One of the basic needs of a human being to sustain in the world is a shelter. After the evolution of human being, the need for shelter meant for safety arises from environmental conditions. In ancient times, the man started taking shelter in caves, temporary structure from raw materials(Hollow Concrete Blocks).
The concept of safety as per structural features of the shelter was completely out of mind. Along with the development of the human mind meaning of shelter changed. Over the time safety and economic aspects came into the picture.
Any structure consists of load-bearing elements, shear transfer elements and moment transferring elements. Another element that is not much vital among the likes of structural elements but is very crucial for creating spaces to be used is partition walls.
Walls create the partitions and make the space usable. Use of Hollow concrete Blocks Instead of Bricks have other functions as well as thermal insulation and soundproofing. But they do have weights and that adds into the dead weight of the structure. Traditional partition walls are masonry and are made up of soil.
They are made up of the top layer of the soil which is very fertile and takes years to build up. The dead weight of these types of walls is as high as 20 KN per unit square meter. This increases the structural forces on load bearing members
The recent modification in this field is the use of hollow concrete blocks or commonly referred as HCB’s. These blocks are industry manufactured and are made up of concrete and are hollow which in turn decreases the dead weight of the structure. These kinds of blocks have certain other advantages like thermally more insulated, better in terms of soundproofing, being easy to cast and requiring lesser amounts of mortar to bind to each other.
The Advantage Of Hollow Concrete blocks Over Conventional Brick Masonry
Hollow Concrete Blocks Advantages
Durability: The good Hollow concrete Blocks compacted by high pressure and vibration gives substantial strength to the block. Proper curing increases the compressive strength of the blocks.
Easily Compatible: Maintenance, Color and brilliance of masonry withstand outdoor elements.
Mechanical and Thermal Properties: Load bearing, strength can be specified as per the requirement and it has good resistance to fire.
Thermal and Sound Insulation: The air in hollow Concrete blocks, does not allow outside heat or cold in the house. So it keeps the house cool in summer and warm in winter.
Environment-Friendly: Fly ash can be used as raw material. Mortar saving: As the faces of the blocks are regular, it requires lesser mortar to bind to each other.
Constructional Advantages
Ductile Behaviour: Due to the uniform distribution of reinforcement in both vertical and horizontal directions, through each masonry element, increased tensile resistance and ductile behaviour of elements could be achieved.
Semi-Skilled Labour Required: Completely skilled labours aren’t required for this type of construction and are easy to construct as compared to conventional construction system.
Cyclic Loading Resistance: Construction system can safely resist lateral or cyclic loading when compared to other conventional masonry construction systems.
Faster Construction: It is also found to be a cost-effective disaster resistant construction system and is faster and easier construction as compared to the conventional construction system.
Lightweight: The hollow blocks have weights less than 40% as compared to solid blocks which decrease the dead weight of the structure.