Concrete
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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Concrete News
Armory getting concrete parking for heavy machinery - Keokuk Gate City Daily
 Keokuk Gate City Daily
Armory getting concrete parking for heavy machinery Keokuk Gate City Daily A 70-by-85-foot section of the parking area behind the armory is getting an eight-inch concrete surface to handle the heavy machinery, according to Curtis ...
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Glendale woman finds Jesus in slab of concrete (KTVK 3TV Phoenix)
GLENDALE - A Valley family finds Jesus in a slab of concrete.
India wants concrete anti-terror action from Pakistan before Egypt meet (Calcutta News)
Ahead of the meeting between Indian and Pakistani leaders in Egypt mid-July, India Wednesday said it is not 'afraid to talk' to Pakistan but wants Islamabad to take 'concrete and visible action' against the perpetrators of the Mumbai carange before deciding on resuming the dialogue.
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