What are the Advantages AAC Masonry over the Conventional Brick Masonry Work ?

Advantages of AAC Blocks

• Eco-Friendly and Sustainable 
• The AAC Blocks are 3 to 4 times lighter than bricks, 30% lighter than that of concrete which helps in reducing the dead load of the building, thereby allowing construction of taller buildings. 
• Tiny air pores and thermal mass of blocks provide excellent thermal insulation, thus reducing heating and air conditioning costs of a building. 
• As the AAC block is porous in nature, the sound absorption quality is superior. It offers sound attenuation of about 42 dB, blocking out all major sounds and disturbances which makes it ideal for schools, hospitals, hotels, offices, multi-family housing, and other structures that require acoustic insulation. 
• AAC blocks can be easily cut, drilled, nailed, milled, and grooved to fit individual requirements. 
• Lightweight blocks reduce the mass of a structure, thus decreasing the impact of an earthquake on a building. Non-combustible nature provides an advantage against fires, which commonly accompany earthquakes. 
• Construction of AAC Blocks reduces the construction time by 20%. As different sizes of blocks help reduce the number of joints in wall masonry. The lighter weight of the blocks makes it easier and faster to transport, place, and construct the masonry.

Compressive Strength

The strength of ACC block ranges 3 – 4.5 MPa whereas the strength of clay bricks is between 2.5 and 3.5 MPa as per IS 2185 part 3.

For more details, please visit the following link:

https://theconstructor.org/building/buildings/autoclaved-aerated-cement-blocks-aac-properties-advantages/37211/12

• AAC masonry is eco-friendly
• Since AAC blocks have space In between them which provides access to air to circulate within the construction which eventually gives it an edge over brick one in terms of cooling.
• I am not sure about the strength of AAC blocks but I think it’s slightly lower than That of brick Ones I.e. 3 N/sqmm

AAC is also known as Autoclaved aerated concrete which is a lightweight, precast, foam concrete building material which is suitable for producing concrete masonry unit like blocks. The advantages of AAC masonry over the conventional brick masonry are as follows :-

 - AAC bricks are eco-friendly whereas conventional bricks are not. 

- On AAC block dead load on the structure is low which reduces the consumption of cement, steel and water whereas using red clay brick there's a heavy dead load on the structure. 

- AAC blocks emits less heat in the atmosphere due to less use of cement, steel and concrete whereas on the other hand red clay bricks emits high heat to the atmosphere. 

- AAC blocks have less material wastage whereas conventional red clay bricks have high material wastage.

 - Thus, AAC have high sound insulation properties and red bricks have low insulation property.

AAC blocks have more strength than normal clay bricks. 

1. Higher Strength: AAC blocks are a very strong building material. AAC blocks have the strength of more than 4N/mm2(MPa). They are more strong, robust and safe than both bricks and concrete blocks. Due to this property, they can be used conveniently in all different kinds of wall construction.

 2. Very Lightweight: AAC blocks are comparatively lightweight that other types building blocks. They weigh one-third of what clay bricks weigh. They contribute to up to 20% structural savings by decreasing the dead load of the buildings. Due to this property, they are capable of reducing the damage caused to your construction during an earthquake. 

3. Easy Procurement: Procuring AAC blocks is never tough. No matter what the season is, the availability of AAC blocks is high. Unlike traditional clay bricks which are not easy to get during monsoons as they are made in traditional kilns, AAC has no such seasonal restrictions. They are produced in autoclaves in factories which are unrelated and unaffected by the seasons. 

4. No Special Masonry Practices Required: Working with AAC blocks is relatively very easy. Regular masons with very basic training can work with AAC blocks perfectly. The only condition is, the tools used while installing AAC blocks are specific. Using the right tools helps in offering high quality and productivity of the blocks. AAC blocks require less plaster and mortar than clay bricks while installation. 

5. Very Cost Effective: The use of AAC blocks reduces the construction cost by almost 30%. It also decreases the life-cycle cost which is not possible in the case of clay bricks or conventional CLC(Cellular Lightweight Concrete) blocks. Along with being a cost-efficient material, it also helps to decrease the load on reinforced concrete blocks by 10%-15%. 

6. Easy to Cut and Shape: AAC blocks have a cellular structure and are lightweight. Due to this, they can be cut in any shape as per your wish. The blocks can be easily hammered with nails or screws and are suitable to be drilled for installing electrical and plumbing lines. Using an electronic chaser machine can give better results for cutting the blocks for any purpose. 

7. No Water Seepage Issues: AAC blocks contain discontinuous air pores which do not allow water to pass through. AAC blocks do not absorb water like red bricks or clay brick, which absorb a lot of water due to their high capillary action. Since there is no seepage or moisture present in the AAC blocks, they do not allow the nesting and growing of termites, mold, and mildew. 

Thank you. 

Hope it helps!