Cinder block is a very popular material from which buildings of any type are erected. The technology for making cinder blocks at home is vibration pressing of a certain mixture in special forms.
The production technology itself and the composition of cinder blocks provide for the fact that the blocks use special devices and machines that can be made with your own hands. The dimensions of the standard block are 39x29x19 centimeters; there may be three identical holes inside.
The composition of cinder block (as well as foam block) is truly unique:
Hence the conclusion: it is the cinder block that is the most advantageous material for construction on your own site, because in this case the process is fast, economical and reliable.
Before we talk about how to make cinder blocks at home, let's consider preparing a solution for them. The solution for slag concrete blocks includes a filler, preferably slag remaining after the combustion of coal in the furnace, in an amount equal to seven parts by volume.
Coarse expanded clay sand - two parts, gravel, fraction 0.5 - 1.5 cm - two parts, cement, grade M500 - one and a half parts and water - three volume parts. But not only slag can be a filler; gypsum, expanded clay, ash, gravel, screenings of crushed stone, sand, brick waste and even processed sawdust can be used as such.
Attention: The proportional composition of water is indicated approximately, and during the process of mixing the solution it is necessary to control its density. To check, just take a lump of solution and throw it on the ground. Quality solution will crumble, and if clenched in a fist, it will stick together.
When using blast furnace slag as a filler, no unnecessary additives should be present: wood chips, earth or unburnt coal. Therefore, the slag must be sorted in advance and sifted using a special sieve.
If the filler is gypsum, then the components of slag concrete are taken in the following proportions: gypsum - one part, slag mixture - three parts and water. The solution is thoroughly mixed and used almost immediately.
This mixture is prepared within a maximum of six minutes. The slag mixture is pre-moistened. To prepare one cubic meter The solution uses about 350 liters of water.
To make high-quality slag at home concrete blocks, a special plasticizer is added to the solution. As a result, the mixture becomes very plastic, and the blocks are strong, waterproof, frost-resistant and not brittle.
In addition to hollow ones, blocks can also be made solid. They are the strongest and most durable, and most often they are used to make the foundation. In contrast, hollow blocks are lightweight and have excellent heat-insulating and soundproof properties.
Well, one more thing important property: Cinder blocks can be colored if dyes are added to the solution, which can be chalk or crushed red bricks.
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Currently, the question of how to make a cinder block at home can be solved in two ways:
Making cinder blocks at home is possible using both wooden and metal molds. It is believed that the standard dimensions of the block are 39x19x19 centimeters, but depending on the purpose, the shape can be made in almost any way.
The molds consist of side walls and a bottom. If the molds are made in such a way that several blocks are poured into each, then material can be significantly saved.
Attention: When using these forms, the solution must be uniform and thick enough to fill these forms without creating voids.
To make the blocks light and inexpensive, voids are created in them, for this purpose they are inserted into the molds glass bottles. To make them easier to get out, they are placed neck down. The excess solution is removed, the remaining is well leveled.
The blocks are kept in the molds for 24 hours, then they are pulled out and stored in low stacks. They are ready for construction in a month.
Making cinder blocks at home in this way is more productive and guarantees more high quality. But this requires special equipment, in particular a concrete mixer and a vibrating table.
To make a machine you need:
Equipment for cinder blocks at home can be made as follows:
Attention: To strictly maintain the dimensions of the blocks and maintain the quality of the ribs, the weld must be located on the outside.
Cinder block is one of the most popular materials for the construction of walls of one-story buildings. It is distinguished by its low cost and the possibility of producing it independently at home.
Cinder block - wall stone
This building material is intended for low-rise construction. There is an opinion that if you include “high” grade cement in the mix, then you can make a solid foundation for a bathhouse or house from homemade blocks. However foundation blocks must withstand enormous loads, so blocks should be purchased from a factory rather than made independently.
Cinder blocks are:
Due to sufficient strength characteristics, solid cinder blocks are used for cladding and construction. load-bearing walls, as well as partitions. At the same time, hollow products have good heat and sound insulation. Due to voids, raw materials are significantly saved, which means the cost of production is much lower.
Cinder blocks are also used as additional insulation when constructing frames.
The name of the building material “cinder block” speaks for itself. This means that the main component of the solution will be the slag obtained in blast furnace, which should be sifted through a special sifter (sieve).
We will need:
In addition to slag, other components can act as the main element: clay, expanded clay, sand, gravel, crushed stone, gypsum and many others. It should be noted that if you choose blast furnace slag as a filler, then other additives must not be used. If you want to get a colored cinder block, then you can add chalk or red bricks reduced to fine crumbs into the solution (they should be crushed).
In addition, during the production of cinder blocks, make sure that the solution does not spread.
| Component name | Qty components | Density, kg/m3 | Water absorption,% | Mrz, cycles not less | Compressive strength, kg/cm2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cement, kg Sand, kg (m3) Crushed stone, kg (m3) Water, l (depending on the moisture content of the components) | 500 900 (0,52) 900 (0,52) 100...200 | 2350 | 4 | 200 | 410 |
| Cement, kg Screenings, kg (m3) Sand, kg (m3) Water, l | 500 920 (0,54) 1150 (0,7) 100...200 | 2160 | 4,5 | 200 | 400 |
| Cement, kg Sand, kg (m3) Water, l | 600 1550 (0,9) 100...190 | 2200 | 5,3 | 200 | 436 |
Tip for obtaining durable blocks: you need to add a plasticizer to the solution (you can buy it at any hardware store). Then you will receive not only durable, but also frost-resistant and waterproof blocks.
When you are going to set up the process of creating cinder blocks yourself, you should understand that there is no universal solution recipe. Each master selects his own unique formula through trial and error. If you are a beginner, you can use the standard one.
There are two ways to obtain such blocks on your site.
Tools and materials for block production:
2,3,4 - pallet blanks. 5,6,7 - frame of the matrix from below (corner 25x25). 8 — bar for fastening void tanks. 9 - emptiness. 10 — upper void plug. 11 — lower void plug 
The mold design has next view: bottom and side walls. Between a pair of transverse boards or sheets of metal, you should secure the crossbars at the desired distance. Maintain a step corresponding to the size of the required cinder block.
Since it will be difficult to remove the finished product from the mold, the design of the container should be collapsible. For production efficiency, make formwork designed to produce 4-6 cinder blocks.
To make a mold to create cinder blocks you will need:
Step 1. We mark the sheet according to the size of the blocks: we will need two longitudinal sides and two transverse ones. We cut out our plates with a grinder.
The width of the longitudinal plate is 210 mm, the length is 450 mm, the transverse plate is 210 by 220 mm.
Step 2. Wings 3.5 cm high should be welded to the bottom of the cinder block mold so that the mold does not move, and a handle to quickly release the poured solution from the mold.
Step 3. Notches are made along the contour of the transverse and longitudinal walls in order to hook the mold onto the longitudinally installed walls.
Step 4. Let's assemble our form.
Step 5. To create voids in the cinder block, we make hanging cylinders. They must be welded to a plate 3-4 mm thick, which should seem to penetrate the cylinders closer to the top. On end walls We make notches in our container to catch them.
Forms have any dimensions. The standard dimensions of the structure are 90x190x188 mm; in private construction, other sizes can be used, for example, 40x20x20 cm. In order to save material, it is better to use forms with cells of 4-6 blocks and cylinders (squares) to create cavities.
A homemade metal form (detachable) looks like this.
Let's consider step by step process production of cinder blocks.
Step 1. Mix the solution in a concrete mixer.
Step 2. Pour the mixture into our mold with a shovel. In this case the mixture is thick. You can also use a liquid solution.
Step 3. Be sure to ensure that the solution fills the container evenly. To do this, compact the filled solution. We control the filling of the form to the brim. Align upper layer using a spatula.
Step 4. If the solution is dry, then you should use a special lid, the holes in which will block the bayonets in the mold. This device will help compact our cinder block. This type of lid is not used for liquid solutions.
Step 5. Move our block to open area for further storage. After 30-40 minutes, remove the bottom, sides and top cover. To better remove the cinder block, we use a regular hammer to hit the top of the wall and a longitudinal strip with cylinders.
Step 6 It will take us at least a day to dry completely.
Step 1. We mix our solution, taking into account the proportions. Particular attention should be paid the right amount water, because the cinder blocks should not spread when you remove them from the mold.
Kneading
To find out the correct consistency of the mixture, do a small test. Squeeze the solution in your hand: if it connects in it and does not spread when it falls to the ground, it is a good and correct solution.
Step 2. We fill our form with a solution, with a slide.
Step 3 . We turn on the machine for 2-4 seconds, after which the loaded composition will be compacted. We level the mixture with our hands so that the iron pins (cylinders) are visible.
Step 4. If there is not enough mixture in the form, it needs to be replenished, insert the clamp and turn on the vibrator again. The completion of formation is indicated by the settling of the clamp on the stops.
Step 5 . Our vibration form should be turned on again for 6-10 s.
Step 6 . Close the top with a lid with holes for the cylinders. And we do another tamping by raising and lowering the lid 4-5 times.
Step 7 . Then, without turning off the machine, the uniform is removed - just take the machine to you.
Using a vibrating machine, you can produce up to 500 cinder blocks per shift.
Step 8 . We dry the blocks for 5-10 days. Complete hardening of the resulting building materials will take place after a month, while the humidity should be high and the air warm.
Step 9. After a day, the blocks can be moved to storage locations (they will not be broken), but they can only be placed together after a week. And if you do add a plasticizer to the solution, then after 6-8 hours they can be moved and stored.
Of course, you shouldn’t purchase a vibrating machine for a single production, but you should pay attention to compaction when creating cinder blocks. Special attention(the quality of the product depends on this process). In this case, you can use a regular vibratory grinder, on which you just need to place our mold with the mixture.
The resulting products are stored in pyramidal stacks, one hundred pieces at a time.
At the same time, they are stacked at small intervals. All you have to do is dry the material for a couple of months, then you can start building a bathhouse, an extension or a shed.
When producing cinder blocks, special attention should be paid to drying. For example, any dent or unevenness will ruin the building material. Another requirement for material quality is geometry. A large number of irregularities and defects are a prerequisite for increased costs for finishing the constructed walls. Therefore, in order for the product to turn out smooth, you should fill the mold or vibrating mold to the brim. Do not skimp on pouring the solution in heaps, because the vibration will shake out your mixture.
For better plasticity, when mixing the solution, do not forget to add plasticizer at the rate of 5 g per block. This will save the product from possible cracks, increase strength and frost resistance. For construction small bathhouse You can mix the solution by hand, but a concrete mixer will help speed up the process. You just need to buy or borrow a small unit with a capacity of 02-0.5 cubic meters. m.
Before preparing the mixture, the slag is moistened 5-6 hours before. This will allow better binding of cement grains and filler fractions. It should be noted that if you are filling wooden or metal forms without the possibility of vibrating, the mixture should be liquid.
The advantages of cinder block include:
Disadvantages of cinder block:
The construction of a house from blocks is progressing faster than from bricks. You can buy them freely, but many people make building blocks with their own hands.
Blocks in construction are used not only for building walls. The use of building blocks for the foundation also speeds it up. Of course, these blocks must be very dense: 1.5 tons per 1 cubic m. Making blocks with your own hands, if you look at it, is not such an extremely difficult matter.
And the beginning of everything is making molds.
There are molds for building blocks with standard sizes on sale. And at home you can make building blocks in sizes that suit you. We take sheet metal, cut out the required shape from it and weld the shape. Molds are also made from wood; they are good for adobe blocks. There is no need for a bottom here. But the handles on the sides will come in handy, it’s more convenient to work with them.
What's great about DIY building blocks is that they use material that you already have or can easily purchase.
Basically, blocks are made from cement with different fillers, but craftsmen, like manufacturers, sometimes do without it. Depending on the selected material, it is possible to produce homemade building blocks of the following types:
How the filler is used:
The production of building blocks using this technology is not available to everyone, because the mixture contains liquid glass. Unless you negotiate with the nearest concrete products plant and buy the main component there. The mixture will consist of:
The starting raw material should be homogeneous and dough-like. Before pouring this dough-like mass, wet the inside of the molds. If you wish, you can add color to the building blocks. To do this add:
Fillers are added to such blocks: slag, expanded clay, shavings. Their strength is high - they are much stronger than cement ones.
Expanded clay concrete blocks are one of the types of cinder blocks, where expanded clay serves as a filler.
The technology for manufacturing expanded clay concrete building blocks is generally the same as any other:
If you plan to make thick walls (about 0.5 m), then blocks with voids are better. To do this, wooden inserts are inserted into the mold: round or square. And so that they can be easily removed, before inserting, wrap them in roofing iron.
A house made from expanded clay concrete blocks is built faster than from brick; less mortar is needed for masonry.
For this type of block, the material is literally under your feet. All you need is:
In order for the building blocks to have characteristics that meet all the requirements, you need to know something about the features of selecting components:
In order not to spoil the entire batch of blocks, you need to make a small experimental batch. So we do this:
If all components are selected in the required proportions, then the ball will remain intact. Did you add more sand than you should? It will collapse or crack. Is there enough sand? The ball will blur. This is how we practically select the most best option.
To prepare the mixture for several dozen blocks at once, you need to make a hole in the ground: round with a diameter of about 2.5 m or rectangular 1.5x2.5 with a depth of half a meter. Line its bottom with polyethylene. Although some ready-made container will do: a trough or old bath. Then everything is done as it was done in the old days: we put on high rubber boots and walk, mixing everything until smooth.
The finished blocks should dry. This usually takes several days. It is important that they are not exposed to rain. Then they are transferred to a shelter and dried further. They will be completely ready in 10 days.
A house made of adobe blocks turns out to be very warm and comfortable. In addition, this building material is environmentally friendly, durable, and fireproof. It is used for buildings no higher than 2 floors.
The technology for making sawdust concrete blocks is similar to making adobe blocks, but the components do not need to be mined, but purchased.
Before you start making, you need to purchase:
To control quality, we roll the ball and squeeze it in our palms. If water flows, there is too much of it in the mixture; if the ball crumbles, there is too much sawdust or sand.
The drying process will take a long time - from 1.5 to 3 months: it all depends on the mass of the block.
If the construction is large-scale, then it may make sense to spend money on equipment for building blocks. For example: there is a mini-machine for sale for the production of wood concrete RPB-1500 BL. Its productivity is 1 sawdust block with dimensions 19 x 19 x 39 cm per minute. Issues Russian manufacturer— INTEK company.
Vibrating tables are widely used in the manufacture of building blocks. They solve the problem of compacting mixtures. The vibrating table consists of:
The compaction of the working mixture occurs under the influence of vibration created by a vibration motor.
There are 3 types of vibrating plates capable of compacting material by weight:
Based on these indicators, you should select the optimal vibrating table option for yourself.
They are produced by:
Vibrating tables are also supplied by foreign manufacturers:
Block is a very common material in construction. They can be used to create any structure: a house, a bathhouse, a garage, a utility block. Block walls have good strength characteristics, heat and sound insulation properties. Having this building material at your free disposal is so beneficial that many people think about how to make building blocks with their own hands.
The basis of each concrete block is cement, sand and water. In addition, filler is used. Depending on its type, we get one or another type of block.
For their production there is special equipment: machines for the production of building blocks. They are designed for one, two, three or more block forms. Such a machine consists of a vibrating table and, in fact, the block molds themselves - containers for molding blocks. The standard size of the product is 190x190x390 cm. The block form has many removable partitions that allow you to different sizes concrete products within the established limits. It is also equipped with a device for making a hollow block. This part consists of two (or three) cylinders connected by a piece of steel rod, which are inserted into the block mold before concrete is poured into it. These cylinders are removed after the stone hardens, thus creating voids in the finished block. This method allows you to significantly save on cement mortar.
The process of making a block using this equipment is quite simple. The concrete mixer produces a solution with the selected or available filler. The block mold is lubricated with used machine oil to facilitate the removal process finished product. Next, the cement composition is poured into it.
We turn on the vibrating table and within 1.5-2 minutes the process of molding the products occurs. Through vibration, air bubbles are expelled from the concrete, the composition is compacted, and excess liquid comes out. After molding, the surface of the block is leveled with a spatula.
Then the block mold is transferred to the place where the products are dried. They can serve as either a steaming chamber or an ordinary piece of land with a canopy over it. The surface on which the blocks are laid out for drying must be flat and horizontal. Thanks to the special design of the block mold, removing the product is not difficult. A sheet of iron is pulled out from under the mold, which is its lower base, and the side walls themselves rise up. The finished block is left in place to dry for several days. It is then transported to a storage location.
Making cinder blocks at home is a profitable business idea. By receiving free drawings and a description of the technology from us and with a little effort, you will receive high-quality equipment that guarantees regular income!
High-quality cinder block is a building material that is in demand always and everywhere. Due to the large weight and convenient size, it allows you to make masonry of structures of any complexity and height (from an ordinary extension to a house to industrial workshops).
The presence of a vibrating machine will make the cinder block more dense and of higher quality, avoiding the formation of unnecessary voids. The vibrating machine will significantly increase the quantity of manufactured products. Now you don't have to wait for the concrete blocks to set completely before moving on to another batch.
The best option at home is a machine with 4 sections at once. In order to make such a machine, which allows you to produce about 100 cinder blocks per hour, you need to first download a 3D model of the machine:
Looking at the 3D model cinder block machine you can easily figure out how it works and what the principle of its operation is. And the dimensions of the model allow you to easily make the same equipment with your own hands according to the sample.
The kit contains drawings of a machine for the production of cinder blocks with your own hands and diagrams of more simple models vibrating machines for cinder block production:
Note. 3D models are saved in file formats: *.sldasm (an extension of the SolidWorks 3D editor, also supports free eDrawings) and *.step (a standard for exchanging 3D graphics that is supported by most 3D editors, including free ones: FreeCAD, Blender, etc.).
Cinder block is made in special form by vibration shrinkage method poured inside concrete mixture. After the material hardens, the hollowness of the block is about 30%-40% (depending on the shape - round or square) of total area. The resulting cavities not only save consumables during the production of cinder blocks, but also serve as air cushions for sound insulation. They are also excellent for reinforcing masonry, which gives walls maximum stability.
During manufacturing, it should be taken into account that standard size one cinder block is 39 x 19 x 18.5 centimeters. This is a standard, a generally accepted value from which builders build when designing and performing calculations. Therefore, strictly adhere to the parameters during home production building blocks.
To produce cinder blocks on your own machine you will need:
Attention! When preparing a concrete mixture, you should always control the amount of water in the composition. If you exceed the water norm by 30%, the concrete product will be exactly 2 times weaker!!!
All components of the solution are taken in the following proportion: 7 parts of slag, 2 parts of sand and gravel, 1.5 parts of cement, 0.2% plasticizer and water. The mixture should be moist and crumbly (fundamentally different from bricklaying mortar). When squeezed tightly in your hand, it should hold together in a lump, and when it falls to the ground, it should crumble. During the vibration of the machine, the mixture is compacted and visually, as if it squeezes out water, turning into a liquid solution. This natural process vibration casting of concrete. If the resulting concrete is too liquid, then no vibration rack will help ensure the integrity and strength of the cinder block, which will not dry completely and will soon begin to fall apart.
Financial costs for the production of 1 m 3 (71 pieces) of cinder blocks at minimum cost product:
When producing durable cinder blocks (for load-bearing walls), a semi-dry mixture is prepared for thin-walled concrete products. In the article “production of paving slabs” you can get acquainted in detail with the process of preparing a high-quality and durable concrete mixture of thin-walled products.
Note. It is worth noting that the same technology is used to produce expanded clay concrete blocks. Only the composition and recipe for preparing concrete differs.
So, the cost of one square meter steel sheet will be about $4.3. Buying a motor (you can use a used one to save money) will cost an average of $30. One meter of pipe with a diameter of about 15 mm costs $1.4. If you have no experience in welding metal structures and the necessary equipment, be prepared to pay another $100 to a specialist who has the necessary skills.
This means that a home vibrating machine will cost about $400. At the same time, the cost of materials for the solution, which is enough to make a daily norm of 100 cinder blocks, will be another $30. Be prepared to spend $700 per month on Consumables for preparing concrete, etc. As a result, to start own business you will need 1200-1300 dollars.
How quickly will this money be recouped? The cost of one factory-made cinder block averages about $0.7-$0.85. At the same time, home-made products will be sold cheaper, i.e. about $0.5. We will take this amount as the basis for calculating profit.
If you produce 100 pieces of products per day, you can earn about $20. Income per month if there is established sales will be about $600. As you can see, you can not only recoup your investment, but also gain profit in a short time.
As you can see, having your own vibrating machine for vibrating casting building blocks can not only simplify and reduce the cost of your construction, but also give rise to a profitable business!
