ABSTRACT
A building's service life demands a high durability regarding the main properties of building materials. The durability of the main mechanical and physical properties of all building materials is of high importance during the utilisation period of a building. Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) is a masonry building material with a favourable strength-density ratio combined with high thermal insulation properties. The durability of AAC can depend on the process of carbonation. Investigations on the durability of standard-compliant AAC products have shown a significant loss of compressive strength in the case of one of the examined products after storing in a covered outdoor climate for 58 months. In addition, the product even showed a high value of drying shrinkage and a significant decrease in the strengthening phase tobermorite. Due to these results, the German building authority has defined a threshold value for drying shrinkage of 0.4 mm/m.
