№ 8 (2025)

Gypsum foam materials and products meet the requirements of the main provisions of the System of Regulatory documents in construction on fire safety, safety for human life and health in living and staying in buildings. The technology for producing gypsum foam was developed by Soviet scientists at leading scientific institutes of the construction industry. Modern conditions dictate new requirements for building materials, including thermal insulation. As part of the creation of an evidence base for the draft technical regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union “On the safety of building materials and products”, the national standard “Thermal insulation materials and products. Foam gypsum and products made from it. Specifications”.

An overview and brief analysis of cellular concrete usage in modern construction is presented. It is noted that piece-by-piece wall products based on autoclaved aerated concrete, despite their cheapness and adaptability, do not cover the need for insulation of low-rise buildings, primarily in light steel and wooden frames. It is shown that cement-based non-autoclaved aerated concrete in most cases cannot be recommended for mass use due to its high shrinkage and the presence of plenty shrink cracks. The strength and thermal characteristics of extra light foam concrete, as well as its' sorptive water absorption at different relative humidity of ambient air are determined. The effectiveness of extra light gypsum foam usage in modern structural systems of low-rise buildings based on lightweight steel and wooden frames is substantiated.

One of the areas of modern development in the construction industry is the expansion of the use of binders based on calcium sulfate. Improving the technical and operational properties of calcium sulfate-based materials is achieved by various technological methods. The most popular way to solve this problem is to modify binders by using chemical and mineral additives. Increasing the reactivity of the components of a binder system based on calcium sulfate is associated with the implementation of the mechanical activation process. During mechanical activation, not only does the particle size decrease, but their crystalline structure also changes due to an increase in the concentration of defects and the formation of active surface centers. To carry out mechanical activation, grinding devices with high energy intensity are required, for example, a centrifugal impact mill, in which a high energy intensity of the grinding process is achieved (more than 10 kW/kg). The paper considers the application areas of mechanical activation in the production of binders based on calcium sulfate for various purposes: building gypsum, low-water-demand gypsum binder, composite gypsum and anhydrite binders. The paper presents the results of using mechanical activation in the production of binder systems, showing an increase in the strength of artificial stone and an improvement in operational characteristics.

For the sustainable development of mankind, a necessary condition is the reduction of the volume of CO₂ emissions, a significant share of which is created by the production of Portland cement. In this regard, the development of alternative products is relevant, one of which, experiencing its rebirth at a new stage of development, is sulfate-slag binder. The article considers the issues of obtaining its cement-free variety with an excess content of phosphoanhydrite, which acts as a sulfate activator of slag hardening. The possibility of obtaining water-resistant free-of-cement excess-sulfate-slag binders with a compressive strength of hardened stone up to 50 MPa has been established. The features of the structure formation processes and the nature of new formations of free-of-cement excess-sulfate-slag binders with a phosphoanhydrite content of 40% have been revealed. Based on the combination of properties, the developed binder can become an effective replacement for Portland cement when solving the problems of obtaining large volumes of concrete of medium strength classes with low heat generation and high sulfate resistance, in cases where it is possible to ensure a favorable temperature and humidity regime for 28–90 days. Cement-free excess-sulfate-slag binders have prospects for further development, their production and application will entail a significant positive environmental and economic effect, which will consist of the possibility of recycling phosphogypsum into a commercial product with high added value, reducing CO₂ emissions into the environment, and freeing up territories occupied by waste storage.

The article presents a theoretical description of the self-healing process that is realized in building materials. A mathematical model of the change in the structurally sensitive parameter (strength, resistance coefficient) of the material under the influence of the operating environment, which occurs as a result of two processes, is proposed in the form of k_st (t) = C₁₀exp (A₁t) + C₂₀exp (A₂t) + 1, where the first term characterizes the features of the recovery process, and the second – the features of the destructive processes. The mandatory condition is: C₁₀ + C₂₀ = 0. The parameters C_i (t) = C_i (0) + k_it are a function of time, establishing the change in the degree of contribution of each component, which in the initial period of time are equal to 0 in total, and the coefficients k_i indicate the intensity of the attenuation of the process and the change in the contribution of the coefficients C_i over time. Using experimental data, the applicability of the proposed model for self-healing asphalt concretes is proven. The use of an encapsulated modifier allows for an increase in the growth of the resistance coefficient due to self-healing by 49–63%. At the same time, the rate of self-healing does not change significantly, and the rate of destruction after self-healing using encapsulated AR polymer is 2.7 times. The obtained results prove that the use of encapsulated AR polymer is an effective way to implement self-healing technology in asphalt concrete.

The article presents a comprehensive analysis of the development of domestic scientific trends in the field of wood-based materials for the period 2012–2025. On the basis of dissertation research data, the clustering of topics, assessment of the dynamics of scientific activity, geographical distribution and interdisciplinary links is carried out. Key trends were identified: the dominance of wood processing technologies (48–65% of works), the growth of environmental research (up to 30% by 2025). Special attention is paid to the role of leading scientific schools and their contribution to the development of composite materials, chemical and thermo-modification of wood raw materials, research of structure and properties of wood-based materials. The analysis of dissertation research from 2012 to 2025 demonstrates the evolution from classical wood science to interdisciplinary and environmentally oriented approaches. In 2012–2015 there was a shift towards applied tasks. In 2016–2019, the technological orientation (energy saving, waste utilization) and ecologization of research intensified. From 2020, the focus has shifted to sustainable use of resources, development of recycling technologies and growth of interdisciplinary projects combining chemistry, building materials science, technology, ecology and economics. Despite the progress, there is still a need to develop effective ways to modify wood raw materials for the production of building materials resistant to biotic and abiotic environmental factors.