Products
PRODUCTION
GENERAL PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
Buildex® lightweight aggregate is produced by quarrying shale and introducing it into a rotary kiln, where it is heated in about one hour to 2000 degrees fahrenheit. During the process the shale expands, becoming less dense, and is vitrified (hardened), just as clay is vitrified into pottery. All organic compounds are burned off in the process. The resulting Buildex® lightweight aggregate particles contain numerous microscopic, non-connected air voids, making the product lightweight, strong, and durable. Since it is processed at high temperatures, Buildex® lightweight aggregate is fire resistant and thermally stable.
Buildex® lightweight aggregate particles leaving the kiln are angular in shape, with particle size from 2 inches (50 mm) down to fines. They are then screened into production sizes, and some larger fractions are crushed into finer fractions. The fractions smaller than 1/4 inch contain some of the angular particles from the crushing process.
Most of our production is shipped in bulk, super sack, and 1 cf bags.
Typical Physical Properties of Production Sizes
| 5/8" x 3/8" | 1.10 | 38 | 18 |
| 3/8" x 1/4" | 1.15 | 42 | 15 |
| 1/4" x 1/8" | 1.20 | 44 | 12 |
| 1/8" x 0 | 1.80 | 58 | 8 |
(A) ASTM C 127 / C 128, bulk specific gravity.
(B) ASTM C 29, loose unit weight (density).
(C) ASTM C 127 / C 128, 24 hour absorption.
Cumulative Percent Retained
Typical Gradation of Production Sizes
| 3/4" | 0 | |||
| 1/2" | 22 | 0 | ||
| 3/8" | 82 | 3 | 0 | |
| No. 4 | 98 | 95 | 22 | 0 |
| No. 8 | 99 | 99 | 96 | 12 |
| No. 16 | 99 | 43 | ||
| No. 30 | 67 | |||
| No. 50 | 80 | |||
| No. 100 | 86 |
Typical Physical Properties of ASTM Blends
lb/cu ft (d) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3/4" x No. 4 | 1.15 | 43 | 30 | 54 (d) (e) |
| 1/2" x No. 4 | 1.15 | 43 | 25 | 54 (d) |
| 3/8" x No. 8 | 1.3 | 44 | 20 | 54 (d) (e) |
| 3/8" x 0 | 1.45 | 54 | 10 | 65 (f) |
| 1/4" x 0 | 1.45 | 54 | 10 | 65 (f) |
(a) ASTM C 127 / C 128, bulk specific gravity.
(b) ASTM C 29, loose unit weight (density) @ normal 6% shipping moisture content.
(c) ASTM C127 / C 128, 24 hour water absorption at ambient pressure. Please note that the 24 hour absorption figure is not appropriate for use in determining moisture content of Buildex used in pumped concrete.
(d) Unit Weight (density) when stockpile ambient saturated for 7 to 14 days for concrete pump placement.
Typical Blended Aggregate Gradation Lightweight Aggregates for Structural Concrete
ASTM C 330 - 3/4" x No. 4
Gradation |
Specification* |
Gradation |
Specification* |
|
| 1" | 0 | 0 | 100 | 100 |
| 3/4" | 0 | 0-10 | 100 | 90-100 |
| 1/2" | 17 | --- | 83 | --- |
| 3/8" | 60 | 50-90 | 40 | 10-50 |
| No. 4 | 97 | 85-100 | 3 | 0-15 |
| No. 8 | 99 | --- | 1 | --- |
*ASTM C330 "Standard Specification for Lightweight Aggregates for Structural Concrete".
Typical Blended Aggregate Gradation Lightweight Aggregates for Structural Concrete
ASTM C 330 - 1/2" x No. 4
Gradation |
Specification* |
Gradation |
Specification* |
|
| 3/4" | 0 | 0 | 100 | 100 |
| 1/2" | 9 | 0-10 | 91 | 90-100 |
| 3/8" | 35 | 20-60 | 65 | 40-80 |
| No. 4 | 96 | 80-100 | 4 | 0-20 |
| No. 8 | 99 | 90-100 | 1 | 0-10 |
*ASTM C330 "Standard Specification for Lightweight Aggregates for Structural Concrete"
Typical Blended Aggregate Gradation Lightweight Aggregates for Structural Concrete
ASTM C 330 - 3/8" x No. 8
Gradation |
Specification* |
Gradation |
Specification* |
|
| 1/2" | 0 | 0 | 100 | 100 |
| 3/8" | 3 | 0-20 | 97 | 80-100 |
| No. 4 | 85 | 60-95 | 15 | 5-40 |
| No. 8 | 99 | 80-100 | 1 | 0-20 |
| No. 16 | 99 | 90-100 | 1 | 0-10 |
*ASTM C330 "Standard Specification for Lightweight Aggregates for Structural Concrete"
Typical Blended Aggregate Gradation Lightweight Aggregates for Structural Concrete
ASTM C 330 - 3/8" x 0
Gradation |
Specification* |
Gradation |
Specification* |
|
| 1/2" | 0 | 0 | 100 | 100 |
| 3/8" | 0 | 0-10 | 100 | 90-100 |
| No. 4 | 12 | 10-35 | 88 | 65-90 |
| No. 8 | 45 | 35-65 | 55 | 35-65 |
| No. 16 | 65 | --- | 35 | --- |
| No. 30 | 80 | --- | 20 | --- |
| No. 50 | 88 | 75-90 | 12 | 10-25 |
| No. 100 | 92 | 85-95 | 8 | 5-15 |
*ASTM C330 "Standard Specification for Lightweight Aggregates for Structural Concrete".
Typical Blended Aggregate Gradation Lightweight Aggregates for Structural Concrete
ASTM C 330 - 1/4" x 0
Gradation |
Specification* |
Gradation |
Specification* |
|
| 3/8" | 0 | 0 | 100 | 100 |
| No. 4 | 5 | 0-15 | 95 | 85-100 |
| No. 8 | 30 | --- | 70 | --- |
| No. 16 | 55 | 20-60 | 45 | 40-80 |
| No. 30 | 74 | --- | 26 | --- |
| No. 50 | 84 | 65-90 | 16 | 10-35 |
| No. 100 | 89 | 75-95 | 11 | 5-25 |
*ASTM C330 "Standard Specification for Lightweight Aggregates for Structural Concrete"
Typical Blended Aggregate Gradation Lightweight Aggregates for Concrete Masonry
ASTM C 331 - 1/4" x 0
| 3/8" | 0 | 0 | 0-2 |
| No. 4 | 5 | 5 | 0-10 |
| No. 8 | 30 | 25 | 15-35 |
| No. 16 | 55 | 25 | 15-35 |
| No. 30 | 74 | 19 | 5-20 |
| No. 50 | 84 | 10 | 5-15 |
| No. 100 | 89 | 5 | 5-15 |
| Pan | 100 | 11 | 8-20 |
*ASTM C331 "Standard Specification for Lightweight Aggregates for Concrete Masonry Units."
Buildex® lightweight aggregate
Buildex® lightweight aggregate is a ceramic structural lightweight aggregate that saves material, energy, labor and transportation costs. It can be used for numerous applications, including asphalt preservation treatments, concrete bridge decks, lightweight geotechnical fills and backfills, and high-rise buildings.
An environmentally friendly product that can be recycled and reused in other applications, Buildex® lightweight aggregate also has several unique characteristics that contribute to Sustainable Development and LEED™ Green Building certification credits.
The process used to make Buildex® lightweight aggregate produces a high-quality ceramic aggregate that is structurally strong, durable, environmentally inert, low in density, and highly insulative. It is a natural, non-toxic, absorptive aggregate that is dimensionally stable and will not degrade over time.
Lightweight aggregate particles have a low-particle relative density because of their cellular pore system. The cellular structure within the particles is developed by heating certain raw materials to incipient fusion. The end result is a strong, durable, and lightweight aggregate that contains a uniformly distributed system of pores that are relatively crack-free, high-strength vitreous phase.
Weight reduction and product performance are the primary reasons for Buildex® lightweight aggregate
- It lowers shipping costs. Because most construction products are shipped, TO BUILD IS TO TRANSPORT.
- Dead loads are reduced. Dead load reduction becomes very important in roof top gardens and other elevated applications, and sites where unstable soil conditions exist.
- Because of the extremely high temperature used in the firing production of Buildex® lightweight aggregate, it offers excellent thermo-structural stability.
- The large volume of accessible pores in Buildex® lightweight aggregate provides a vehicle for absorption, storage and then desorption of water or solutions containing admixtures. This includes rainwater in gardens, and as a carrier of solutions containing chemical admixtures, herbicide and fertilizer.
- The proven resistance to the degrading effects of wetting/drying makes Buildex® lightweight aggregate a valuable component of wallboard, roof tiles, and artificial stone.
Buildex® lightweight aggregate pores close to the surface are readily permeable and fill with water within the first few hours to a few days of exposure to moisture. Interior pores, however, fill extremely slowly, with many months of submersion required to approach saturation. Interior pores are essentially non-interconnected, and a small fraction remain unfilled after years of immersion (ACI 213R-03).
The ceramic nature of the aggregate ensures the product is inert and highly resistant to degradation, thereby making concrete stronger, lighter, and more durable. These same properties also render the product environmentally benign in that it can be reused as fill or base material.
In many applications, Buildex® lightweight aggregate is blended into soils that benefit from the water absorbing characteristics of its porous nature, which provides aeration as well as a nutritional and moisture buffer that help to modify climate and environmental conditions.