An interesting alternative

Wall elements made of polystyrene concrete

Fig. 1 A possible alternative to conventional insulating wall elements: precast concrete walls made of polystyrene concrete.

Fig. 2 The old plant with stationary shuttering tables.

Fig. 3 Fully automated charging of the curing chamber with six passing through levels for maximum 66 pallets.

Fig. 4 Pallet elevating and lowering stations are planned at both ends of the curing chamber.

Fig. 5 View of the processing station of the production line in the factory.

Fig. 6 The concrete transport vehicle developed by Weckenmann can be turned and tilted.

Fig. 7 The polystyrene concrete is mechanically pre-compacted, pressed into the formwork and smoothed.

Fig. 8 Electro motors allow to adjust the trowelling device to the respective production per joystick.

Fig. 9 A compacting roll is used for final compaction and surface finishing.

For more than 5 years now, a Russian company has been manufacturing precast concrete walls of polystyrene concrete (Fig. 1). This construction system developed by the company itself is an interesting alternative to conventional insulating wall constructions, as sandwich elements or walls with full thermal insulation. The elements manufactured in the former house building state combine are exclusively used in residential construction as non-structural walls.

Polystyrene concrete is a lightweight concrete characterized by a dense structure consisting of cement, expanded polystyrene, fine sand, water and admixtures. This concrete has a density of just p = 300 kg/m³, owing to the low degree of thermal conductivity it is an appropriate building material with many advantages:

» homogeneous building material (and thus no phase change within the wall)

» high thermal and sound insulation values

» low dead weight.

Those wall elements made of polystyrene concrete are ready for assembly and furnished with all mounting parts (electrical installations,...