The Consumption Ratios for Aggregates to Concrete in Single-Family Houses

Abstract

Abstract Natural aggregates are widely used both in ribbon and volumetric construction. In respect of quantitative demand, ribbon construction has been definitely much more receptive in recent years. After completion of implementation of large infrastructural investments, co-financed by EU funds, volumetric construction will become one of major directions of sale of aggregates. Due to a lack of accurate information about consumption of aggregates in this construction segment, it is important to estimate the unit consumption ratios in different types of volumetric structures. The thesis presents the statistical image of demand for aggregates depending on selected features of single-family buildings. The basis assumed for determining unit consumption of aggregates is the amount of concrete juxtaposed in design documentations and average content of aggregates in concrete mix. Consumption of aggregates has been defined in respect of such features of a building as: building area, total area, usable area, volume. Also, consumption was assessed depending on structural solutions of ceilings and major architectonic features: the number of storeys above ground and underground. The conducted analyses imply that consumption of aggregates varies according to not only the size of a house under construction, but also the architectural-constructional type of the building. In most cases, the consumption of aggregates to concrete correlates most favourably with the volume of the buildings. The average value of the aggregates consumption ratio is 0.21 Mg per 1 m3 of building volume, with the standard error of the mean equalling 0.003. As regards particular building types, the obtained mean values have a have a lower coefficient of variation, and similar values standard error, especially for the index calculated relative to the usable area. Therefore, it is justified to use these ratios interchangeably. It is possible to prepare regional demand scenarios for aggregates, especially gravel-sand aggregates which are the primary type used to produce concrete, using statistics of the residential construction market, including detached single-family construction, which have been kept for years, supplemented with the identified aggregate consumption ratios.