Concrete is an artificially crafted material that is made up of cement and sand. Concrete is the process that mixes concrete and pours it into the desired spot. The three basic components of concrete are cement, sand, and aggregate.
Concrete is the key component in any building project. Next comes reinforcement and formwork. Concretes are used in the construction of major structural elements such as foundations, beams and columns, walls, and slabs.
Which types of concrete can be used in construction?
Concrete PCC (plain cement) and concrete RCC (reinforced cemented concrete) are two of the most popular types.
PCC is a concrete type without reinforcement steel. It is usually performed below the foundation footings or rafts to prevent settlement and strengthen your base.
RCC is made of reinforcement steel. It is also known by the name reinforced cement concrete. Concrete is designed to support compressive loads. Concrete’s compressive strength in terms of tension is only 10%. Concrete uses reinforcement steels to increase its strength.
Concrete Prices
Concrete costs differ from one area to the other because of differences in the cost of raw materials. You must do your research before calculating concrete’s price per meter cube. Concreters in Mornington might charge slightly different rates than other areas. The concrete rate is affected by several factors.
What is Mix Design In Concrete?
Mix design refers to the special method by which concretes are mixed based upon results from tests. This process can be used to produce strong concretes for a lower cost. It requires extensive calculations. After the mixture is complete, concrete will be taken to be tested to determine the final mix. Concreting is a complex task but there are many steps involved.
Activities Before Concreting
We all know that RCC and PCC are different. For PCC, you must first dig the ground below the foundations. Brick soling is an option in some cases. However, sometimes the PCC is performed directly on top.
RCC can be made and laid following the schedule for bar bending. The formwork can then be used to pour concrete according to the design.
Concreting consists mainly of mixing concrete in batches. Mixing concrete is possible in many different ways. Three main types are depending on the type of concrete being mixed:
- Mixing by hand
- Machine Mixing
- Ready-made mix concreting
Mixing can either be done as a Nominal mix or as a Design mix. The nominal mix uses the M25 concrete grade. Concrete used in the design mix is for higher grades.
After each ingredient is measured, they are placed in a batch box. For hand-mixing, they are being used with a shovel and spade. For concrete that is hand-mixed 10 percent more cement should be used. Mixing the concrete should take no less than five to six minutes. Mixing concrete at the site should not be done by hand. It is only able to make a small amount, so quality cannot be considered.
The machine-mixed concrete aggregate stone must first be measured. Next, the sand must first be measured in format/batch boxes and then placed on top of the stones. The cement is then added to the top. The mixture should then be poured into the drum.
Ready-made mixed cement can be produced in large batching plants or factories. This is for large construction projects where concrete quality is an issue. Mixing this way, all ingredients, include cement, sand, or aggregate, which is individually tested. The consistency and initial setting of cemented concrete are tested. Many other important tests must be done before the batching plants use them.