Reinforcement of lightweight concrete for garage construction.

[karmajoyst]

As the title might suggest, I will be building a garage with lightweight concrete (30 cm width). I'm wondering how much reinforcement is needed. I helped build a large hall with lecablocks many years ago, where reinforcement bars were placed every third row of blocks.

Is it a good rule of thumb for a smaller construction like my 50 sqm garage to use reinforcement every third row?

 

[jon_h]

The supplier of the stones you use specifies how and how densely it should be reinforced. You should of course follow the supplier's instructions, otherwise it is difficult to make a complaint in case of cracks and other issues. If you are using Finja's Lecablock, for example, you can check here. I would guess that it does not differ much between different suppliers, but you never know.

 

[ByggaNytt]

Depends a bit on the load the wall will be subjected to... In my hillside house, I reinforced in every course BELOW ground (the designer specified every other one). In a hillside garage, I reinforced every other course BELOW ground. Both constructions were also reinforced under/over window openings.

http://se.maxit-cms.com/media/22/pdf/leca/vaggar/Murverk_projanv.pdf

 

[zachris]

Are lightweight concrete and lightweight aggregate (Leca) equivalent in this respect, meaning do they require approximately the same amount of reinforcement?

 

[ktm250]

The supplier of the stones you use specifies how and how densely it should be reinforced. You should of course follow the supplier's instructions, otherwise it is difficult to claim for cracking and other problems.

No, not the supplier. It is the designer who specifies. The supplier is only responsible for the material. Not the construction.

 

[jon_h]

Yes, of course, you are right about that.

 

[karmajoyst]

I have talked a bit with builders and suppliers. Here's what they said in summary. When building with lightweight concrete, you glue the blocks together to form a homogeneous structure. If you're only building one floor above ground, you only need to reinforce where you place U-blocks (doors, gates, windows).

Now the slabs are cast, and the lightweight concrete for the garage is scheduled to arrive in week 29. So soon it will be time to spend the vacation on building the garage.