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The document discusses hollow concrete blocks, including their widespread use in construction due to low cost and ease of use. It describes how they were first introduced and patented in the late 1800s in the US. The document also discusses how concrete blocks are now mass produced using automated processes, and outlines different classes of hollow concrete blocks according to Ethiopian standards.

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yonas Desta
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
18 views

Intro

The document discusses hollow concrete blocks, including their widespread use in construction due to low cost and ease of use. It describes how they were first introduced and patented in the late 1800s in the US. The document also discusses how concrete blocks are now mass produced using automated processes, and outlines different classes of hollow concrete blocks according to Ethiopian standards.

Uploaded by

yonas Desta
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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In construction world Hollow Concrete Blocks are a very well known building materials.

They are made


from a mixture of cement, sand and stone
chips and processed through molds to achieve the necessary standard physical strength and dimension.
Compared to other materials, the reason for the widespread utilization of
hollow concrete blocks as walling material is their relative low cost, Light
weightness, ease of ventilation and speed of installation by semi-skilled professionals. Nowadays, hollow
concrete blocks are often used in the construction of multi storeyed buildings, warehouses and
residential buildings. .(
bmptc indian )
In the United States, the first concrete blocks were introduced for the
construction of houses as a substitute for stone or wood. The first concrete block house was built in
1837 on Staten Island, New York. Harmon S.
Palmer designed the first hollow concrete block in 1890. After 10 years of
experimental testing in 1900, he patented the concept. His block size were 8-
inch (20.3cm)10-inch(25.4cm)30-inch(76.2cm) and they were heavy in weight.
Homes built of concrete blocks showed a creative use of low - priced common
materials made to look like a more costly and traditional wood-framed stone
masonry building. This new style of construction became a popular method
of house building in the early 1900s through the 1920s. These early hollow
blocks were hand-cast and the average production was around 10 blocks per
hour. [ V. M. Thorat] [24].
Now, concrete blocks are being produced by automated process, which
can make up to 2,000 blocks every hour. They are increasingly used in
masonry construction as they can accelerate and reduce work costs at the
construction site. The compressive strength of the masonry is one of the
most essential property in the masonry structure design. In extreme hot or
cold climate countries, these concrete blocks have low thermal conductivity
and also serve as thermal insulation material which minimizes energy consumption by minimizing the
dependence on electricity for air conditioning or
heating [11].
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As per the Ethiopia standard of specification in construction, hollow concrete blocks shall be classified in
Class A, B and C. Class A and B are load
bearing units and suitable for External walls pointed, rendered and plastered,
the inner leaf of cavity walls or stone masonry, internal walls or partitions
and Panels in steel framed and reinforced steel framed buildings. Class C -
non- load bearing units suitable for Non load bearing walls and partitions
and None load bearing internal panels in steel framed and reinforced concrete
buildings. (Ethiopian standards)
Research on alternative to fine aggregate, has so far centered on the partial replacement of fine
aggregate with different waste materials and usage
of admixture on the properties of hollow concrete block to reduce the cost
of production. Wastes or popularly known as the by-products of various
industrial, agricultural and other processes are required to be disposed-off
properly. Sawdust is an organic waste resulting from the mechanical milling
or processing of timber (wood) into various shapes and sizes. The dust is
usually used as domestic fuel [12].
Sawdust can be defined as loose particles or wood chippings obtained as
by-products from sawing of timber into standard useable sizes. Generation of
wood wastes in sawmill is an unavoidable environmental pollution and hence
a great efforts are made in the utilization of such waste [4]. But Compressive
strength and workability decreases as the percentage replacement of saw dust
as a fine aggregate increased [B0810].
Admixtures can be used to enhance workability and preserve compressive
strength. The reason for widespread use of admixtures is a reduction in water
requirements, increased workability, controlled setting, accelerated hardening, enhanced strength,
improved durability, required coloring and change in
volume compared to the corresponding conventional concrete. Chemical mixtures, recent advances in
mixing technology, are used in concrete mixtures
to create particular engineering properties, such as rapid hardening, water
reduction and improve strength. As they are costly, locally found admixtures
have recently been used. Used engine oil acted as a chemical plasticizer that
improves fluidity, almost doubling the slump of the normal concrete mix and
yields a good compressive strength [2008 bsc]
Used engine oil (UEO) is a waste product that is readily available in the
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