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Aerated concrete (Ytong is a 'manufacturer')
It is a highly thermal insulating solid building material that, due to its closed-cell pore structure, can take on both static and building physics properties – usually without additional measures and supplementary building materials. It is made from domestic raw materials and has the characteristic nearly unlimited lifespan of solid building materials.
Thermal insulation:
Aerated concrete is the only solid building material with a thermal conductivity starting at 0.09 W/(mK) in the raw density classes 0.30, 0.35, and 0.40. This means: Even a single-layer 30 cm thick wall provides a thermal transmittance coefficient U = 0.28 W/(m²K). At a wall thickness of 36.5 cm, the U-value drops to 0.23. In the exterior wall area, the requirements of the [Energieeinsparverordnung] can thus be met and even exceeded without additional insulation measures. Furthermore, the homogeneous wall construction allows for nearly thermal bridge-free designs. A plastered single-layer wall made of aerated concrete is considered airtight within the meaning of the [Energieeinsparverordnung] without additional measures.
Heat storage:
The heat storage capacity of aerated concrete lies between the extremes of lightweight construction (e.g., timber frame construction with approx. 50 kJ/m²K) and solid construction (e.g., masonry or reinforced concrete with approx. 250 kJ/m²K). The corresponding value for an aerated concrete wall is approx. 90 kJ/m²K.
Thermal conductivity:
Due to the very low thermal conductivity of 0.09 W/(mK), the requirements of the [Energieeinsparverordnung] can be met with aerated concrete in monolithic construction. A multi-layer structure in the case of an exterior wall, as usual with other building materials, is unnecessary.
Diffusion resistance:
Due to the porous structure, the water vapor diffusion resistance factor of aerated concrete is low and lies between values of µ = 5 to µ = 10.
Building biology:
Aerated concrete is a natural raw material that is altered in its chemical and mineral structure. This results in a product that is generally superior to natural raw materials and is much better suited for the construction of buildings with high living standard requirements.
Sound insulation:
Aerated concrete relativizes the physical principle "The heavier a component, the better the airborne sound insulation." Aerated concrete has, due to its pore structure, an internal damping effect. The DIN 4109 also takes this into account: Aerated concrete walls with a surface mass up to 250 kg/m² receive a bonus of 2 dB. New component measurements even show further improvements. With walls and solid roofs made of aerated concrete, all outdoor noise level ranges can be covered acoustically. According to suitability test III for DIN 4109, double-shell party walls made of aerated concrete with 17.5 cm PP4-0.6 each and a 50 mm shell spacing, fully filled with mineral insulation material, even meet the increased sound insulation requirements.
Fire protection:
With aerated concrete, you are on the safe side in case of fire. Aerated concrete is a mineral building material and non-combustible. Therefore, it is classified according to DIN 4102 as building material class A 1 and can be used depending on the design for all fire resistance classes from 30 to F 180. Even a 7.5 cm thick unplastered non-load-bearing wall made of aerated concrete meets all requirements of fire resistance class F 90. Walls from 24 cm thickness made of aerated concrete PP 2-0.4 are already considered firewalls. Also, ceilings and roofs made of aerated concrete comply with the conditions of fire resistance classes from F 30 to F 180.
Expanded clay or lightweight concrete made of Liapor
The production of lightweight concrete blocks from expanded clay is essentially done using the technique of normal concrete block manufacturing, in which expanded clay is used instead of normal aggregate to reduce raw density and thermal conductivity. Expanded clay is artificially produced by shaping ground clay into pellets and firing them at a temperature of 1100-1200°C. The organic components naturally present or added to the clay burn off, and the combustion gases expand the clay pellets so that fine pores form in the core. A relatively firm outer shell forms on the surface.
Thermal insulation:
The excellent "natural" insulation combined with a thermal insulation composite system easily meets the legal requirements.
Heat storage:
Expanded clay heats up very slowly during the day and stores the heat. At night, the heat is released again very slowly. Expanded clay keeps the house cool during the day and comfortably warm at night.
Vapor diffusion:
Expanded clay is closed sintered and therefore cannot absorb moisture. The wall elements are breathable and ensure air humidity exchange. An important plus for a healthy and comfortable indoor climate.
Building biology:
Expanded clay is natural. Resource-saving and produced without chemical additives, 1 cubic meter of raw clay yields up to 5 cubic meters of expanded clay pellets with excellent building biological properties.
Sound insulation:
Sound always seeks the path of least resistance. Sound must travel around each individual pellet in the expanded clay wall, covering a huge distance that greatly reduces its intensity.
Fire protection:
During the production of expanded clay pellets at 1100-1200°C, all organic components have disappeared. Expanded clay exterior walls belong to the highest fire protection class F180.
Hollow brick
The brick has been widely used as a natural building material for thousands of years. Due to its capillary structure, the brick is a natural moisture regulator. It is capable of absorbing, storing, and releasing indoor moisture quickly under favorable outdoor air conditions. Thermal insulation through bricks prevents rapid cooling of rooms during interrupted heating operation. During the hot season, the brick stores the heat accumulating in the rooms due to its heat storage capacity.
Thermal insulation:
The heat absorbed by solid brick walls, withdrawn from the room, is only returned to the room again when it is cooler outside and thus the excess heat can be dissipated through natural ventilation. This ability of the brick for phase shift and amplitude damping of temperature has traditionally been used in southern countries by building massive brick houses (without additional air conditioning).
Thermal protection:
Depending on raw density and lR-value, the brick has very good thermal insulation properties. Lightweight bricks with raw densities of 0.8 kg/dm³ and 0.9 kg/dm³ and lightweight mortar LM 36 can easily achieve k-values below 0.40 W/m²K with a common wall thickness of 36.5 cm.
Thermal conductivity:
Walls made of hollow bricks without filling have higher thermal conductivity in the vertical direction, especially when built with conventional thin-bed mortar that does not reliably seal the holes (convection!).
Diffusion resistance:
Monolithic brick masonry made of thermal insulating hollow bricks can achieve thermal conductivity values up to about 0.14 W/mK and, at a thickness of 36.5 cm with plaster on both sides, a thermal transmittance coefficient (k-value) of about 0.35 W/m²K. This value requires the use of lightweight mortars LM 21 and un-mortared but interlocking butt joints. This technically results in a three-part cross-section of brick, air-filled butt joint, and mortar bed joint. All three areas exhibit somewhat different moisture protection behavior when considered individually.
Building biology:
The hollow brick meets the requirements of ecological building and building biology.
Sound insulation:
Already 30 cm or 36.5 cm thick single-layer exterior walls made of lightweight bricks laid with lightweight mortar and plastered on both sides generally meet the requirements of DIN 4109 "Protection against outdoor noise." The sound insulation requirements for party walls according to DIN 4109 are easily met with walls made of bricks with raw densities up to 2.4 kg/dm³.
Fire protection:
The brick has already gone through the fire for the builder during firing. Walls made of bricks, plastered on both sides, meet the requirements of DIN 4102 for fire resistance class F90 "fire resistant" even at 11.5 cm thickness.
Yes.
Source: Building expert
Kind regards