20 Mar How concrete is made?
Concrete is one of the most versatile and strong items of building material that you can use. Concrete’s main use is as a solid foundation upon which homes, offices and public buildings are built. However, there are plenty of examples where concrete has also been employed to construct the whole building. This comes out of wartime use, where concrete structures were built quickly and cheaply to defend coastlines or provide shelter in the event of an air attack. The substance is made even stronger when the insertion of iron and steel rods is used. To have greater strength, grids of metal have concrete poured over them and left to set. This can allow designers to use more modernist designs rather than simple brick. An expert in this field is Monster Mix, a Concrete Cheltenham based company.
Concrete itself is an amalgam of several different components. Individually, they are quite useless, but when the different aggregates are combined, then the strength of concrete becomes more apparent. Concrete is so important to the world. It is the second most used substance by humans after water.
Much like mixing a cake to get the best results, the same is true with concrete. Firstly, an aggregate such as limestone or granite gravel is used. A good mix of sand is also added. For extra strength, slag from coal mines can also be added. Secondly, a good deal of water is used. Skill is needed as the mix cannot be too dry or too wet. Finally, cement is added to bind the mixture.