BUILDING APPLICATIONS OF PUMICE STONE

 

PUMICE STONE QUALITIES ARE SUITABLE FOR BUILDING APPLICATIONS

  • Production of lightweight structural elements (Pumice concrete blocks)
  • Production of lightweight concrete
  • Insulation and floor fillings



PUMICE STONE IS A NATURAL, CHEMICALLY INERT BUILDING MATERIAL THAT COMBINES SEVERAL INTRIGUING FEATURES:

  •  Low density (600-800kg/m3) when the sample is dry;
  • Good compressive strength and satisfactory elasticity;
  • Good thermal and noise insulating properties;
  • A porous structure with low permeability;
  • Non-combustibility
  • Pozzolanic properties.  



 

PUMICE STONE BUILDING PRODUCTS HAVE THE FOLLOWING ADVANTAGES:

  • Excellent mechanical strength-to-weight ratio;
    Although approximately 30% lighter than traditional concrete, Pumice stone features high strength values with significant benefits for the structure's cost-efficiency and behavior (reduced dead loads and transportation cost).
           
  • All types of lightweight concretes can be manufactured by altering the Pumice stone's granularity and the concrete's composition: 
    • Structural: Compressive strength > 15 Mpa, Density  < 2000 Kg/m3
    • Structural and thermal-insulating: Compressive strength > 3.5 Mpa, Density < 1400 Kg/m3
    • Thermal-insulating: Compressive strength 0,5 Mpa, Density < 1000 Kg/m3
              
  • Altering the composition of lightweight concrete, the element's geometry and Pumice stone's granularity, we can produce building blocks for load-bearing or non-bearing masonry:
    • Compressive strength: 2,5-10 Mpa
    • Material density: 900-1400 Kg/m3
    • High thermal-insulating capacity
    • Thermal conductivity λ=0,22-0,33W/mK
    • Good sound dampening properties thanks to the pumice stone's porous texture that traps air, and high soundproofing-to-weight ratio


  • Pumice stone products are non-combustible and thus enhance the structure's fire resistance
     
  • Pumice stone products feature good seismic behavior



      

      


  

PUMICE STONE LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE IS IDEAL FOR:

  • Filling interior floors and shaping final elevations and inclinations before laying marble, tiles or asphalt membrane.
  • Insulations, as either the final layer to form inclinations or thermal insulation for roofs or thermal-sound insulation of interior flooring.
  • Constructions and repairs, where reduced permanent loads and improved seismic behavior are required.