simprolit ^®

• exceptional light-weightiness;
• simple horizontal and vertical transport;
• excellent workability;
• simple construction (there is no need for high-qualified labor);
• vertical and horizontal joints without thermic ''bridges'' (blocks are laid without plaster or glue);
• thick plaster layer is not necessary;
• low water absorption and good waterproofing (humidity-resistant);
• lcontain no lime or any other aggressive substance (presence of lime as a basic ingredient of Siporex and other similar cell-concretes, causes significant corrosion of water pipes and metal connection elements: plugs, anchors, consoles, bolts, etc; therefore, it is essential to isolate these metal elements carefully or else the consequences might be unpleasant and very expensive);
• lconstant humidity percentage: 4-8%, also taking into account the discharge humidity (gas-concrete products coming straight from the production process usually have significant discharge humidity: up to 25% of their mass and the producers declare a period of 6-18 months as a time required for them to reach the desired 6% - 8% humidity in exploitation; during the first 6 months of ventilation and drying of Siporex (or similar concrete) walls the humidity content decreases to approximately 58% - 60% of discharge humidity and only after 18 months the humidity content becomes balanced around 9%.
• lvery good relation between heat conductivity coefficient for material in dry conditions and the same coefficient for elements already built in the wall (heat conductivity coefficient for Simprolit blocks in dry condition amounts to 0.065 and for built in blocks -which is the only valid situation- its value reaches approximately 0.08 depending on the block type; on the other hand, for Siporex (or similar concrete) walls made with blocks having 700 kg/m3 density the heat conductivity coefficient amounts to 0.223, and for for the same walls made with blocks having 600 kg/m3 density it equals 0.191 W/m0K; the experimental results show that 400 kg/m3 is a critical density value for cell concrete which means that when the density becomes smaller all important physical-mechanical properties decrease drastically, especially frost resistance);
• good ductility and crack deformation resistance of the blocks (other cell-concrete producers recommend that a gap filled with mineral wool should be provided between siporex wall and beam or ceiling, so that the deflections of beams or celings wouldn't cause block deformations and consequently cracks on the walls);
• simply the best summer stability in comparison with other materials with the same thickness;
• remarkably good steam-conductivity (walls made of Simprolit blocks can ''breathe'');
• ecological suitability;
• possible application as a permanent thermo-insulating formwork (Simprolit blocks can be cut as a formwork for columns and beams after reinforcement fittment and concrete casting there are no ''cold bridges''), the formwork and installation labor costs at the construction site are cut to minimum;
• best comfortability (Simprolit blocks are unique - they are the only blocks in the world satisfying with 30cm thickness the requirements of civil engineering physics in all regions of Russia, even in the most extreme climate regions at the Far East and Siberia);
• large assortment of different elements made of Simprolit;
• the surface of Simprolit requires no special preparation before finishing; it is also very easy to apply any of the usual finishing materials;
• durability, frost-resistance and stability under intense temperature changes.

• building with Simprolit blocks requires no plaster or glue application at block joints (because the block cavities are filled with concrete or polystyrene concrete) - on the other hand blocks without cavities made of polystyrene concrete are plastered or glued together, which decreases for at least 25% the thermo-insulation ability of the material in comparison to the lab properties of the dry material; it is a fact that every Designer must take into account and be very careful when using the heat conductivity coefficient declared by the Producer, who usually gives its value for dry conditions and not for real conditions (in the wall surrounded by the humid ambient) - which automatically increases the required facade wall thickness for more then 25%;
• some of the producers of polystyrene blocks without cavities try to solve the problem of joints and "cold bridges" by application of special expensive glues, declaring that joints in this particular building system are no more then 3mm thick (which can not be achieved even in case of commercial samples - because of the inaccuracy in production technology). Besides, in winter conditions a special anti-freeze addmixture is added to the glue changing its consistency and increasing its setting time, which by the rule makes the glue starting to flow consequently leaving the joints empty;
• most of the producers of polystyrene blocks without cavities use cheap and poor quality raw material for styrofoam balls' production without weight and dimensions control. Some of them even use crushed styrofoam as a raw material, which has a direct influence on homogeny, geometry and surface quality of the product, also decreasing many of its physical and thermo-technical properties.

Simprolit system has abandoned the application of blocks without cavities in building construction for other, more important reasons:

• by using hollow Simprolit blocks in civil engineering a lot of very important characteristics (besides thermo-insulation ability) could be achieved, such as:
• summer stability,
• heat capacity,
• strength,
• bearing capacity (concrete poured into blocks' hollow spaces takes over the bearing function),
• comfortability,
• use of blocks as a permanent thermo-insulation formwork,
• possibility to compensate the heat loss without changing the thickness of hollow Simprolit blocks (by adding the styrofoam or Simprolit isolation pads it is possible to solve the problem of general thermoinsulation loss caused, for instance, by large glass-facade surfaces; this problem is usually solved by increasing the power of the heating system which consequently means more expenses during construction and exploitation of the building).

* Simprolit hollow blocks are produced according to the Technical conditions, in classes D350 and D450, also in larger dimensions upon special request.

Because of their properties:

• 2-3 times lighter then water,
• strength between 1,5 MPa and 3,6 MPa,
• no capillary water absorption,
• excellent thermo-insulation,
• bio-resistance and ecological suitability, etc.

• reduced construction complexity (less operating tacts and working phases) for 25-30%;
• significantly better ecological (sanitary-hygienical) building exploitation conditions due to improved steam and air permeability, constant humidity content of facade structures, lack of condensation effects, etc. - all of this having influence on better quality and more comfortable living conditions;
• polystyrene concrete structures have significantly improved durability and exploitation reliability - up to 2-4 times more in comparison with mineral wool or styrofoam thermo-insulation systems ;
• Simprolit polystyrene concrete and Simprolit structural elements have a constant heat conductivity coefficient that doesn't depend on humidity content; Simprolit has practically stable humidity percentage: from 4% (in normal humidity environment) to 8% (in very humid environment - up to 99% humidity). On the other hand, if we take mineral wool for example, just 1% increase of humidity content causes 20% reduction of its thermo-insulation ability;
• In distinction from the mineral wool Simprolit is an ecologically clean material. Namely, without proper ventilation mineral wool starts to oxidize, show traces of mildew, fall apart or transform itself into needle-like dust becoming very health-hazardous (especially for children);
• Compressive strength of Simprolit polystyrene concrete is considerably larger then compressive strength of mineral wool; also, mineral wool requires a protective layer either in the form of cement screed or mortar, or in the form of protective screens - in case of ventilated facade application (for example, Simprolit polystyrene concrete can sustain maximum load between 1,5 MPa and 3,6 MPa without deformation, while on the other hand mineral wool sustains barely 3 - 10 kg/m² with deformation reaching 10% or more);
• While the cement in polystyrene concrete (in amounts larger then 200 kg/m³) protects the steel reinforcement from corrosion, mineral wool has particular ability to absorb water which in time dissolves mineral salts forming extremely aggressive solutions therefore it is necessary to protect any metal surface that has direct contact with the mineral wool;
• Increased humidity of mineral wool reduces its durability and frost resistance. In order to solve these problems, producers recently try to protect mineral wool by adding waterproof layers (organic resins or oils), but as a consequence there is a reduction of steam permeability and fire resistance (standard mineral wool can be applied up to 700 °C, while waterproofed mineral wool is declared for use only under 250 °C - if the temperature gets any higher the waterproofing agents either vaporize or burn creating hazardous fumes);

The technology of Simprolit polystyrene concrete production has been designed in the following manner: first, during preparation phase the styrofoam balls are coated with a complex of addmixtures - creating airtight and watertight membranes around these balls; after that, the special organic addmixtures essential for good bonding between inert styrofoam balls and cement are added; at the end, cement, water and other admixtures are added in order to regulate the designed properties of the material. This technology provides that styrofoam balls have no contact with air, thus eliminating all poor characteristics of expanded or extruded polystyrenes (Styrofoam, Styrodur). Namely, these materials have a tendency to loose their compactness when exposed to air for a long period of time but they are also iresistant to different aggressive gases (emited from the industry, thermo-energy plants, tunnels, subways) as well as to the ultraviolet-ray exposure, extreme temperature changes, etc.