軽量気泡コンクリート

その製法・機能・用途

抄録

Autoclaved lightweight aerated concrete (ALC), which has outstanding fire resistance, heat insulation, lightness and strength, is widely used as a superior material for homes and multistory buildings in Japan.
It is produced by a two-step molding and autoclaving process, using quartz, lime, portland cement and small quantities of aluminum as raw materials. In the molding step, aluminum reacts with alkali to generate hydrogen gas, thus forming “air pores” in the slurry, while calcium silicate hydrates are produced by the reaction of lime, portland cement and water with voids forming in the interparticle spaces vacated by the reacting water. In the autoclaving step, tobermorite (crystalline calcium silicate hydrates) is formed by the reaction of quartz and calcium silicate hydrates under high temperature, high pressure steam, and the interparticle voids are reduced to “micropore” size as a result of the hydrothermal reaction. The air-pore and micropore structure adds unique physical properties to the ALC.