Ytong and Bonolit blocks: differences, characteristics, masonry technology

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House made of aerated concrete "Ytong"

Brand "Ytong" - aerated concrete blocks that are produced. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of three German companies, Haniel-BauIndustrie GmbH and Fels-Werke GmbH.

Currently, Xella is one of the largest manufacturers of not only aerated concrete products, but also many other construction products, both in Germany and on the world market.

Products

In the construction market, the Xella company represents several areas of work:

• Production of building materials;
• Production of insulating panel systems;
• Extraction and processing of limestone and lime - FELS brand.

The production of building materials is carried out in several groups:

• Aerated concrete products – brand “Ytong”;
• Sand-lime brick – brand “Silka”;
• Large format reinforced aerated concrete panels - Hebel brand.

Insulation panel systems also include the production of Fermacell gypsum fiber sheets.

Products

The entire range of products is of high quality. When developing new technologies, innovative solutions are used.

Product quality

Quality control of manufactured products is ensured by:

• Strict adherence to all technological processes during the production of products;
• Having our own modern building materials research center;
• Checking the quality of raw materials and the final product in our own laboratories.

The world's largest research complex is located in Germany.

Quality control of incoming raw materials and technical parameters of manufactured products

The company is constantly improving the technical qualities of its products and improving their manufacturing technologies.

— activities in Russia

In the Russian construction market, the Xella enterprise began to develop its activity with the construction of a plant for the production of aerated concrete products of the Ytong brand. It was based in the city of Mozhaisk (launched in 2007).

Territory for the production of autoclaved aerated concrete in Mozhaisk

In addition to the production area in Russia, the Xella company also constantly conducts training on working with Ytong materials and demonstrates new methods for processing aerated concrete products.

Range of aerated concrete products

are produced:

• Blocks of various shapes and sizes for constructing wall structures;
• U-shaped elements;
• Arc-shaped blocks;
• Aerated concrete lintels with factory reinforcement;
• Prefabricated monolithic type floors;
• Plates for thermal insulation “Multipor”;
• Partition blocks of small thickness;
• Adhesive for aerated concrete;
• Elements for staircases;
• Tools for aerated concrete.

Each of the products of this brand is distinguished by excellent technical parameters and geometric dimensional accuracy.

Assortment of products made from aerated concrete "Itong"

This variety of products determines the wide range of applications of Ytong products.

Ytong housing construction system

The production of non-standard products from aerated concrete materials provides an excellent opportunity to implement a variety of individual projects.

Technical parameters of aerated concrete materials "Itong"

The main parameters by which you can evaluate the advantages of Itong aerated concrete are:

• Durability of products;
• Physical and mechanical indicators;
• Thermal insulation properties;
• Humidity of products;
• Vapor permeability of blocks;
• Sound insulation of wall structures;
• Frost resistance class;
• Fire resistance of the material;
• Accuracy of product geometry;
• Ease of material processing;
• Service life of buildings and structures;
• Seismic resistance;
• Ecological class.

Buildings made from Itong aerated concrete are energy efficient.

Variety of Ytong brand products

Aerated concrete simultaneously has two main advantages of a building material: high strength and excellent thermal insulation.

Strength of Itong aerated concrete

Despite their fairly low weight, Ytong aerated concrete blocks have great strength. Their use is possible both in load-bearing structures (up to 5 floors) and in non-load-bearing walls (up to 9 floors).

Physical and mechanical properties of the material

The main physical and mechanical parameters of Itong aerated concrete are provided by its porous structure, as well as the parameters of the components included in the composition.

Composition of aerated concrete "Ytong":

• Cement;
• Lime;
• Sand;
• Water;
• Aluminum gas generator.

The result of a chemical reaction and autoclave treatment is a material, most of the volume of which is occupied by tiny, evenly spaced pores containing air.

Components of Itong aerated concrete

Thanks to this structure of the material, products made from it have high thermal insulation and sound insulation properties.

Basic physical and technical characteristics of Itong aerated concrete

The parameters of Ytong aerated concrete products are much higher than the requirements of GOST 31360-2007, which standardize the production of cellular concrete blocks.

Thermal insulation of aerated concrete products "Itong"

The largest amount of heat is lost by the building through external structures. Itong aerated concrete systems, intended for the construction of external walls, as well as floors and roofs, have a very high degree of thermal insulation. They conduct heat equally poorly in all directions of their structure.

Thermal characteristics of Itong aerated concrete are the same throughout the entire structure of the product

Creating thin-seam masonry using adhesives and using a tongue-and-groove system allows you to maintain high thermal insulation performance of aerated concrete.

In addition, products made from Itong aerated concrete have the ability to accumulate heat during the day, gradually releasing it when the ambient temperature drops. By preventing active heat exchange between the internal and external environments, aerated concrete blocks help create a favorable atmosphere indoors.

Comparative table of coefficients for thermal conductivity of various aerated concrete in a dry state - W/mC:

As can be seen from this table, Ytong aerated concrete blocks have high thermal insulation parameters in comparison with other brands.

Humidity of aerated concrete materials

The cellular structure of the closed pores of Itong aerated concrete promotes fairly slow absorption of moisture.

The pore system prevents moisture from penetrating into the inner layers of aerated concrete

At the same time, the material has a high ability to release moisture to the outside. Itong aerated concrete reaches an equilibrium moisture content of 4-5% within 1-2 years of building operation.

Vapor permeability of aerated concrete products of the Itong brand

Itong aerated concrete materials have excellent vapor permeability, which ensures the creation of an optimal indoor microclimate. Steam and gases easily penetrate through the porous structure of aerated concrete. In this case, condensation does not form on the walls, which leads to the absence of a favorable environment for the formation of mold and fungi.

Soundproofing properties of aerated concrete walls

Increased sound insulation of buildings and structures can be achieved by constructing massive walls, or by using multi-layer wall structures. Due to their cellular structure, aerated concrete blocks can significantly reduce external background noise.

Walls made of Itong aerated concrete have excellent sound insulation

Even a slight increase in the thickness of the wall structure made of aerated concrete can greatly reduce the noise level. One-sided cladding of aerated concrete blocks increases sound insulation by 5 dB - 20 dB.

Frost resistance of aerated concrete products "Itong"

During operation at subzero ambient temperatures, the external walls of buildings are constantly subject to freezing and thawing processes. Aerated concrete products of the Itong brand can withstand up to one hundred such cycles without major changes in their technical parameters.

Itong aerated concrete blocks have high frost resistance

Resistance to frost largely depends on the degree of moisture in the walls. For this reason, finishing of the external surface of aerated concrete blocks is required in order to increase their frost resistance.

Fire resistance of aerated concrete materials

Resistance to fire is imparted to Itong aerated concrete materials by the mineral composition of the components. According to GOST 30244, aerated concrete belongs to the category of non-combustible materials.

Comparison of fire resistance of concrete walls and structures made of Itong wall blocks

Due to the ability to withstand temperatures up to +400°C, Itong elements can be used in buildings of any degree of fire resistance, and can also be used to construct fire-resistant structures. The ability not to lose its properties when exposed to open fire for 4 hours is the highest among all building materials.

Accuracy of geometric dimensions of products made from Itong aerated concrete

Modern technology for the production of Ytong aerated concrete blocks allows us to produce products with high accuracy of geometric parameters.

Laying aerated concrete blocks with glue

This makes it possible to lay wall elements using special adhesive solutions while achieving a minimum joint thickness. This installation method prevents the formation of “cold bridges” and increases the thermal insulation parameters of buildings.

Ease of processing materials from Itong aerated concrete

The special structure of Itong aerated concrete and production technology make this material very easy to process.

It is easy to cut off a part of the Itong aerated concrete block using a hand saw

Giving the product the required shape or size is possible using ordinary tools.

Durability of structures made from Itong aerated concrete

The service life of buildings constructed from Itong aerated concrete materials is designed to be 50–60 years. If installation technology and proper operation are followed, it can last up to 100 years.

Seismic resistance

Buildings made from Itong aerated concrete have been erected in earthquake-prone areas for quite some time. Thanks to the low weight of wall structures and thin-seam masonry with special adhesive compositions, even during significant earthquakes, buildings have high seismic resistance.

According to the results of scientific tests, the adhesive system for constructing load-bearing structures from Ytong aerated blocks was recommended for use in earthquake-prone areas of Russia.

Environmental friendliness of Itong materials

Itong aerated concrete products belong to the highest class of environmental safety.

Main environmental benefits:

• The composition of aerated concrete includes mineral, environmentally friendly components;
• No harmful additives are used in the production of products;
• The manufacturing technology is absolutely safe for humans and the environment;
• During operation, the walls do not emit harmful fumes;
• The radioactivity of aerated concrete products is much lower than the established limits - 54 Bq/kg versus 370 Bq/kg required by GOST.

In terms of radioactivity level, aerated concrete is considered one of the safest building materials.

Energy efficiency of buildings made from aerated concrete products "Itong"

The significant energy-saving effect of Itong brand products is achieved due to the low thermal conductivity of aerated concrete. The use of even single-layer external structures allows for significant heat savings inside buildings.

Preservation of a favorable microclimate inside a building made of Itong brand aerated concrete

Since the service life of aerated concrete products is very long, and there is no need for periodic restoration or replacement of the material, the use of such elements in building structures is more economically justified than the use of conventional insulation materials.

The high thermal insulation parameters of Itong aerated concrete blocks can significantly reduce the thickness of external wall structures and reduce the load on the foundation, which leads to overall savings in construction costs.

conclusions

Of course, we do not want and will not encourage you to buy or not buy certain blocks. YTONG blocks attracted our attention due to a noticeable advertising campaign on the Internet and a significant difference in price compared to aerated concrete from other manufacturers. And if something is expensive, you always want to know why. This is exactly what we tried to do, delving into the history of the company, technical characteristics of products and pretentious environmental certificates. And nowhere have we found a single truly compelling argument to answer the main question of the article – is it worth overpaying as much as 20% when choosing YTONG blocks?

When preparing the article, information was used from the websites of manufacturers of aerated concrete blocks: porablok.ru, porevit.ru, gazo-beton.ru, teplit.ru, ytong.ru, xella.com.

Blocks for installing wall structures of the “Ytong” brand

Itong aerated concrete wall blocks are available in various sizes and shapes.

Rectangular flat wall aerated concrete block "Ytong"

The cellular system of the blocks gives them high thermal insulation performance, this is the main difference between Itong blocks and other wall materials.

Various brands of Itong wall products and their scope of application

With a high load-bearing capacity, wall structures made of aerated concrete blocks have a fairly low weight.

Line of wall aerated concrete blocks "Ytong"

The ease of installation and processing of the products allows you to arrange walls of various configurations.

Ytong U-shaped blocks

Ytong U-shaped aerated concrete blocks have a wide range of applications.

"Ytong" aerated concrete U-block

Having a complex configuration, these blocks have all the advantages of conventional wall blocks. U-blocks also have identical dimensions, which makes it possible to simply and easily install them into the overall wall structure. The elements are laid using special glue.

Identical sizes of different blocks

Scope of application of U-shaped elements:

• Jumper arrangement;
• Making stiffeners;
• As external permanent formwork to create a reinforcing belt.

When installing lintels and stiffening ribs, U-blocks act as an insulating formwork element, inside which the reinforcement frame is laid. It is also possible to lay an additional thermal insulation layer. Next, the concrete mixture is poured into the block.

Installation of lintels over openings from U-shaped elements

The multilayer structure obtained in this way has great strength and thermal insulation ability. The appearance of “cold bridges” is eliminated, and this significantly reduces heat loss.

Aerated concrete lintels "Itong" with factory reinforcement

Reinforced lintels made from Itong aerated concrete have a great advantage over conventional reinforced concrete elements.

Reinforced aerated concrete lintel

When constructing energy-efficient buildings, an essential factor is the absence of heat loss through jumper blocks. Therefore, it simultaneously performs two functions: a load-bearing beam and an insulating element.

Installation of reinforced aerated concrete lintel

Types of jumpers "Ytong":

• For load-bearing external and internal wall structures - height 249 mm (model PN250);
• For non-load-bearing internal walls - height 249 mm (model PP250);
• For load-bearing external and internal wall structures - height 124 mm (model PN125).

Jumpers PN250 have great strength, PN125 are lighter in weight. Installation of any of them is done by hand, without the use of lifting equipment.

Prefabricated monolithic floors from Ytong elements

The Xella company is also engaged in the production of complex systems for the installation of interfloor ceilings of prefabricated monolithic type.

System of prefabricated monolithic flooring of buildings and structures made of beams and aerated concrete blocks

This system consists of several constituent structural elements:

• Reinforced concrete or steel beams;
• Free reinforcement frame made of steel;
• T-shaped blocks made of aerated concrete.

Based on the size of the span to be covered, the required size of beams is selected. They are available in lengths up to 9 meters.

Prefabricated monolithic type ceiling made of aerated concrete blocks on reinforced concrete beams

Floors on reinforced concrete beams are perfect for the construction of new buildings or reconstruction of old buildings. The length of the overlapped span is up to 7 meters.

Prefabricated monolithic type ceiling made of aerated concrete blocks on light steel beams

This option has a higher load-bearing capacity - up to 500 kg/m3, the span length can be up to 9 meters.

T-shaped block made of aerated concrete "Itong" for prefabricated-monolithic type slabs

T-shaped aerated concrete elements measuring 600*250*200 mm are laid along the beams.

Advantages of using a prefabricated monolithic floor using Ytong aerated concrete blocks

Floors using elements made of lightweight cellular concrete are a fairly innovative approach.

The design of prefabricated monolithic systems has a lot of advantages:

• Significant reduction in the weight of the entire floor structure due to the use of lightweight blocks;
• The high load-bearing capacity of the entire system is ensured by the joint work of beams and blocks;
• Reducing concrete consumption for work – up to 30%;
• The stages of installing temporary formwork and installing auxiliary structures are excluded from the technological process;
• Installation of all components can be done without the use of special equipment;
• Reducing overall construction costs by saving materials and labor;
• Significant reduction in construction time.

Many related work on finishing structural elements can be done at the construction site: cutting to the required dimensions, giving the required shape..

Laying T-shaped blocks on load-bearing beams

Wall structures with complex architectural forms, for example, bay windows, are much easier to cover using prefabricated monolithic systems.

Arc-shaped blocks "Itong"

Manufacturing arc-shaped blocks is an innovative approach to original design solutions in building layout..

Arc-shaped aerated concrete block "Ytong"

The production of such elements allows you to create non-standard external and internal wall structures.

Dimensions of arc-shaped aerated concrete blocks "Ytong"

These can be semicircular bay windows, interior partitions, round shower stalls and much more.

Dimensions of arc-shaped Ytong aerated concrete blocks

The arc-shaped blocks are laid using thin-seam adhesive - a variety of coatings can be applied to the resulting surface without prior treatment with putty and plaster.

Blocks for partitions “Itong”

The main advantages of partition elements made of aerated concrete are their low weight and ease of laying.

Partition aerated concrete block "Ytong"

The variety of sizes of partition blocks makes it possible to widely use them for various purposes.

Dimensions of partition blocks:

• 5 cm;
• 7.5 cm;
• 10 cm;
• 15 cm.

It could be:

• Creation of simple internal partitions between rooms;
• Construction of spatial objects - podiums, bar counters;
• Decoration of loggias and bathrooms.

They are very easy to process; you can give them various shapes and make any dimensional elements.

Aerated concrete blocks “Ytong” for the installation of internal partitions

Thanks to the perfectly smooth surface of the partition blocks, their finishing is not difficult: any finishing is done at minimal cost. Sufficient moisture resistance of the material allows it to be used in rooms not only with normal humidity conditions, but also with high ones.

In areas such as:

• Bathrooms;
• Shower cabins;
• Kitchens;
• Drying rooms.

Wall finishing in such rooms can be done without additional treatment of the surface of the blocks.

Finishing aerated concrete partitions in the bathroom with tile materials

Hanging furniture and plumbing fixtures can be attached directly to the blocks themselves. The use of embedded structures is not required, since the material has a sufficient margin of safety.

Advice! Lightweight interior items, such as paintings, can be mounted using ordinary construction nails. They are hammered from top to bottom at an angle of 45 degrees.

Dimensions of aerated concrete blocks "Ytong" for installing partitions

Installation of partition elements is carried out using a thin-seam adhesive solution.

Stair blocks and slabs "Ytong"

produces several types of Itong staircase blocks: reinforced steps (LS model) or reinforced slabs (LSP model).

Stair aerated concrete block "Ytong"

The ease and simplicity of processing of Itong aerated concrete materials allows you to create flights of stairs of any size and configuration.

Complex spiral staircase made from Ytong blocks

Instructions: to construct a staircase structure, first a retaining wall is constructed from gas blocks with a thickness of more than 250 mm.

Advice! A waterproofing layer must be laid under the supporting structures on which the stairs will rest.

The depth of support of aerated concrete elements on the retaining wall is more than 150 mm. All the components of the stairs can be easily assembled using Itong glue. The main direction in solving the housing issue in Russia is active low-rise construction.

Project of a low-rise building made of aerated blocks "Ytong" - photo

The use of cellular concrete in individual construction is still gaining momentum. Aerated concrete blocks "Ytong", in addition to all the above advantages, also have a low cost and can be installed in a fairly short time.

The prospects for their wider use look very favorable. You can get more information about Itong products and aerated concrete blocks by watching the video in this article.

Production technology

Bonolit aerated concrete has a porous structure with evenly distributed pores with a diameter of 0.5 to 3 mm. It consists of quartz sand, cement, gypsum, lime and water. All ingredients of the material are mixed using an industrial mixer, and then subjected to heat treatment under high pressure in an autoclave. Due to this, the material acquires a uniform structure and strength even at the edges.

Ytong technology involves mixing sand, lime, cement, water and aluminum paste. The prepared composition hardens, after which it is cut into structural elements using thin strings and dried in autoclaves for 12 hours. The result is a high-strength material with excellent heat capacity, vapor permeability and hygroscopicity.