Maximizing strength and durability in wood concrete (arbolite) via innovative additive control and consumption

Abstract

A new approach for assessing the effectiveness and determining the consumption of additives to regulate the structural and mechanical characteristics of wood concrete is proposed, which allows rapid assessment in a short time and reduces the consumption of materials. The period is reduced from 28 to 1 day, and the sample sizes are reduced from 150 × 150 × 150 to 20 × 20 × 20 mm compared to those of the standard method. The results obtained are comparable using both methods within an error of up to 7%. The thermal conductivity of wood concrete with the addition of potassium sulfate was 20.8% less than that with the addition of calcium chloride. This reduction will reduce wall thickness, material consumption, and cost by 20.8%. In this regard, potassium sulfate, which does not form crystalline hydrates and makes it possible to obtain a material with lower thermal conductivity than other additives, all other things being equal, has a new advantage for wood concrete. In addition, potassium sulfate reduces the risk of corrosion of cement stone because one of the main causes of corrosion is crystalline hydrates. Reducing the risk of corrosion will increase the durability of the material.