concrete – ThermoConcrete

Concrete

Common Facts You Need To Be Familiar with When It Comes To Concrete

If you want to be guided when it comes to the construction works that you are undertaking, it pays that you are familiar with some important words. Understanding the basic definitions about concrete and its uses will make you see a much bigger picture of it. You will therefore enable yourself to utilize your understanding so that you will get an in depth overview of when it comes to construction works.

When you are well informed with all construction details, then it will be much easier for you to get an informed decision in any matters that will come your way in the course of the construction process. You will essentially get the upper hand in whatever it is that you are going to decide along the way.

Some Basic Definitions Used In Cement And Concrete

A few useful basic definitions follow, since the meanings of the words ‘cement’ and ‘concrete’ are rather blurred in general use.

Portland Cement: Material made by heating a mixture of limestone and clay in a kiln at about 1450 C, then grinding to a fine powder with a small addition of gypsum. Portland Cement, the main subject of this site, is the most common type of cement – ‘basic cement’, if you like. In particular, ordinary Portland cement is the normal, grey, cement with which most people are familiar. Other types of Portland cement include White Portland Cement and Sulfate Resisting Portland Cement (SRPC).

Clinker: Portland cement is made by grinding clinker and a little added gypsum. Clinker is a nodular material before it is ground up. The nodules can be anything from 1mm to 25mm or more in diameter.

Cement: Usually taken to mean Portland Cement, but could mean any other type of cement, depending on the context.

Aggregate: Cobbles, pebbles, gravel, sand and silt – the ‘rock’ component of all particle sizes in concrete.

Concrete: Synthetic rock made using cement (usually, but not necessarily, Portland cement) mixed with aggregate and water. Read more!

So how does the concrete being extracted so that it can be used in any construction works? That is really an interesting question that needs to be put to rest. Mining concrete is an important aspect that needs to be tackled to fully get a good look at its astonishing advantage.

Sand Extraction For Concrete

And creating all the concrete relies on mining sand and gravel, collectively known as aggregates. Aggregates are extracted from the earth at an astonishing rate – exceeding 40 billion tons. A year. In the US, for example, the market for mined sand has been growing at 10% annually since 2008, meaning it is a billion-dollar business annually.
Now, although the deserts are awash in sand, it is considered unusuable for making concrete. This happens because it is subject to so much wind erosion, causing the grains to become too round and blow away. (Which is why Dubai, located in the desert, ships in sand for its beaches from Australia.) Desert sand also fails to bind well. Instead, we source the bulk of our sand from land quarries and riverbeds, so much so, that we’re running out and have turned to the coasts. “River and marine aggregates remain the main sources for building and land reclamation,” notes a recent report by the United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP) on the dwindling sand situation. Details explained here: http://www.ecoconcretedesign.com/single-post/2015/08/25/SAND-EXTRACTION-FOR-CONCRETE-An-Eco-Disaster-in-the-Mining.

These few facts will give you a deeper perspective to what concrete is really all about, it will encourage you to get a whole picture of how it is mined and, in the process, being utilized. There are so many great things that you will learn from the use of concrete which you can apply during the construction works in your property.

Concrete

Concrete Making And How It Works

Concrete is a word that was derived from “concretus”, the Latin for which is compact. This is basically a mixture of a lot of materials namely cement, coarse aggregate, chemical admixtures, water, sand, and gravel, otherwise known as crushed stone. If you mix this material with water, it will create a fluid which can be molded into pretty much any shape you like. It will then solidify into stone soon after. Hydration is what this process is called. When mixed with water the other constituents of the cement then bond together. This material is used for architectural structures such as fences, bricks, parking structures, overpasses, bridges, runways, roads, highways, foundations, walls, poles, pillars, roofs, and many more. Below is a layman’s explanation of how concrete making works and how it has benefited the world as we know it:

There is actually a pretty accurate measurement for the strength of concrete. This is determined by the amount of force that can be applied to the concrete before it gives or breaks. The force is needed is considerably strong and it is the reason why people have been making use of this essential material for a long time. This is how some manufacturers are able to create concrete that is much stronger than those of other companies.

Here are the ways the different kinds of concrete are made:

– Re-enforced concrete is developed through casting the concrete on steel bars and rods making them even stronger than before. Basically, this material is being used in the construction of huge buildings in your city.
– Pre-stressed concrete is pretty much the same as one discussed above only this time its cast around cables held together by hydraulic jacks. As it hardens, the jacks are then removed and resulting in concrete getting compressed by cables.

– Air-entrained concrete is basically made by using the fatty or resinous material and adding it to the concrete as part of the mixture. This basically creates bubbles that act like absorbers of shock.
– Cold-resistant concrete is made by following the necessary rules needed to accomplish the objective from beginning to end. The ratio should just be enough and you should always do your research as well. You cannot mess up the ratio because this would ruin your objective in so many ways. Once you follow the right amount that is prescribed then you would be able to see how effective the results are. This is something that can be used in the cold and low temperature would not damage it in any way. The cold would not affect the surface or make it dangerous by freezing it. It would be immune to these sorts of effects. This kind of concrete is sealed tight and water would not be able to penetrate into it in any way at all.

There are also ways of concrete installation which you would be able to implement in order to make your project a success in terms of quality.

Blogging

Why You Need to Call in Concrete Resurfacing Contractors

Concrete contractor doing a bathroom floor concrete resurfacing

A lot of homes these days have certain parts of their homes that they have constructed out of concrete. This could be the garage, the sidewalk or the patio in your residence. Just like any part of the house though, they are subject to age and to wear and tear. So, if these fixtures are starting to show signs of aging, then this would be a good time for you to consider calling the concrete resurfacing contractors in.

Ideally, concrete fixtures like your driveway are built to last for a life time. However, there are a number of instances when its lifespan may be shortened. Exposure to the elements and the ever changing temperature levels can be among these reasons. This can then cause the surfaces of these areas to be unsightly as they can crack, can get discolored, can settle, and in some cases scaling will occur as well.

There are also instances when this happens due to the manner in which these driveways have been built and constructed. For instance, the subgrade upon its installation was not properly compacted. The concrete mix that was used can be inappropriate as well. There are concrete surfaces that get damaged easily because of poor placement procedures. Since ripping off the concrete and reinstalling it from scratch is going to be too much work and will cost a lot of money, many homeowners would opt for repair procedures instead so the surface can look nice and good as new again.

These are the professionals that you need to be calling in to help you in getting back the youthful look and appeal of your concrete fixture. You might be considering the possibility of doing the job yourself this is more than possible especially if you have some knowledge on concrete works and you have the tools to use and the time to spare. But if you are not too keen on doing the job, the best solution would really be to call the experts in and let them do the work for you.

What the concrete contractors will do is use concrete resurfacer to make it possible for them to get the roughened surface of your pavers or patio smoothed out again. It can be a slightly expensive route though especially when compared to how things would be if plain concrete is going to be used. It is definitely costlier, but it is worth it due to the fact that it is going to have the necessary bonding elements that will be able to bond to old and cured concrete to give it a smooth look again.

With the help of the concrete contractors, you will be able to get the surface fixed through the use of overlaying techniques. The best thing about this method is the fact that you will be allowed to choose from varieties if options on who you want the resurfacing procedures to be done. For instance, you can choose from various patterns and color options to get a new and upgraded look. Do find the right contractors with the right experience and the necessary tools of the trade though to get a very satisfactory result.