Concrete paving slabs are one of the most popular coatings today. They are used for arranging yards, landscape gardening areas, walkways, combining functionality and aesthetics.
Benefits
- Wide color gamut provides a beautiful finish.
- The material is highly resistant to wear, which significantly increases its service life.
- Consumers are attracted by the ease of installation and speed of installation.
- Prefabricated cover elements make it easy to disassemble and restore the structure. This is relevant when it is required to carry out any work related to underground utilities.
- Concrete paving slabs can withstand heavy loads.
- An important advantage is the fact that when it rains, puddles do not form on the surface of the plates, since all the water freely passes into the ground through the gaps.
- In the hot season, the stove does not emit harmful substances into the surrounding space, unlike, for example, fromasph alt.
Composition
A concrete slab must have certain qualities, which depend mainly on the components used in the composition in the manufacture. The filler is building sand with a fineness modulus of at least two units and granite crushed stone with a fraction of 5 to 10 mm. In addition, additional additives with plasticizing and water-repellent components are introduced into the mixture. They improve the technological properties of concrete, making it more durable and frost-resistant.
Key Features
They must meet all the requirements of GOST. Concrete paving slabs are produced according to certain standards, and their quality is determined by technical characteristics that depend on the method by which the slab is made - vibrocasting or vibrocompression. With the second option, the products are obtained with higher strength - up to 400 kg / cm², which makes it possible to withstand loads up to 30 tons. The level of frost resistance is also quite high (F200–300), the plates do not lose their operational properties even at a temperature of -55⁰С. At the same time, they are able to withstand at least 200 freeze and thaw cycles. Water absorption does not exceed 5%, and the abrasion rate is not more than 0.7 g/cm².
Varieties and markings
Depending on the shape and size of concrete paving slabs have different classifications. According to the requirements of GOST 17608-91, the type of plate is indicated in the marking: K (square), P (rectangular), W (hexagonal), etc. In the designation 6. K.7, the first digitindicates the size number, and the last indicates the thickness of the square product.
Today, specially designed tactile paving slabs are very popular in the construction of footpaths for people with disabilities. Their surface is slightly convex, rough and has anti-slip properties. Above the slab are guide ground indicators.
Production technologies
Concrete paving slabs are made using different methods: vibro-rolling, vibro-stamping, pressing, vibrating with weight, vibro-pressing. The last one is the most common. A small amount of water is added to the cement-sand mass placed in the concrete mixer and mixed thoroughly. Then the mixture is fed into the vibropress hopper and placed in a special mold, where it is compacted under the action of pressing with simultaneous vibration. The shaped products are moved onto pallets and transported to the holding area, where they are cured. After that, the finished slabs are sent for shipment.
The use of small-sized equipment in the production allows the manufacturer to quickly recoup the costs by producing high-quality concrete paving slabs, the price of which is quite affordable for the consumer. Among a wide range of factory-made products, you can pick up products costing from 150 rubles apiece.
