Applications

Argex open textured concrete is a mixture of Argex grains and cement paste, with the paste coating the aggregates and holding them together at their points of contact. The concrete has a very open structure: 30 to 40% of it consists of gaps between the grains. The view and the characteristics of the open textured concrete are related to the Argex grain that is used.

1. Argex open textured concrete owes its insulating capacity to its low unit weight, even though without harming its mechanical strength. This stony insulation material is incompressible and guarantees the same quantity of enclosed air, even with long-term load. Ideal to insulate drainage layers.

2. Argex open textured concrete is often used as a lightweight and insulating sub screed or as a roof screed. The low concrete density limits the dead weight on the building structures.

3. Especially for screed pumps Roofmix/Chapemix was developed. It are mixtures of various fine Argex grains in a certain ratio, which makes them easy to be pumped. Argex Roofmix/Chapemix has a fine surface structure and can thus easily be levelled. Roofmix can easily be put on roofs and does not need capping. The roof skin and any extra insulation can directly be put on the roof screed.

4. Other applications: lightweight drain concrete.

By adding sand (light Argex sand or concrete sand) the gaps between the grains are partly filled. The mass increases herewith, but also the common adhesion gets better, thus also the compressive strength. The concrete has a half-open structure.

1. Argex blocks: Argex blocks are used in residential, public and industrial buildings as bearing and non-bearing masonry, fireproof walls, soundproof walls, etc. The blocks with a fine texture, cleaved and sawn blocks are mainly used for decorative acoustic masonry.

2. Lightweight prefabricated elements: a whole series of prefabricated concrete elements is made out of Argex half-open texture concrete. This makes them lighter and easier to use. Trucks can load up to 50% more.

3. Argex beams and structural floor units: A prefabricated floor is made of structural floor units in reinforced concrete, provided with a base and a permanent casing consisting of structural floor units in Argex half-open texture concrete. Their length varies from 13 to 20 cm. To form transversal joints special structural floor units are supplied, they only measure 8 cm. The monolith character of the floor is assured by the finishing layer.

Argex structural floor units leave competitive systems far behind on thermal and acoustic insulation, fire-resistance and weight. The thick-walled elements made out of rough Argex concrete can deal with much higher concentrated load and are thus safer to place. The thick walls (3,5 cm) make it very easy to make holes for spots or plugs for e.g. wooden grids. The rough texture of Argex concrete assures a solid attachment of the plasterwork without a prior treatment with a primer is required.

When all the gaps between the grains are filled with sand, we have compact Argex concrete. For this concrete type ordinary Argex grains are used together with lightweight Argex sand or plain concrete sand. Compared to open texture concrete and half-open texture concrete, the concrete density increases, but at the same time the compressive strength of the obtained concrete type strongly increases.

Lightweight compact concrete is used for both ready-mixed concrete as for prefabrication applications. It is a lightweight concrete with a compressive strength reaching to approximately 30 N/mm² after 28 days. The following arguments are often decisive for lightened concrete elements: improved insulation, weight reduction on constructions, perfect load of trucks, use of smaller lifting devices.

1. Argex concrete panels: With their concrete density of 1,450 up to 1,700 kg/m³ Argex concrete panels are up to 40 % lighter than other concrete panels. This obviously implies transport and installation advantages. Moreover, the panels are fire-resistant and dispose of excellent insulation characteristics.

2. Argex concrete elements: Next to concrete panels, an unlimited range of concrete elements made of Argex concrete can be made: cornices, garden furniture, lintels, Masterblocks, etc.

3. Argex ready-mixed lightweight compact concrete: For both high buildings and renovation projects, the use of lightweight concrete guarantees reduced pressure on foundations, new and old structures.

4. Argex mortars: The use of lightweight Argex granulates gives the mortar two important features: a low weight and fire-resistance.

The mortar owes its low weight to the fine Argex grains (0/2 mm and 0/4 mm broken) that are used and which make a light and insulating mortar. Besides, the grains transfer their fire-resistant characteristics to the mortar, so it can cope with temperatures up to 1,100°C.

Thanks to the development of ‘structural’ Argex grains the terms ‘lightweight concrete’ and ‘high compressive strength’ can be perfectly combined in a concrete type, namely Argex structural lightweight concrete. The structural Argex grains are granulates which are less expanded during the baking process, which improves the mechanical features of the concrete, but guarantees a low mass. Thus, lightweight structural concrete is compact concrete based on structural Argex grains. These light concretes with a density from 1,500 up to 2,000 kg/m³ reach compressive strengths from 35 to 70 N/mm².

1. Structural lightweight concrete in prefabrication industry: Argex structural mix granulates are mostly used for this (AM 4/8-650): this combination of round and broken granulates (approximately 25%) allows an easy processing of the concrete, as well as a good filling of the templates and a better finishing of the concrete surface.

2. Ready-mixed structural lightweight concrete: Through the use of lightweight concrete existing structures are less burdened and new structures (joists, access ramps to bridges, etc.) can be smaller. Save the required attention, structural Argex concrete can also be pumped.

Assets: insulation, lightweight and compressive strength