Transparent concrete, which retained its strength characteristics and long term services familiar material. The introduction of an aesthetic component into the production technology changed the components of the mixture, which increased prices for the finished product. You can reduce the cost of purchasing blocks if you make them yourself.
This innovative development makes it possible to distinguish the silhouettes of objects and the outlines of people, which is a unique design solution when constructing buildings and structures. You can make it yourself, which will reduce the cost of expensive materials. The building will receive additional lighting without reducing the strength of structures.
To through frozen solution light sources and silhouettes obscuring them were visible; fiber optic conductors are used as filler. The technology has retained fine-grained as a binder cement mixture, but introduced this specific component to impart light-conducting properties to the monolith.
The optical fiber content should not exceed 5%, otherwise the load-bearing capacity. The optimal Ø of one thread is no more than 2 mm. Transparent products require their production in a factory in separate blocks, which, after completion of the manufacturing procedure, are delivered to the installation site. Prices are set both individually and per 1 m2 for wholesale customers.
The main characteristics correspond to fine-grained concrete M250 (compression):
- strength (bending) – PtbЗ0;
- water absorption – up to 6%;
- frost resistance – F50;
- density 2100-2400 kg/m3;
- light dispersion – up to 2 m.
Compared to traditional ones, such products have higher thermal resistance and noise insulation. If they are used for installation in critical (loaded) structures, then when making them yourself, plasticizers are added to the mixture to increase strength. To give desired color pigment is poured in, the front surface is processed to the required degree of roughness or polished. The installation technology allows you to mount cement mortar, anchors, lay on adhesive mixtures.
Area of use of transparent blocks
The use of translucent concrete in external walls allows you to save energy indoors daytime and receive additional lighting from the rooms adjacent to the house at night.
In addition to facade design, they are used for original interior and exterior decor. It looks impressive in the following elements:
- internal partition;
- table top;
- reception, bar counter;
- windowsill;
- ladder;
- fence;
- bench;
- lamp.
Such solutions can be successfully used both in public buildings, and in individual development.
Self-production
In order to make transparent blocks of concrete, it is necessary to purchase a fiber optic cord Ø 0.25-3 mm in a volume of about 4% of the total cubic capacity of the planned mixture.
The technology includes the following stages:
- Assemble the sliding formwork according to the right size. Some masters do it long length and subsequently cut the resulting timber into separate fragments.
- Prepare a solution in the proportion of 1 part cement, 3 fine-grained sifted sand, ½ water. It is possible to buy a ready-made dry mixture and mix it with water to the required consistency. Crushed stone is not used unless it is part of the designer’s creative intent. It is better to take purified water with a low salt content.
- The formwork is placed on a horizontal flat plane. They pour it into a small amount of composition and distribute it in a thin layer.
- Fiberglass is cut to the thickness of the block and laid in a row, pressing it into the concrete. The threads lie parallel, with their ends facing the front edge, without bending.
- After the solution has set, the operation is repeated until required height. Upper layer must cover all fibers.
- Making 1 mold takes 3-5 days (the element is kept in the formwork for 2-3 days), depending on the ambient temperature and air humidity.
- For full-fledged work The front edges of the optical fibers are ground, obtaining a smooth, transparent surface.
Optical fiber serves as reinforcing elements, so for better adhesion, you can add a plasticizer suitable for operating conditions.
Cost of translucent material
The company that created Litracon Bt sells concrete at prices that are high for mass construction. A block with a thickness of 20 cm sells for 100,000 rubles per 1 m2. Decorative properties used for Litrocube lamps, the price of which is 43,000 rubles and weighs 10 kg. In the Moscow region, Mosstroytransgaz - Development LLC sells 1 m2 of light ston sheet own production dimensions 30x300x900 mm at a price of 20,000 rubles.
The Interpol company has opened its own workshop, where it is produced in 4 basic colors:
- white marble;
- grey;
- sandstone;
- dark grey.
When filling out an individual application, the base solution can be colored at the customer’s request. Interpol's standard Illumicon product line is available in the following sizes:
| Thickness, mm | Dimensions, mm | |||||||
| 300x300 | 600x300 | 900x300 | 400x400 | 600x400 | 800×400 | 1200x400 | for 1 m2 | |
| Cost, rubles | ||||||||
| 20 | 2790 | 5270 | 7680 | 4690 | 6870 | 9030 | 13380 | 27150 |
| 25 | 3110 | 5900 | 8690 | 5270 | 7750 | 10200 | 15130 | 30820 |
| 30 | 3490 | 6600 | 9720 | 5900 | 8670 | 11460 | 17000 | 34730 |
| 35 | 3590 | 6850 | 10090 | 6120 | 9010 | 11900 | 17660 | 36090 |
| 40 | 3760 | 7170 | 10590 | 6400 | 9450 | 12500 | 18560 | 37960 |
| 45 | 4080 | 7820 | 11560 | 6990 | 10300 | 13630 | 20280 | 41530 |
| 50 | 4400 | 8450 | 12510 | 7550 | 11150 | 14760 | 21960 | 45050 |
With the development of new production technologies, materials that are quite unusual at first glance appear, for example, transparent concrete. The traditional idea of concrete as a heavy stone monolith breaks down already at the first acquaintance with the unusual structure. This is not a trick or a publicity stunt construction company, this is a real building material, from which, if desired, you can even build a small house.
What is the new material?
Transparent concrete it would be more correct to call it light-conducting, because its developer is still very far from being completely transparent. Light-conducting concrete mass due to its novelty and limited use It is relatively expensive to produce, although the technology of transparent concrete does not require special, super complex equipment or unique materials.
For the production of transparent concrete the following are used:
- Special grades of cement with extremely small cement grain size;
- Glass quartz fiber in reels;
- Wetting and air-displacing additives for concrete;
- Pure quartz sand, more precisely, dust or powder of high purity.
If you can buy or get everything cheaply listed components required quality, then it is quite possible to start making blocks of transparent concrete with your own hands. So far, the cost of source materials makes the light-conducting array quite expensive for home production.
For your information! The quality of fiberglass plays a primary, even special role in the production of transparent concrete.
To produce transparent material, you cannot use fiber fiber, which is traditionally used for fiberglass and materials with a chaotic reinforcement structure. Transparent concrete requires a semi-product - quartz fiber in threads, which is produced on special casting machines. This is a semi-product, which is what we need.
The remaining components are well known to almost any builder. This is Portland cement M300 of the finest grinding and sand, pre-screened, washed and dried.
Properties of transparent concrete mass
If you try to make a transparent material using chopped fiber, you will end up with ordinary, completely opaque fiber-reinforced concrete. The whole idea of manufacturing a transparent array is based on the use of solid fiberglass with a diameter of 0.25 mm.
Structurally transparent concrete is just an array of fibers laid in a certain way, filled with a binding matrix based on concrete mortar high fluidity and low shrinkage.
After the process of gaining the design strength of the concrete matrix is completed, transparent concrete exhibits the following characteristics:
- Strength in static unilinear compression corresponds to the level of M250 or good quality concrete of regular composition;
- Frost resistance at the level of masonry brick F-50;
- Water absorption is about 6%, which is very high for a cement-based material;
- Light transmission is only 3-4%. But even this value is enough to create the illusion of transparency.
In fact, transparent concrete is a monolith in which hundreds of thousands of tiny optical channels are embedded, thanks to which the material is able to project shadows and contours falling on a section of the concrete mass even with a casting thickness of up to 200 cm.
That is, in reality, through transparent concrete you can see bright light or the contours of an object; in low light conditions, the light-transmitting material would look like ordinary concrete. If the transparent material were an amorphous monolith, like glass, then a maximum of half a meter of transparency could be obtained.
At the same time, transparent concrete, due to reinforcement, has high bending and tensile strength, vibration loading and alternating loading. the material shows acceptable thermal insulation qualities - 2.1 W/m∙K.
It would be possible to easily build houses and buildings, fences and garages from transparent concrete, if not for one problem - the price of innovative material is only 500-900 euros per square meter of a twenty-centimeter block.
Production technology and application of transparent concrete
A remarkable quality of transparent concrete is the ability to produce it in artisanal conditions using simplified technology. In laboratory conditions, special methods are used to strengthen the concrete matrix like foam concrete. The result is a light-transmitting material that has 2-3 higher specific strength characteristics than concrete made in a garage or shed.
Making high-quality transparent concrete with your own hands
The method for producing light-transmitting castings can be found in numerous digests and construction websites, but most of them simply copy the developer’s description. Let's try to make transparent concrete that is closest in quality to the original. You will first need to make a collapsible mold from plastic or wood with a removable bottom and lid.
Sequence of operations:
- We carefully wash the fiberglass with 647 solvent to remove the preservative lubricant from the surface. The fiber must be cut into pieces equal in length to the thickness of the future block of transparent concrete;
- We sift the cement and sand several times on the finest sieves, separate all contaminants, prepare the batch according to the standard 1:3 recipe, add purified water and 1:10 isopropyl alcohol. Chop the cement-sand mixture with a sharp spatula to squeeze out as much air as possible;
- We place a small amount of concrete mass on the bottom of the form and lay out a layer of fiberglass pieces no more than 1 mm thick. The fibers must be laid strictly in one direction. We embed the fiberglass in the solution with a spatula and press it down with a lid;
- The procedure must be repeated until the form is completely filled out. We leave the filled block for a day without disassembling, after which we remove the walls and bottom and lay it out in damp room for a few days.
The result should be a workpiece that looks like a brick or tile with rough, uneven edges. To achieve transparency, the ends of the casting must be ground and polished, initially sandpaper, then using a suspension of pumice powder and water.
The main cost item is the purchase of expensive fiberglass, so it is handicraft production they often try to replace them with cheaper polycarbonate fibers of a similar cross-section. The technology for making fake transparent concrete is approximately the same, with the exception of washing the fibers with organic solvents. To improve adhesion to polycarbonate fibers, water-soluble glue grades are added to the cement-sand mixture.
Fake transparent concrete is lighter than the original light-conducting matrix, breaks easily on impact and cracks when exposed to high heat. A real transparent array of mineral fiberglass will easily survive heating up to 150 o C, since the glass and quartz sand included in the matrix have the same characteristics.
Use of unusual material
The prohibitive cost of translucent concrete limits its use as a building material. Today, light-transmitting arrays are used primarily as a material for the manufacture of lamps, translucent walls and partitions, decorative elements office interiors and even as light inserts in the walls of multi-story buildings.
In the future, transparent concrete, subject to a reduction in production costs, can replace most of the technological window openings and glazing, used for canopies and roofs. Fiberglass can selectively transmit sunlight, therefore, cheap unbreakable panels can be made from light-conducting material for greenhouses, sports facilities, ceiling tiles ceilings
Conclusion
At home, transparent concrete is usually used to make lamps and protective panels that replace windows in utility rooms. Transparent panels make ideal partitions in the house, especially if the layout of the room is made in the form of one large studio. A wall made of light-conducting concrete material can be used to separate the kitchen from the living room, or make a cabinet or flower stand.
More than 10 years ago, experts proposed a truly unique innovative development for construction work- transparent or translucent concrete.
Currently, Lucem has spoken about the launch of a new material and its entry into the global construction market. And soon it will be possible to buy concrete with delivery, which will make the structure weightless.
Let's remember the history and features of this material...
Photo 1. 
As you know, ordinary concrete began to be used in construction more than a thousand years ago, back in the days of Mesopotamia.
It acquired its final form in the 19th century. And nowadays, during the construction of any building, it is simply impossible to do without the use of concrete. It is rightly called the basis of modern architecture, since it is an essential structural component of any building. There are even polystyrene concrete and fiber cement. However, many people associate concrete with facelessness and soullessness, and rarely would anyone think of calling it beautiful. However, after the appearance of a transparent variety, ideas about concrete begin to change greatly.
Photo 2. 
It would seem that builders have long studied all the chemical and physical properties of this material. But the fact that through the transparent indestructible mass one can see the silhouettes, features and colors of the objects that are behind it, few people suspected. At the same time, the transparent material remains sound-heat insulating, durable and water-resistant. Thus, this is a type of composite concrete that transmits light through itself, while remaining the properties of ordinary concrete.
Transparent concrete is designated by another term - lythrocon. There is another name - lyutsem. The creator of transparent concrete is Aron Loshontsi. It was he who came up with the idea unusual idea combine concrete with optical fiber, which is used in telecommunications. The first sample of concrete, which the inventor himself calls translucent, was made in 2001.
Photo 3. 
Now this Hungarian architect has opened his own company and is now engaged in the production of transparent concrete in huge volumes. IN new version Lyutsema, the architect used plastic, which made it possible to somewhat reduce the cost of the material and make it significantly more attractive. The architect's dream is to one day see city blocks built from litracone.
A unique feature of light-conducting concrete structures is the fact that they are made of fine-grained material with the addition of fiberglass. When these 2 components are combined, a unique construction material With high level transparency (it will change the perception of concrete as an ordinary and boring material upon external inspection).
Photo 4. 
Light-conducting fibers are located in the structure of concrete; they make it possible to achieve a striking play of light and shadow. Such concrete blocks are not completely transparent, however, the silhouettes of various objects and people are clearly visible through them. Structures made of light-conducting concrete look light and airy. However, according to experts, in terms of its most important characteristics, light-conducting concrete is no different from its simple counterpart - it is also durable.
Researchers have found that light through transparent concrete is visible at a distance of more than 20 meters.
The blocks are made by layering fine-grained concrete onto optical fiberglass. After this procedure, the surface of the block is treated in a special way. At fibers small size, which makes it possible to maintain uniformity concrete mixture and her internal structure. This advanced material, along with conventional concrete, has significant strength, high fire and frost resistance, and is resistant to exposure to sunlight.
Photo 5. 
Transparent concrete immediately found its application and became common in various countries. In the USA, as a rule, it is used for the production of fencing for many government buildings. In Sweden and Japan, very monolithic buildings are built from such material.
Lutze became the main material in the construction of the central representative office of BMW, the famous automobile concern. In addition, small objects began to be produced from transparent concrete. Today, lamps made from litrakon are quite popular. Such an accessory weighs a little - only 10 kilograms, but costs a significant amount - about 600 euros for each lamp.
Photo 6. 
To present the innovative material in detail, the developers clad the central façade of one of the buildings in Aachen. For cladding external walls 136 panels were used, the dimensions of which corresponded to 150x50 cm. The concrete panels were connected to a lighting control system, they were controlled using innovative computer technologies. In management unique system There are over 16 million flowers. As a result, the ordinary facade of the building turned into a huge screen for a bright light show.
From the point of view of the authors of the project, the appearance of new transparent concrete blocks on construction market will increase the potential contemporary art interior design and architecture. Lucem has already begun producing rare blocks, producing them in several varieties.
Photo 7. 
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Photo 10. 
sources
Transparent concrete (light-conducting concrete) in structure consists of fine-grained high-strength concrete and located in in a certain order fiber optics
Content
- Application of transparent concrete.
- The history of the creation of transparent concrete.
- A little about fiber optics.
- DIY transparent concrete.
Application of transparent concrete
If in concrete blocks the optical fiber is located horizontally and parallel to each other, then a wall consisting of such blocks is capable of transmitting light in both directions without changing geometric dimensions illuminated objects.
In this case, it will not be possible to see a clear outline of objects behind a wall made of translucent concrete, but their contours (shadows) are quite distinguishable.
The task of modern technologists is to create light-based concrete with improved characteristics: increase light transmission, create a surface that does not require additional processing, transfer light-based concrete from the category of “decorative” to “construction”, and reduce the cost of the material. This will make it possible to replace metal-glass structures, which are widespread in housing construction.
Today, the main purpose of translucent concrete is its decorative capabilities.
If the optical fiber is collected on one side into a bundle, and on the other side randomly or in in a given order distributed on a light-emitting surface, then by installing a light source with a variable spectrum near the entrance to the beam, you can obtain unique color effects. If the light source is installed in the body of a concrete object, then the impression of a glow from within is created.
Such a source can be controlled via a radio channel. Therefore, such light-emitting concrete is increasingly finding its use in architectural cladding of both building walls and for creating indoor interiors.
The history of the creation of transparent concrete
Many people today believe that transparent concrete was developed only recently. Indeed, recently many new developments of improved light-conducting concrete have appeared, thanks to the use of modern technologies and materials.
But transparent or light-conducting concrete was patented by Canadian Bernard Long back in 1935.
In the 90s of the last century, the first industrial tests of light-based concrete samples began. And as a result of the work of the Hungarian architect Aron Losonczy, the first commercial sample of translucent concrete called Litrakon was obtained and patented.
Today's task modern technology improve the parameters (mentioned earlier) of translucent concrete in order to expand its use in construction.
Transparent concrete and homemade products
Interest in translucent concrete is constantly growing and, naturally, also from homemade ones.
Making an original gift or product for your home with your own hands is a very tempting idea.
How difficult or easy it is for a non-professional to do this can be assessed by watching a video from YouTube, taken as an example for discussion (see at the top of the page).
He's right: preparing the pattern on the wall of the mold, laying fiberglass, tamping the concrete mixture, trimming and polishing the product is a long process that requires a lot of patience and perseverance.
But, most importantly, the master has achieved his goal - transparent concrete or light-conducting concrete has been made.
Is it worth using the proposed technology to make your own? original gift– it’s up to the reader to decide.
There are several proposals to simplify this technology.
Using metal mesh
If you want to make a light pattern, then it’s easier not to mill the shape, but to use a regular fine-mesh metal mesh.
Remember how in school they taught you to make a copy of a drawing. First, the drawing is lined, making a scale grid. Then, element by element, we transfer each cell to the work surface.
In this way, you can scale any drawing up or down.
In our case, such a surface is metal grid. By passing pieces of optical fiber through it, we get the required pattern.
To eliminate possible distortions in the geometric dimensions of the image transmitted through the block, you can use two identical grids at opposite ends of the optical fibers.
If you plan to make a light-emitting product, then it is enough to use a mesh on one side, and a bundle of interconnected optical fibers at the light source.
Second.
If it is necessary to obtain the greatest light transmission, then you can use a larger diameter fiber: 3...4 mm.
Third: Use fine-grained concrete
And this is the most important thing. There is no need to compact anything. Use fine-grained self-leveling concrete. It has already been described in sufficient detail during the manufacture of the hollow concrete angel.
If you do not want to prepare the composition yourself, then you can buy and use a cement mixture for pouring concrete floors for this purpose.
Its main advantage is its high strength and the absence of the need to vibrate the concrete mixture.
If you need to get a product from light-conducting concrete of any shape, then you can use plastic (architectural, artistic, sculptural) concrete, which has been repeatedly used in our works and experiments, which were described on the pages of the site.
If you need to do something for decorative purposes large sizes using optical fiber, then it is necessary to take into account the limited light conductivity of the latter, as well as its considerable cost.
A little about fiber optics
♦ Optical fiber (Wikipedia) – a thread made of optically transparent material (glass, plastic). Used to transfer light within itself through total internal reflection.
Nowadays, synthetic fibers are more often used. The core in such an optical fiber is made of polymethyl methacrylate ( organic glass), and the shell is made of fluoropolymers.
Organic glass is a synthetic vinyl polymer. It is also called Plexiglas.
Depending on the fiber diameter, 1 meter approximately costs:
2 mm – 80 rubles ($1.3)
3.5 mm – 140 rubles ($2.3)
4 mm – 150 rubles ($2.5).
Naturally, the larger the diameter of the fiber, the easier it is to install it in the mold before pouring concrete. Also, instead of a mesh, you can use holes drilled in the walls of the mold and equal to the diameter of the thread.
Conclusion
The scope of translucent concrete is constantly expanding. So, for example, when decorating the interior of a cafe, restaurant and other recreational places, translucent concrete can be used for dynamically changing lighting solutions on the walls, floors of rooms or art objects.
cornerstone modern architecture You can safely call concrete, because not a single serious project can do without it. However, the aesthetic component of structures made from it most often lost and could be partially compensated due to the scale, intricacy and complexity of forms. That was until, in 2001, a young Hungarian architect invented transparent concrete, which incorporated glass fiber optic strands into its fine-grained structure. Now the idea of it can change significantly - Lucem (one of the names of the innovation) is acquiring signs of airy decorativeness.
The light-conducting structure is a solid and durable substance penetrated by many thin glass fibers. Due to the technological complexity of execution, the price of transparent concrete is quite high - about € 4,000 per m2 with a thickness of 200 mm, therefore it is produced exclusively to order in the form of rectangular slabs, the dimensions of which are agreed upon with the customer.
Despite some external extravagance and apparent weightlessness, Litracon retains structural characteristics ordinary concrete: strength, water resistance, noise and heat insulation.
Moreover, thanks to the reinforcing effect of glass fiber, certain indicators are significantly improved:
- frost resistance – F 50;
- moisture absorption – up to 6%;
- compressive strength - M250 and bending strength - Ptb30.
At the same time, the light-conducting properties of lucem do not depend on its thickness. The raw materials used in the production of light-conducting concrete are certified and undergo an environmental assessment before entering the plant, this allows us to produce guaranteed clean and safe products.
The technological complexity of obtaining transparent concrete does not allow it to be obtained, like usual, by pouring it into formwork directly at the installation site. It is produced at specialized industrial enterprises with appropriate equipment.
The technology for producing concrete with glass fiber-optic threads involves layer-by-layer application of fine-grained mortar and fiberglass. After setting and gaining the required strength, the surface of each block is additionally processed to impart the specified mass parameters and achieve the desired light-conducting characteristics.
Application
The first product made from light-conducting concrete was a fancy cube-shaped lamp, made for demonstration purposes. This item weighed home interior more than 10 kg. Because it caused an unprecedented stir, it can still be purchased at innovation fairs for 570 €.
Basically, transparent or light-conducting concrete is used in the latest architectural compositions for decorative purposes, to embody bold design solutions in urban design, creation original elements interior The imagination of designers and artists is currently limited only by high cost; if a way is found to circumvent this obstacle, the world will expect many amazing innovations.
How to make it yourself
Complexity self-production is to include 4% of the total mass of optical fibers in the structure, and the threads must be oriented in a strictly defined manner.
In order to get a lithrocon with your own hands, you should stock up on all the necessary materials:
- dry fine-grained mixture for concrete;
- clean water;
- fiberglass (diameter 0.25÷3 mm) of the same length, corresponding to the thickness of the future slab.
First of all, you need to make a structure that resembles a box, but is actually a sliding formwork. As the concrete sets, it should move smoothly upward. Box rectangular shape and install the given dimensions on a flat horizontal surface. You need to pour a small amount of ready-made concrete onto the bottom, fixing its amount, and spread it in a thin layer.
Carefully, evenly lay the fibers on the resulting pillow across the mold and press them down slightly. After the composition has set, pour in the next portion of the liquid concrete solution in measured doses and again place the fiberglass on its surface. Repeat the procedure until the form is completely filled out.
After it hardens last layer, the formwork is removed and the side surfaces of the slab are ground and polished, in relation to which the fibers are located perpendicularly. If everything is done correctly, then the prototype of the product is ready. The work will require time, perseverance and perseverance, but the result is worth it. Based on the experience gained, subsequent products may be of higher quality.
