WHAT IS CONCRETE - TYPES AND ADVANTAGES

Concrete

Concrete is a composite material and is a mixture of cement, sand, aggregate, water and sometimes admixtures in required proportion.It is one of the most important and useful materials for construction work.When all the ingredients (cement, sand, aggregate,water) are mixed in the required proportions the cement and water start a reaction with each other to bind themselves into a hardens mass.The hardens rock like mass is known as concrete.

Properties of Concrete

• It has high compressive strength.
• It has low tensile strength.
• It is more economical than steel.
• It has low coefficient of low thermal expansion.
• It is free from corrosion and there is a no appreciable effect of atmospheric agents on it.

Types of Concrete

1. Waterproofing Cement Concrete
2. Coloured  Concrete
3. Lightweight  Concrete
4. Pre-cast  Concrete
5. Ready-mix  Concrete
6. Transit-mix  Concrete
7. No Fines  Concrete

1. Waterproofing Cement  Concrete

For certain types of works like water storage tanks, reservoir, basement wall, roofs swimming pool, sewage units etc, the impermeability of concrete is absolutely essential.Normally it can be started that if the concrete is made dense and free from cracks this is watertight.

2. Colored Concrete

Colored concrete is a type of concrete that has pigment mixed through, so that color is distributed entirely throughout.

Colored concrete can be made by following ways:

• By adding of suitable coloring pigments to the extend of about 8-10% of the weight of the cement.
• By using colored cement for the preparation of concrete.
• By selecting aggregates possessing the required colored.

3. Lightweight Concrete

Light weight concrete mixture is made with a lightweight coarse aggregate and sometimes a portion or entire fine aggregate may be lightweight instead of normal aggregate.The light weight concrete having bulk density between 5-18 KN/m3.

4. Pre-cast Concrete

Precast concrete is refers to any type of concrete structure that is manufactured at a plant and transported to the construction site.In general, regular concrete structures are normally molded, poured and cured on-site.Precast concrete is used in a variety of construction projects ranging from home, landscaping. buildings, bridges etc.It is being used more in residential projects because it is more readily available than even before and provides quality and uniformity that may be lacking in on-site concrete work.

5. Ready-mix Concrete

Ready-mix concrete is a type of concrete that is manufactured in a factory or batching plant, according to set recipe, and then delivered to worksite by trucks mounted transit mixers.

6. Transit-mix Concrete

The concrete that is mixed either wet or dry en route to a job site is known as Transit-mix concrete.A transit-mix truck carries a mixer and a water tank from which the driver can, at the proper time, introduce the required amount of water into the mix.

7. No Fines Concrete

The no-fines concrete consists of cement, course aggregate and water.Thus the fine aggregate or sand is eliminated and such concrete has been adopted for cast-in-situ external load bearing wall of single and multi-storey houses, small retaining walls, damp-proofing sub-base materials etc.

Advantages of Concrete

• The compressive strength of concrete is very high.
• It is very strong in compression.
• It can be cast easily into any desired shapes.
• It can be pumped and sprayed in difficult positions.
• It possesses a minimum corrosive and weathering effects.
• It is economical than any other building materials.
• It is fire resistant.