The blog is about less known facts about concrete and how it is used. It talks about the history of concrete, its future and various other things.
Concrete is one of the most common materials used in construction. The fact that it has been in use for over 1000 years now shows its significance. What is even more remarkable is the fact that concrete gets stronger with age!
History of Concrete: Concrete was used in the Middle East as early as 7000 BC. However, the Romans are credited for developing the modern version of concrete which has long-lasting properties.
Future of Concrete: Researchers are continually making efforts to improve its durability and strength even further. For example, concrete made up of nanomaterials are being developed to increase strength.
Other Facts: There are also other interesting facts about concrete such as: if all the cement manufactured globally were to be produced in a single year, it would take 100 years to produce it again!
Concrete is a material that quite literally holds our cities together. From homes and apartment buildings to bridges, viaducts, and sidewalks, this ubiquitous grey material’s importance to modern urban life is undeniable. But despite its familiarity, concrete remains poorly understood. Today we’ll try to shed some light on the mystery and complexity of this essential material by exploring six things you may not know about concrete:
History
The precursors of modern concrete were used in Greece, Rome, Egypt and China before the time of Christ. The Romans introduced some innovations that were crucial for the development of modern concrete technology, including the metal mold and the use of lightweight aggregates. These innovations allowed concrete to be used for many new purposes, such as under-water construction and large-scale building projects like aqueducts and domes.
Composition
Concrete consists of three basic ingredients: water; aggregate (rock, sand or gravel); and Portland cement. Portland cement – named after the Isle of Portland where it was first developed – is a fine powder made from limestone, clay or shale which is mixed with water and heated in a kiln until it “clinks” into a hard substance called clinker. Concrete can be made with different types of aggregates depending
Concrete is one of the most common materials used in construction. It’s hard to imagine building a house or a bridge without using concrete. But how much do you really know about this grey material? Here are six things you may not know about concrete.
1. Concrete can be made in any colour
You are not limited to grey when mixing concrete. The cement and aggregates (gravel, sand, stone) in the mix can be made into any colour you want. In fact, concrete can even be made to look like brick, tile or wood if you want to use it inside your home.
2. Concrete is more than 100 years old
Concrete was first used by the Romans and Egyptians as early as 3000 BC. They used a mixture of lime and gypsum to make mortar, which was then poured into moulds to make “bricks.” They also used burnt lime and volcanic ash to form a cement-like material for making their famous aqueducts.
3. Concrete is stronger than stone
When mixed with water and hardened, cement becomes an extremely hard stone-like material that is stronger than natural rock by up to 20%.
Did you know that the first bridges built by the Romans used concrete as their primary construction material? Or that the Great Wall of China is actually made of rammed earth (a form of concrete) and not stone? Here are some more fascinating facts about concrete that you may not have known.
1. The world’s tallest building is a concrete building.
The Burj Khalifa, located in Dubai, UAE, is currently the world’s tallest building. It stands at 2,722 feet tall and has 163 floors for office and residential space. It was completed in 2010 and took five years to build. Concrete was a key component as it was used to construct the central core as well as the exterior walls of this skyscraper.
2. A Roman concrete breakwater is still standing today after being submerged for 2,000 years.
In 1997, a team of divers discovered a Roman breakwater off the southern coast of Egypt which had been submerged for over 2,000 years. Researchers took samples from the breakwater and found that it had been constructed using an ancient form of concrete by mixing lime and volcanic ash to form a mortar which was then mixed with chunks of volcanic rock called tuff and packed into wooden molds before being submerged underwater. The underwater conditions
Concrete is the most important man-made material in the world, used to create buildings, roads, bridges and just about anything you can think of. It’s also an ancient material – the Romans were using it 2,000 years ago. Nowadays we use more concrete than wood, iron, stone and brick put together.
Here are some interesting facts about this amazing material.1) Concrete can be as strong as granite: The secret lies in using fibres to reinforce the concrete – such as steel fibres or synthetic fibres. This means it’s much stronger than standard concrete. It is also designed to crack in a controlled way which means there is less risk of large cracks forming – making it more resistant to the elements and safe for construction work.
2) Concrete floats: In its natural state, concrete has a density around 2300 kg/m3 but when it’s transformed into liquid form, it floats on water due to its low density of around 1000 kg/m3.
3) Concrete was once used to make cars! Henry Ford created a car entirely made out of concrete including its parts such as the engine and transmission all made out of this versatile material. Unfortunately it wasn’t a success.
4) Concrete breathes
Ever wondered how you can build a car park on top of your local shopping centre, or wondered why the concrete in your new housing development is grey? It’s all down to the concrete. There are many different types of concrete and they have a wide range of uses.
Concrete is used for a huge variety of purposes, both domestic and industrial; it is strong, versatile, low cost and durable. In fact, it’s one of the most commonly used materials in the world, after water!
Concrete is made by mixing cement with aggregates (sand and stone) and then adding water. It’s always been a natural choice for use in construction due to its high strength and impressive lifespan.
There are many different types of concrete available today and you may be aware that some varieties are better suited to specific applications than others, but how much do you know about the material itself? Read on to learn six interesting facts about this fascinating material…
Concrete is one of the oldest manmade materials and is used in a wide variety of applications across the globe. While concrete may seem like a simple material, it plays a vital role in our lives.
1. Concrete is the most commonly used construction material in the world.
2. Concrete can be found everywhere from skyscrapers to sidewalks to bridges.
3. The first concrete was made by the Romans using a mixture of volcanic rock, lime and seawater.
4. Portland Cement is actually gray in color, but when combined with white sand and water it can take on many different colors.
5. Concrete loses up to 16% of its strength every time it freezes, which is why winter construction projects are often delayed until the spring when possible.
6. Concrete can be recycled and reused as aggregate for new concrete or road construction projects, eliminating waste and saving money at the same time!