Translucent concrete
In light concrete (also: light transmitting concrete, translucent concrete) is a cast stone, which by the introduction of light-conducting elements - is translucent - usually fibers.
This is generally not about transparency in the strict sense. Rather, the fiber structures are characterized as light spots on the surface and make it stand out coherent silhouetted by shading.
Is applied, the material in architecture, especially for wall cladding and facades. But also a variety of design products was implemented with this material. Thus, the fiber ends appear bright on the surface, the fibers must pass through the entire stone, its light- conductive and are illuminated from the opposite side. The light source for this may be of different nature.
Material and manufacturing
There are many different manufacturing processes. However, light concrete has usually a mixture of approximately 95 % fine concrete (cement and sand with a relatively small maximum grain size ) and 5% optically active elements. Usually translucent concrete is manufactured in sheets or blocks and then processed like a natural stone.
Assembly technology
When assembling systems from light concrete slabs is always the translucency of the material considered. So either the incidence of enough ambient light to ensure or it must, for example, a light source provided at wall claddings etc. in assembly technology. From Natursteintechnik be, for example, used in light concrete products manufactured by LUCEM usually mounting systems such as spike anchors, through bolts or undercut anchors.
History
The first light-conducting concrete elements have already been described in 1935 in patents. However, the development of optical fibers have led (from about 1950) and polymer optical fibers (from about 1970), each leading to a larger number of experiments and inventions to light-conducting concrete, which resulted also in more technical part applications, such as the use of optical fibers as crack detectors. Then emerged in the 1990s forms of components with finer fiber distribution, similar to today's successful light concrete products.
News around the world produce different companies in very different kinds of light Senior concrete. Some manufacturers are ( among others ):
- Florack Construction GmbH, Heinberg / Germany
- LBM EFO, Berching / Germany
- Litracon Bft, Csongrad / Hungary
- LUCEM GmbH, Stolberg / Germany
- Luccon light concrete GmbH, Klaus / Austria
Variations of light concrete
In addition to finer fiber structures by the introduction of eg Glass fibers come about, even coarser light patterns are produced partly. This has the advantage that, in particular for large-scale applications of appropriate distance, the points of light texture is still well perceived by the viewer as such, rather than to blur. Next can be represented with coarser fibers also lettering and pictograms.