Trusted for thousands of years Concrete dates back thousands of years, with some of the greatest civilizations in history using the ingredients found in concrete to build their structures. The ancient Egyptians mixed together sand and gravel with cement-like binder and water to create a basic form of concrete that they used to build many of their structures.
The Roman Empire revolutionized the use of concrete and used it to expand and build one of the greatest civilizations the world has ever seen. With a history like this, you know concrete has got to be good. Durability The biggest reason concrete is so popular around the world is that it is extremely durable. Concrete is weatherproof, meaning that it can withstand the elements in almost all capacities.
It is also resistant to erosion, meaning that it will last longer than other building materials. Expanding on this, concrete is also useful for mitigating the effect of urban heat islands — these are defined as urban areas that are warmer than rural areas due to humans altering the natural land surface.
These islands have negative environmental impact, as they force those dwelling and working in heat islands to adjust their activities, often leading to the increased emission of greenhouse gases. Whatever the application, concrete has proven its value and flexibility time after time. Its incredible versatility makes it useful for an array of uses , including: roads, buildings, driveways, highways, pathways, garages, patios, and much more.
Not only that, it can also be mixed to generate varying degrees of strength, making it useful for the largest highway to the smallest garden path. Additionally, concrete can also be cut into varying shapes and sizes to allow for unlimited design possibilities. Did you know that concrete boasts a number of environmental benefits? Sturdy and robust, concrete can withstand natural disasters, avoiding the need to use additional materials for repair.
Concrete is often mixed from locally sourced materials, and therefore requires minimal transport and resources to get it from A to B. In typical concrete, you should have seen that micro-pores cannot be avoided. The impregnation of monomer into these pores and subsequent polymerization is the technique that has been developed recently to reduce the porosity of the concrete and to improve its strength and other properties.
The following are the four types of polymer concrete materials available at present:. Ferro cement concrete should not be confused with fiber concrete. Ferro cement consists of closely spaced wire-meshes which are impregnated with a rich mix of cement mortar.
Usually, 0. Mortar to with a water-cement ratio of 0. As the material consists of a large percentage of steel, it has high ductility and tensile strength. The material was developed in by the Italian architect P. Nervi to build a large number of pleasing structural forms. Generally, concrete is prepared by mixing different ingredients. However, it is also possible to pack some of the ingredients coarse aggregate in the form-work and then fill the pores with specially prepared cement-sand grout so that it will fill all the pores and form a concrete mass.
Pre-packed concrete is used in special situations, such as where a large volume of concrete like a large machine block foundation has to be concreted without construction joints. One of the advantages of pre-packed concrete is that it has very little shrinkage. Concrete is an essential part of any construction project.
Just take a look at the buildings surrounding you, the pavements you walk on, and other various structures around. Concrete is everywhere. To make the most of its properties, you just need to realize which concrete type is best for a particular project. Are you looking to streamline your concreting projects? Employ one of the best essential construction trackers in the market today — Pro Crew Schedule. Pro Crew Schedule is a specialized construction project management software that offers everything that a contractor or subcontractor needs in managing your construction business.
So when you think you need more organization in your firm and level up your collaboration and communication tools, Pro Crew Schedule is the right construction project management software to try. Schedule a free live demo now and get your free day free trial. I liked that you said how precast concrete is used for concrete blocks.
My uncle needs to get more concrete blocks as part of his construction site and wants the best materials for it. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Concrete in Construction: Uses, Advantages, and Types. Be part of our exclusive Construction Professional list and get exclusive discounts and monthly executive summary.
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Share on pinterest Pinterest. What is Concrete? Uses of Cement in Construction Cement is probably the most used man-made material. Concrete is used to make: Pavements architectural structures foundations motorways roads and bridges overpasses parking structures walls and footings for gates fences and poles How Cement Works The material grows together from a moldable liquid into a hard, rigid solid.
Advantages of Using Concrete in Construction Advantages of concrete. Concrete is Economical Compared to engineered cementitious materials used for construction, the production cost of cement concrete is very low.
Concrete Hardens at Ambient Temperature Concrete sets, hardens, and gains its strength at regular room temperature or ambient temperature. Ability to be Cast into Shape Fresh concrete is flowable and is in a liquid state. Energy Efficiency in Production The amount of energy required for the production of concrete is low compared with steel.
Excellent Water Resistance Characteristics Though chemicals in water can induce corrosion in concrete and reinforced concrete, concrete can withstand water without serious deterioration compared to wood and steel. High-temperature resistance Concrete can withstand high temperatures better than wood and steel. Ability to Consume and Recycle Waste Many industrial wastes can be recycled as a substitute for cement or aggregate.
Application in Reinforced Concrete Concrete has a comparable coefficient of thermal expansion to steel. Low or Zero Maintenance Required Concrete structures do not require coating or painting for regular applications to protect weathering compared to steel or wooden structures where it is inevitable. Multi-Mode Application One of the major advantages of concrete is its ability to be used in different application methodologies. Types of Concrete In concrete technology, a variety of type-names has been used for different types of concrete.
This classification is based on three factors: Type of material used in its making. Nature of stress conditions. Now, here is a brief account of the different types of concrete: Plain or Ordinary Concrete It is one of the most commonly used types of concrete. High-Density Concrete This type of concrete is also called heavyweight concrete.
Precast Concrete This term refers to numerous types of concrete shapes that are cast into molds either in a factory or at the site. These structural and decorative members are prepared in a well-equipped place where all arrangements are made for: Perfect proportioning of the ingredients of concrete. Thorough mixing of the cement, aggregates, and water to obtain the mix of the desired design and consistency.
Careful handling during transport and placement in the perfect design molds. Perfect curing, under the controlled conditions of temperature and humidity. Even steam curing is used to obtain precast products having high strength in much less time. Prestressed Concrete It is a special type of reinforced concrete in which the reinforcement bars are tensioned before being embedded in the concrete.
Some of its advantages are the following. The potential compressive strength of concrete gets considerably increased. The risk of the development of tension cracks in the lower sections of beams is considerably reduced. The shear resistance is greatly reduced. This eliminates the necessity of stirrups to a great extent. Lighter members can be used than the un-tensioned normal reinforced-concrete. The prestressed concrete is greatly favored in constructing bridges, long-span roofs, and most structures with a heavy dead load.
Air Entrained Concrete It is a specially prepared plain concrete in which air is entrained in the form of thousands of uniformly distributed particles.
Glass Concrete When the recycled glass is used as an aggregate in the concrete, this type of concrete is known as Glass Concrete. Rapid Hardening Concrete This type of concrete is mostly used in underwater construction and in repairing roads. Asphalt Concrete Asphalt concrete is a combination of aggregates and asphalt. Lime Concrete In this type of concrete, lime is used as a binding material with the aggregates.
Roller Compacted Concrete This concrete is mostly used as a filling material. Stamped Concrete They are ordinary concrete with some little differences and are mostly used for architectural purposes.
Pumped Concrete Pumped concrete is used for high rise buildings where concrete conveyance other than the pump is not an easy task. Vacuum Concrete In this type, more quantity of water is added to the concrete mix, and then the mixture is poured into the form-work.
Permeable Concrete Permeable concrete is prepared in such a manner that the water can be passed in it. Shotcrete Shotcrete is concrete prepared in the same manner as ordinary, but the difference is that they are placed differently. Ready-mix Concrete This concrete type is prepared in concrete plants and or transported with the help of truck-mounted transit mixtures.
Self-Consolidated Concrete These types of concrete are compacted by their weight, mean by the process of consolidation. Fiber Reinforced Concrete The type of concrete in which steel fibers 10 to 20 microns in diameter and 10 to 50 mm in length is used.
Fly Ash Concrete Concrete using fly ash is called fly ash concrete. The materials used in the HPC are the following: Cement Coarse and fine aggregates of the required quality Water Supplementary cementing materials like silica fume, fly ash, blast furnace slag, etc.
Superplasticizers high water reducing agents Air entraining agents optional Silica Fume Concrete Silica fume is a byproduct of silica, which is very finely divided in the industry.
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