll material(any: film, roofing material, hydroisol, etc.) or smeared with bituminous mastics.

Vibration damping strips

To reduce the possibility of crack formation and improve soundproofing characteristics, a vibration damping strip is spread on top. These are materials with many small air bubbles:

  • hard mineral wool - mineral wool cardboard;
  • polystyrene foam of high density, but small thickness;
  • soft fiberboard.

On short spans - up to 3 meters - reinforcement is not done at all. On longer ones, a reinforcing polymer mesh, a perforated metal strip, as in the photo, etc. are laid.

Wall connection

To ensure communication with adjacent walls at the stage of laying, flexible connections are laid in the seams - these are thin metal perforated plates or T-shaped anchors. They are installed in every 3rd row.

If a gas silicate partition is placed in a building where such connections are not provided, they can be fixed on the wall by bending in the shape of the letter “G”, leading one part into the seam.

When using anchors, the connection with the wall is rigid, which in this case is not very good: a rigid rod from vibrations (wind, for example) can destroy the adjacent adhesive and the body of the block. As a result, the junction strength will be zero. When using flexible links, all these phenomena will not affect the blocks so much. As a result, the bond strength will be higher.

To prevent the formation of cracks in the corners, between the wall and the partition, a damper seam is made. It can be thin foam, mineral wool, special damper tape, which is used when laying underfloor heating and other materials. To exclude the "suction" of moisture through these seams, they are treated with steam after laying. not permeable sealant.

Openings in gas silicate partitions

Since the partitions are not load-bearing, the load will not be transferred to them. Therefore, above the doors there is no need to lay standard reinforced concrete beams or make a full jumper, as in load-bearing walls. For a standard doorway of 60-80 cm, two corners can be laid, which will serve as a support for the overlying blocks. Another thing is that the corner should protrude beyond the opening by 30-50 cm. If the opening is wider, a channel may be required.

In the photo, two are used to reinforce the opening of a standard door. metal corner(right), in the opening on the left there is a walled up channel, under which grooves in the blocks are selected.

If the opening is not wide, and there are only two blocks in it, it is advisable to pick them up so that the seam is almost in the middle of the opening. So you get a more stable opening. Although, when laying on corners or a channel, this is not a table that matters: the bearing capacity is more than enough.

So that the metal does not bend while the glue dries, the openings are reinforced. In narrow openings, it is enough to nail boards; in wide openings, a supporting structure resting on the floor may be required (fold a column of blocks under the middle of the opening).

Another option on how to reinforce a doorway into aerated concrete partitions is to make a reinforced tape from reinforcement and glue / mortar. Stuffed strictly horizontally into the opening flat board, nailing it to the walls with nails. Sidewalls are nailed / screwed on the sides, which will hold the solution.

A mortar is laid on top of the board, three bars of class A-III reinforcement with a diameter of 12 mm are placed in it. Partition blocks are placed on top, as usual, following the displacement of the seams. The formwork is removed after 3-4 days, when the cement "grabs".

Last row - adjoining the ceiling

Since the floor slabs can sag under loads, the height of the partition is calculated so that it does not reach the ceiling by 20 mm. If necessary, the blocks of the upper row are sawn. The resulting expansion gap can be sealed with damping material: the same mineral wool cardboard, for example. With this option, sounds from the upper floor will be less heard. More easy option- moisten the seam with water and fill it with mounting foam.

Sound insulation of aerated concrete

Although the sellers of gas silicate blocks talk about high rates of sound insulation, they greatly exaggerate. Even a standard block with a thickness of 200 mm conducts sounds and noises well, and even thinner partition blocks even more so.

According to the norms, the sound resistance of partitions should not be lower than 43 dB, but it is better if it is higher than 50 dB. This will give you silence.

To have an idea of ​​how “noisy” gas silicate blocks are, we present a table with normative indicators sound impedance of blocks of different density and different thickness.

As you can see at the block, 100 mm thick, it falls short of the lowest requirement. Therefore, at , it is possible to increase the thickness of the finishing layer in order to “hold out” to the standard. If, if normal sound insulation is required, the walls are additionally sheathed mineral wool. This material is not soundproofing, but reduces noise by about 50%. As a result, sounds are almost inaudible. Top performance have specialized soundproofing materials, but when choosing them, you need to look at the vapor permeability characteristics so as not to lock moisture inside the gas silicate.

If you need absolutely "quiet" walls, experts advise installing two thin partitions with a distance of 60-90 mm, which is filled with sound-absorbing material.

In order to protect walls and partitions from the appearance of cracks caused by subsidence of the sole soil or temperature changes, in some cases reinforcement of aerated concrete blocks is used. Metal rods take on tensile loads and protect aerated concrete blocks from cracking. Reinforcement with reinforcement does not increase its bearing capacity, but minimizes the consequences of brittle fracture of aerated concrete elements.

Approximate scheme. Reinforcement sections for a particular structure are determined by the designer.

Climatic, seismic and wind regions directly affect the need for wall reinforcement. More at the design stage, it becomes clear the need to strengthen the walls with reinforcement, and also indicates the type of reinforcement used and its location.

The laying of reinforcement around the entire perimeter of each wall row is not required. It will be enough to place the metal reinforcement in the most dangerous elements of the wall structure.

Places of mandatory reinforcement of aerated concrete walls:

  1. First row of blocks laid on the foundation;
  2. With a wall length exceeding 6 meters, an additional horizontal laying of reinforcement is made in every fourth masonry row to compensate for the wind load;
  3. Adjoining ceilings and rafters to wall structures. In this case, ) is performed, where the reinforcing bars are laid in ;
  4. Holes in the walls: the supporting part under the lintels, as well as Bottom part a full-width window opening with the addition of an overlap of 0.9 meters on each side of it;
  5. Vertical reinforcement is laid in gas silicate columns;
  6. Places of potential load occurrence exceeding the standard.

Developers often have questions and disputes about whether it is necessary to reinforce the walls in every fourth row of blocks. The need is determined by the designer, based on design features and the length of the walls of the future building, the seismic zone of the area, the strength and rose of the winds in the area, the characteristics of the soil in the building area and the type of foundation, as well as the characteristics of the wall material. Here it turns out whether the strength of the gas silicate used in construction is enough to withstand the resulting loads and not give microcracks.

If you save on the project, then make the calculations yourself. Either reinforce and sleep peacefully, as it definitely won’t be worse, but bear the cost of buying reinforcement and glue.

If the ends of individual reinforcing bars are not tied into one loop, then they must be bent at a right angle and deepened into grooves to ensure reliable anchoring in the building wall.

Execution

First row

Reinforcement of the first row of masonry, as well as every fourth, if necessary, is carried out as follows.

The structure is reinforced with steel bars with a diameter of 8 mm grade A III. For a wall with a thickness of 200 mm, it is enough to lay one bar of reinforcement exactly in the middle of the row.

For thicker walls use 2 bars. They are laid parallel to each other. To do this, make 2 parallel strobes using a strobe cutter. The distance from the inner and outer edges of the wall to the strobe must be at least 6 cm. In the corners of the building, the strobes are rounded along the radius.

Dust is swept out of the finished grooves with a brush, filled with adhesive, reinforcement is laid and excess glue is removed with a spatula.


Reinforcement must not be interrupted at corners. It is rounded so that it repeats the radius of the strobe.

Therefore, overlap the reinforcement approximately in the middle of the wall, fixing it with a tie wire.

Reinforcement under the window opening

Laying reinforcement in aerated concrete blocks is necessary under window opening. The bookmark is made in the last row of blocks in front of the window being constructed. To do this, its planned length is measured and marked on the surface of the masonry (the reinforcement bars must be 0.5 meters longer than the length of the window). Further in the masonry row at a distance of 60 mm from the outer and inside walls using a manual wall chaser, aerated concrete is chased. Namely, 2 grooves are cut out, the minimum section of each is 2.5x2.5 cm.

To ensure evenness, strobes can be nailed onto the desired row of blocks wooden board, which will act as a rule when cutting a notch.


From the grooves with a brush, it is necessary to remove dust and crumbs of aerated concrete formed during their cutting. Before laying the reinforcing bars and embedding with mortar, the cut-out strobes are moistened with water. This is done for the best bonding of the adhesive solution with reinforced aerated concrete.

At the next stage, the groove is half-height filled with a mortar for thin-seam block masonry, then profiled steel reinforcement with a diameter of at least 6 millimeters is laid. The groove is completely filled with mortar, if necessary, removing all its excess and leveling the seam with a trowel.

The next masonry row can be mounted immediately after strengthening the window sill.

Vertical reinforcement of walls

This type is rarely used in the following cases:

  1. Reinforcement of the wall, on which a strong effect of lateral loads is possible. In this case, it is necessary to carry out horizontal reinforcement.
  2. When using aerated concrete Low quality with the lowest density.
  3. In places where heavy elements rest on the wall structure ( metal beams and etc.).
  4. Corner bonding of adjacent walls.
  5. Strengthening of small piers and door and window openings.
  6. The construction of a column of aerated concrete blocks.
  7. When using large-sized wall panels.

Materials used

In addition to the classic option (using reinforcement), other materials can be used to reinforce block masonry:

Metal galvanized mesh

It consists of steel rods welded in a mutually perpendicular position.

Of all the types of mesh used, metal is the most durable. But she has one big minus: a special adhesive composition for connecting wall blocks contributes to the development of corrosion, which leads to a fairly rapid loss of all the positive properties of such reinforcement. Also transverse rods act as cold bridges in winter period . I do not recommend this type of reinforcement.

Basalt grid

It is made of basalt fiber rods, which are arranged perpendicular to each other. In butt joints, the rods are fixed with wire, clamps or specialized glue. This fastening ensures the correct and even geometric shape of the cells.


The basalt mesh can withstand strong breaking loads of about 50 kN/m. Its weight is several times less than that of metal mesh, which ensures the simplicity of reinforcement work.

Basalt-based meshes are resistant to negative influence corrosion, does not respond to changes in temperature conditions. They have very low thermal conductivity, which ensures that there is no cold bridge that occurs when reinforcing with a steel mesh.

The basalt mesh costs a lot, so this solution is the most expensive of the proposed ones.

Metal mounting perforated tape

This is a galvanized steel strip with holes made along its entire length.


It is enough to purchase a tape with dimensions of 16x1 mm. Reinforcement of masonry is carried out without chasing aerated concrete by fixing it to self-tapping screws. Otherwise, the principle is the same as when using reinforcement. To increase the strength, it is possible to fasten the strips in pairs using steel wire. It has lower bending strength compared to profiled reinforcement.

Attention!

In chain building stores and markets, perforated tape with a thickness of 0.5-0.6 mm is common. It is not suitable for reinforcement. Look for 1 mm perforated tape in specialized stores or order online in advance. Unfortunately, it is not so easy to buy on the regular construction market.

The advantages of using this material compared to traditional reinforcement, I see the following:

  • savings on delivery due to the compactness of the tape;
  • no need to make strobes (savings in labor and mounting glue).

fiberglass reinforcement

The main reinforcement material is fiberglass, on which a thread is wound in a spiral to ensure better adhesion to concrete.


Significantly lighter in weight than the metal counterpart. Low thermal conductivity will avoid a cold bridge in aerated concrete masonry. Ease of installation is ensured by a minimum number of joints, as such fittings are sold in coils.

Attention!

Fiberglass reinforcement has a significant disadvantage - it does not withstand large fracture loads, and this is the main task of reinforcing masonry from aerated concrete blocks with an increased bending effect.

It is impossible to build a rigid frame from this material, so this reinforcement is not recommended in seismically dangerous areas construction. Our verdict is don't use it.

The benefits of reinforcing wall structures are obvious. Therefore, it is worth sacrificing small additional cash costs and time during installation, so that the building being erected will serve you faithfully for many years.

Useful video

The video plot clearly and in detail shows the reinforcement of the first row. Namely, chasing blocks, laying reinforcement with bending in the corners, filling with glue.