Transparent concrete: production technology

Virtually any large-scale construction process involves the use of concrete mixtures. The mortar acts as a basis in the formation of the foundation, walls are built from it, overlapping is carried out and other tasks are realized. At the same time, the external ugliness of concrete does not bother anyone - it is skilfully masked with facing materials, so this nuance does not cause special problems. Nevertheless, the Hungarian engineer Aron Losonczy decided to add one more quality to the list of characteristics of gray material - light transmission capacity. Thus, transparent Illumicon concrete appeared, which has many differences from traditional mixtures. This applies not only to the appearance, but also to the original structure, due to manufacturing technology.

Composition of concrete

The basis is still an ordinary solution, prepared from a fine-grained cement mass. The technology itself revolutionized the concept of concrete only due to the unusual combination of the basic familiar mixture and fiber optic fiber. These are the strands that are used in telecommunication networks. It is through the combination of these components that transparent concrete is formed. The composition of the basic solution also provides for the use of cement and water in accordance with technical requirements. As for the fibers, their parameters are selected according to special criteria.

As a rule, technologists do not recommend the preparation of masses in which the proportion of the content of optical elements exceeds 5%. This affects the strength and durability of the material. On the other hand, the same quality that determines the transparency depends on the percentage of fiberglass content. Most often, transparent concrete is produced with the use of fibers, the thickness of which does not exceed 2 millimeters.

Manufacturing technology

Like the traditional method of creating concrete, in this case, the work begins with the arrangement of formwork. Then the solution is poured into it. Here it is important to note that the mixture itself for concrete involves the inclusion of components with different characteristics. There are fine-grained solutions, and in some cases it is appropriate to add rubble. It is the first option without the inclusion of fillers with a coarse fraction that allows to obtain high-quality transparent concrete. The technology in terms of the application of fiber optic strands provides for a kind of reinforcement. The key characteristic of the material, the ability to provide visibility, also depends on the accuracy of fiber placement. Another fundamental difference from the classic method of making concrete is the need to refine the already frozen solution. First, the form form is released, after which it is possible to cut the monolith into separate blocks with the desired shape. Secondly, the formed litracon is thoroughly polished.

Characteristics of transparent concrete

Since the basis of the material is a completely familiar fine-grained solution, its technical properties are similar in many respects to conventional fine-grained concrete - for example, M250. However, the presence of about 5% of a foreign element in the form of glass fibers still causes a number of differences. With regard to density, it varies from 2100 to 2400 kg / m ³ . This figure exceeds the foam and aerated concrete analogs, but with heavy compositions in terms of density, the litrakon can not compete. But transparent concrete demonstrates good water resistance and frost resistance. Since the average compressive strength does not allow the use of a light-conductive material as a basic basis for the construction of large building objects, it is desirable to initially calculate the loads on the material. If, nevertheless, there is a task of fulfilling the responsible structures from the litrack, it is better to consider the options for introducing additional plasticizers and additives that increase the strength.

Applications

Nevertheless, the Litrakon is not intended for use as a building material, on which high power loads can be entrusted. Moreover, pouring a foundation from a fiberglass solution does not make sense, since the light transmission capacity in this case will not be expressed in any way. The main direction of its use is the device of architectural compositions with decorative properties. And in the creation of street design objects, and when decorating interiors, transparent concrete is successfully used. Its application is primarily due to aesthetic considerations, although the technical and physical qualities of the material are not discarded. Anyway, the basic set of components for litrakona makes it similar to ordinary lightweight concrete, which copes with loads in the composition of small architectural designs.

Pros and cons of transparent concrete

The main advantage of this material is the combination of seemingly incomparable performance. This is a decorative effect and power potential corresponding to lightweight concretes. As for the minuses, the average strength indicators by specialists are not even taken into account. Much more significant is the high price. It is the inclusion in the transparent concrete of fiber-optic threads increases the cost of making the solution.

How to make it yourself?

The most high-quality executions of such concretes are made in the factory and are realized already in the form of ready-to-use design objects. But if you want, you can make the litracon yourself. The main difficulty will be the correct laying of fiberglass yarns. If the production of transparent concrete at specialized plants involves the operation of automated machines that form fiberglass layers, then at home this work will have to be done manually. Formwork is also being formed, and then rows of light-transmitting threads are layer by layer. At the same time, the layers are poured one after the other in batches of solution. It is important to observe the concentration of fibers in the total mass, so that the concrete retains an adequate margin of safety.

Conclusion

Quite often, improving the characteristics of the usual building material leads to a change in the direction of its use. Despite the similarity with classical solutions, transparent concrete is used primarily as a decorative object. To obtain a reliable power base, it is quite reasonable to use conventional compositions, the aesthetic appeal of which has no significance in the process of operation. Litrakon, on the other hand, does not have much interest in terms of load-bearing capabilities, but is best revealed in the form of an original design element.