Concrete has some very basic ingredients that make that hard wonderful surface we drive, park, walk and build our homes on. Cement is used as a powerful binder material. When mixed with water it acts like a glue This glue like mixture is then mixed with aggregate particles, think small rocks or stones.
This is all bound together by hydrated cement and make it like an artificial rock an important role to improve concrete properties such as workability, expansion, shrinkage, compressive and tensile strength. Aggregates are normally subdivided into two categories depending upon sizes as they are course aggregate and fine aggregate.
Water plays an important role for the mixing compaction and hardening of concrete the quantity and quality of what are used to mix directly affect the strength of concrete. Water is the only concrete ingredient with a cement so that setting and hardening take place to fill the void between aggregate so uniform layer of cement paste gets stuck on all the aggregate. The properties of fresh and hardened concrete are modified, there are various types of admixtures i.e. plasticizers, treatment retarders, waterproofing etc. So making good concrete for home structural element directly depend on the quality and quantity of all the ingredients. Wisely choose all the ingredients of concrete that’s all for today
Next time we will discuss. What is PSI? Do we need to use curing compound? What is that stuff anyway?
Dave Flaishans
Project Manager
DC&H Construction
469-474-9555
