The Material
Most people have never heard
of
Autoclaved
Aerated
Concrete, commonly known as
AAC, as a building material. Yet
it’s been around a long time. It
was invented in Sweden in
1923 when their forests were
substantially depleted. AAC is
a superior alternative to red
clay bricks manufactured
using fly ash mixed with
cement, lime, water and an
aeration agent placed in an
autoclaved chamber. The
resultant building material
comprising of millions of tiny
air pores is set and cut into
blocks of varying sizes.
So what’s actually AAC stands
for and what does it convey?
According
to
Webster's
Dictionary
definitions:
to
autoclave
is
to
use
superheated steam under
pressure, to aerate is to
impregnate a substance with
air, and concrete is a hard
strong building material made
by mixing a cementing
material (as Portland cement)
and a mineral aggregate (as
sand
and
gravel)
with
sufficient water to cause the
cement to set and bind the
entire mass.
It is possible to construct
virtually an entire house from
autoclaved aerated concrete,
including walls, floors - using
reinforced aircrete beams,
ceilings
and
the
roof.
Autoclaved aerated concrete is
easily cut to any required
shape.
Manufacturing
If we look at its manufacturing
it’s quite similar to baking a
cake where baking soda act as
a raising agent by releasing
carbon dioxide when used in
baking. Its main ingredients
include sand, water, quicklime,