What is concrete?
Concrete is a composite material used widely in the construction industry. Concrete is basically a mixture of cement, water, aggregates and admixture (sometimes). Cement is a fine gray powder that consists of oxidizes calcium, silicon and aluminum. The aggregate used is normally gravel, crushed stone or sand. Admixture is a solid or liquid substance that gives a certain characteristics of the concrete. The cement reacts with water chemically and binds the aggregates together through a process called hydration during hardening or curing of concrete. It means that water helps in the hardening of the concrete while the cement bind the aggregate and also react with water to form a solid mass.
Concrete is one of the most widely used construction material in the world. The reason for this is because concrete is strong, easy to make and can be molded into various shapes and sizes. Besides that, concrete is cheap, affordable and is readily mix.
Concrete also has its advantages. Concrete does not corrode, therefore concrete structures require less maintenance. Besides that, concrete has resistance to fire, therefore it is safer compare to the timber structure. Concrete has also resistance to cyclic loading.
Introduction
In this report, we will introduce and illustrate on precast concrete, pre-stressed concrete, ready-mix concrete, reinforced concrete, terrazzo and Urbanite in details.
In this introduction, we will briefly introduce the sub-topic or types of concrete.
Reinforced concrete is stronger than basic concrete. Steel reinforcing bars known as rebar is incorporated in the concrete structure to act together in resisting the force. The steel reinforcing bars absorbs tensile and compression because plain conc...
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...sed concrete: a fundamental approach / Edward G. Nawy. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Education, 2012.
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If the ancient Roman innovation of concrete, were to not have been significant, it would not have continued to be used across the globe. In fact, ancient Roman hydraulic cement-based concrete was so notable that modern day scientists are trying to, “replicate the exact formula for which ancient Roman concrete was made.” This is due to ancient Roman concrete being so sturdy and strong that aspects of it have lasted over 2000 years without deterioration. Without the innovation of Roman concrete, many of the modern world’s infrastructure would not be stable, causing havoc across the globe. Also, advancements in construction, health, and even safety areas would not be possible, as almost every piece of infrastructure, from sewerage and water pipes, to building and security walls, would not be able to remain as safe to use. This is because the modern world relies so heavily on concrete, with around five billion tonnes of concrete being used around the world each year,becoming the single most widely used material in the construction industry. In fact, around 76% of all first-world infrastructure is reinforced with concrete. Without this substance, much of the modern-world's infrastructure would not be as tall or sturdy as what it currently is, as it would simply deteriorate or break. Hydraulic cement-based concrete is certainly the most significant Roman
The usage of concrete was explored by the Early Christian and Roman architects but fell out of use throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance period. The material was only fully explored again in the later half of the 19th century but only for mundane purposes where the material was cheap, easy to work with, and versatile, but most importantly it’s fireproof characteristic. In 1870, the idea of reinforcing the concrete was born; steel rods were to be inserted to increase its strength. Taking this principle, Ernest Ransome (America) and Francois Hennebique (France) both developed frame systems. From this, open plan workspaces with large windows were created and it was proved to be well accommodated where fire had previously been a danger. Hennebique’s system used slim vertical posts, thin parallel beams on brackets and floor slabs; this resulted somewhat like a timber frame. Concrete was one of the most flexible materials and one with a least determining form. Concrete relied on its mould and the intelligence of its designer to give it aesthetic qualities for one to appreciate it. This became much more obvious when the architects of the last 19th century attempted to discover a style based on this material.
Works Cited Journal articles: • Lane, Thomas. “Crazy Angles, Soaring Steel.” Building vol. 274 no. 8588 (28) 2009, July 17, pp. 40-46.
The concrete industries progress showed that the concrete Slab-on-Grade can be modified to be stiffer and have a higher tensile strength. It may resist the changes in soil due to swelling for example.
middle of paper ... ... //articles.architectjaved.com/ earthquake_resistant_structures/energy-dissipation-devices-for-earthquake-resistant-building-design/ Earthquake Resistant Structures. (n.d.). Earthquake Resistant Structures RSS.
Buildings such as Packard Motor Car Company Building Number Ten (1), Pacific Coast Borax, and the Weavers flour mill all used Hennebique’s (2) method of reinforced concrete construction. This method combined the column and the floor into one single structure. With reinforced concrete being a better load bearing construction material than any stone that could have been used otherwise, these building all had large, open, and efficient interiors that afforded for all kind of different programs. This large unobstructed floor plan design thus became the defacto design for industrial buildings since the building could be fitted with all different kinds of machinery to fit the needs of the owner and his
Concrete: This consists of a solid slab of concrete which caps the top of a structure or building
Concrete is Artificial Stone obtained by mixing cement, sand and aggregates with water. Fresh concrete can be molded into almost any shape which is an inherent advantage over other materials.
...dings with absolutely no geometric shape. However, the development of arches that later took on a concrete form make the world a much more beautiful place and makes the buildings much safer to live in. I will add that the world could benefit from turning back the clock and learning the ways of the Romans when it pertains to the materials used to make concrete, according to an analysis done by UC Berkley of the Roman concrete, the materials and the process of making Roman concrete is much more sustainable and environmental friendly. (History, 2013).
Development of Concrete and Arch in Ancient Rome Ancient Rome triumphed in various arenas that have affected and inspired varied cultures around the globe. One such arena was architecture. The principal purpose of this academic paper is to discourse the development of both concrete and the arch in Ancient Rome. Furthermore, this paper also provides the details of the significance of concrete and arch in the life of Ancient Romans and the outcome of their use in their architecture.
The improvements involved a combination of improved compaction, improved paste characteristics and aggregate matrix bond, and reduced porosity. In these systems a significant decrease in water-to-cement ratio is achieved through the use of plasticizers, further enrichment of some properties have been obtained through the addition of mineral micro fillers (supplementary cementing or pozzolanic materials such as silica fume and fly ash). Despite the fact that high performance concrete has the same basic ingredients as the normal concrete, its much higher qualitative and quantitative performances present them as new materials. High performance concrete is one in which certain characteristics are developed for a particular application and environment. High performance concrete gives excellent performance in the structure in which it will be placed, in the environment to which it will be exposed, and with the loads to which it will be subjected during its design life. Self Compacting Concrete (SCC) is a High performance concrete which has been developed for use in situations where sufficient vibration by external agency is difficult and reinforcing steel is highly congested. Self Compacting Concrete is a remarkable achievement in the construction industry that helped to surmount the problems associated with cast-in-place concrete. Unlike normal concrete, Self Compacting Concrete is unaffected by the skill of workers, the shape and amount of reinforcing bars or the arrangement of a structure and, due to its high-fluidity and resistance to segregation it can be pumped longer distances. Professor Hajime Okamura was the first who propounded the concept of Self Compacting Concrete in 1986, but the prototype was first developed in 1988 in Japan, by Professor Ozawa at the University of Tokyo. Self Compacting Concrete was developed at
Concrete in the other hand provided the ability to produce massive structures when judiciously used with bricks. It enable the Romans to utilize stone shapes of different types during their
The proto type performed satisfactorily with regard to drying and hardening shrinkage, heat of hydration, denseness after hardening, and other properties. This concrete was named “High Performance Concrete” and was defined as follows at the three stages of concrete:
Sustainable concrete materials and sustainable steel reinforcement have been introduced to civil engineers to get closer to the sustainable development. Sustainable buildings constructed with use of these materials have shown an increased service life and the final cost has been reduced due to them.
Chua, Ian Y. H. Civil and Structural Engineering Resource Web. 29 Jan. 2000. 2 Mar.