[HN Gopher] Perfect Aircrete, Kitchen Ingredients [video]
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Perfect Aircrete, Kitchen Ingredients [video]
Author : surprisetalk
Score : 56 points
Date : 2025-12-20 15:13 UTC (6 days ago)
(HTM) web link (www.youtube.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.youtube.com)
| WorkerBee28474 wrote:
| I heard about aerogel as a kid and only recently learned how
| extremely hard it is to make [0], so this seems like a cool and
| more accessible material in the same vein.
|
| [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0HfmYBlF8g
| tartoran wrote:
| Wow, this is a fantastic material. Hope to see it used soon
| ansgri wrote:
| It really is amazing, you can build a whole 2-story house out
| of it quickly using polymer-based glue instead of mortar, only
| using traditional reinforced concrete in some critical places.
| Was quite popular in russia, last I checked. Unfortunately hard
| to find in some better CIS countries.
| lm28469 wrote:
| You can also build brick walls without mortar, some of them
| even contain insulation, you just need to plaster both sides
| and you're good to go. Porothern dry fix is a good example
|
| I had the choice between aircrete and that for my house and
| went for good ol bricks instead
| AtlasBarfed wrote:
| So they buy preforms, or they mix it themselves and pour into
| forms?
| orthoxerox wrote:
| It's precut autoclaved blocks.
| orthoxerox wrote:
| Yes, about 60% of all new single-family homes are built out
| of AAC in Russia. It's also very common as an infill in
| reinforced concrete frames, like blocks of flats.
|
| There are AAC factories in Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan that
| I know of. The rest are probably too seismically risky to be
| major AAC markets.
| MaxikCZ wrote:
| I always thought of concrete as cement + water + sand.
|
| This video makes aircrete with cement + water +
| thickening/foaming agent, but it doesnt use any sand, no?
| aidenn0 wrote:
| Concrete is cement plus aggregate (it doesn't have to be sand;
| it could be gravel, for example). Coarse aggregates wouldn't
| work well in this, but it would be cool for a followup video
| where sand is used.
|
| The wikipedia pages suggests that this is more prolery referred
| to as "foam mortar" or "foam cement"
|
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foam_concrete
| cornholio wrote:
| You could say the aggregate is air and the cement still
| performs its role as a binder, it binds all the air bubbles
| into a stable matrix. Hence "aerated concrete".
| mikewarot wrote:
| He had a note up that said he's been having some luck with a
| major addition of sand, but it'll be a bit before the video for
| that goes up.
| schiffern wrote:
| Yes, aircrete mixes usually don't contain sand. This isn't
| something unusual about this video, it's true for most aircrete
| recipes.
|
| Another method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnNua21zx78
| leguminous wrote:
| Aerated concrete is an established building material in some
| parts of the world. In Europe, a big manufacturer is Ytong, and
| they even make precast panels in addition to blocks.
|
| It's made differently from this, though. It is aerated through a
| chemical reaction rather than mechanically.
| stoneman24 wrote:
| There was recently a crisis in older publicly constructed
| buildings in the UK that were built [0].The aerated concrete
| had a limited lifespan especially if it was damaged and had
| contact with water.
|
| Lots of people looking for compensation and claiming mis-
| representation.
|
| [0] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-66669239
| cornholio wrote:
| The UK crisis involved steel reinforced AAC beams that were
| used (of all places) to support roofs of schools. UK turned
| out to be a rainy place, the rain infused into the cellular
| structure and corroded the steel, with disastrous
| consequences.
|
| It's a very particular use case of a very particular product,
| not relevant to the wide majority of AAC uses around the
| world, which is largely non-structural and not reinforced, or
| subjected to moderate compressive loads, such as lateral
| walls for 1-2 stories buildings in non-seismic areas.
| cornholio wrote:
| The industrial version is produced in an autoclave, this allows
| precise control over density and final mechanical
| resistance/insulation values. Hence, the name the material is
| best known by - AAC.
|
| On the other hand, the video linked attributes too much credit
| and complexity to the foam manufacturing method, it can
| certainly be done with very primitive technology. Here are some
| dudes doing it in a developing country, it's very very basic,
| the foam generator is basically a steel wool sponge where
| pressurized air combine with water containing the foaming
| agent. They give out the complete recipe and details of their
| tools:
|
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h6zBbVkuQI
| schiffern wrote:
| Note that aircrete itself has existed for decades, but production
| of aircrete has typically required buying (or DIY-ing) a high-
| capacity foam generator.
|
| What's novel in this video is the production method, which uses
| only a standard cement mixer.
|
| The 'traditional' method is here:
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnNua21zx78
| mikewarot wrote:
| I think this might make a great material for large machine tool
| bases. Concrete lathes have been a thing since WW1, but not
| common.
| sitzkrieg wrote:
| nighthawkinlight's entire youtube channel is full of practical
| gems. i used several of his waterproofing techniques to flawless
| effect
| SilverElfin wrote:
| I like the idea of a lightweight concrete like material that can
| be used to make houses more durable. Is there a way to replace
| drywall interiors with this or something else? I really hate how
| susceptible drywall is to things like moisture and mold, but also
| how repairing it requires a dusty and messy process of cutting,
| sanding, mud, tape, and all that. It would be so much easier to
| have waterproof durable panels that can be opened to access the
| interior wall spaces (for electrical or plumbing stuff). Is there
| a solution?
| IshKebab wrote:
| Fuck aircrete. My house has aircrete blocks in the extension and
| you need special expensive wall plugs to attach things to it that
| are rated to a grant total of 25kgf.
|
| Because nobody would want to actually hang heavy things on their
| wall right??
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