Concrete is more of a composite building material that brings together finer or coarse aggregates and any type of cement binder. Gravel and sand, besides water, are the essential ingredients one requires for a good concrete mix. Cement is used in the necessary proportion for getting the kind of strength required for the building project.

Types of concrete

Depending upon the type of specialist application, there are different types of concrete available for different construction projects. Regular concrete is prepared according to instructions commonly found on the packets of cement and is used more for smaller masonry projects. Self-consolidating concrete with its advantage of extreme fluidity is used in construction of bridges and road projects and is popular in many countries. Shotconcrete is used for vertical surfaces and uses compressed air to cast concrete on to the frame or structure. Other types of concrete include cellular concrete, roller-compacted concrete and asphalt concrete.

Testing concrete

Most engineers would give high importance to concrete testing. Normally they specify a 28-day compressive strength. However a 28-day strength is a long time to wait and hence a three-day or a seven-day strength is used to determine to predict the strength of the concrete. This is particularly important for construction of roads and bridges. Precasting of concrete blocks or slabs is another important activity that will include concrete testing. Instrumented hydraulic rams are used to determine the compressive strength of cylindrical samples of concrete to be used in the project.

Other processes in the use of concrete

Preparing a good mix of concrete involves other processes such as mixing, blending, curing, testing for expansion and shrinkage and testing for cracking. Most of these processes involve testing the strength of the concrete before it is used at the site of construction. These processes can help the construction engineer or contractor to make changes if any before the concrete is utilized in the project. Mass concrete structures such as dams, and highways or bridges, reinforced concrete solutions for important construction activity and prestressed concrete is being used on a large scale for construction work in many parts of the world.

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