Introduction

With a number of the autoclaved aerated concrete (aac) manufacturers now heavily promoting the new "thin joint system" into the UK, traditional wall ties are now becoming obsolete. With joints 'squeezed' to 3mm it is no longer possible to insert even standard 'butterfly' wire wall ties in the conventional manner.

Installation of ties into the joints becomes impossible when using 'Jumbo Units', 450mm aac blocks, simply because of the lack of joints. The Turbo Flex drive in wall tie easily overcomes these problems by being driven directly into the aac block, in the required location, as the outer masonry proceeds, to achieve the required fixing density.

The increased speed of construction using the thin joint system is complemented by using the Turbo Flex tie. During the construction of the outer leaf the Turbo Flex tie is laid over the top of the masonry and hammer-driven into the aac blocks. Where insulation panels are to be included within the wall cavity an insulation retaining clip is easily attached to the Turbo Flex and 'wound' along the tie to hold the insulation panels securely in position.

Both the design and manufacturing process of the Turbo Flex ensures that flexibility of the tie is maintained to accommodate all normal building movements yet is capable of transferring imposed load in both tension and compression in cavity widths of up to 140mm at normal densities. For information regarding use of the Turbo Flex ties in cavities over 140mm please contact out Technical Department.