Cement concrete covers a range of mixtures of cement paste and aggregates, which are hardened by chemical reaction. The paste is a combination of portland cement and water, while the aggregates are composed of sand and/or gravel. The mixture can be varied to meet specific requirements.
Cement concrete is an extremely versatile material. It is strong, waterproof, fire resistant, durable, lightweight, and easy to install. Yet it is also inexpensive and contributes to an increasing sustainable environment through the use of recycled materials such as fly ash. It can be molded into any shape or form and is widely used for structural building components as well as decorative surfaces.
The many uses of cement concrete include:
• Buildings
• Bridges
• Highways
• Dams
• Parking lots
• Pavement for roads, airports, and sidewalks
• Water treatment facilities
• Sewer systems
• Retaining walls
Cement concrete is a mixture of cement, sand, coarse aggregates and water in appropriate proportions. It is also called as Portland cement concrete or simply concrete. In this article we are going to see the various uses of cement concrete.
Concrete is a construction material composed of cement, fine aggregates (sand) and coarse aggregates mixed with water which hardens with time. Portland cement is the commonly used type of cement for production of concrete. Concrete technology deals with study of properties of concrete and its practical applications. In a building construction, concrete is used for the construction of foundations, floors, beams, columns and other structural members.
The following are some of the main uses of Cement Concrete:
1) Construction of pavements/roads
2) Construction of buildings
3) Construction of bridges/flyovers
4) Construction of dams/canals
5) Pipes/tanks for water supply
6) Pipes for sewerage disposal
7) Railway sleepers
Cement Concrete: It is a simple mixture of materials like sand, gravel, cement and water. This material is used in construction of roads, buildings etc.
Cement concrete is made by mixing cement, sand, pebbles and water in required proportions. It is one of the most used man-made materials in the world.
Cement concrete has replaced stones and other building materials in construction of buildings, bridges and roads. The use of cement concrete has increased tremendously due to its durability, strength, fire resistance and low cost.
The ingredients are proportioned carefully according to the intended use of concrete and the conditions under which it will be used. The ingredients are mixed thoroughly before adding a small amount of water to make it workable.
Concrete can be designed to have high strength or durability characteristics for applications such as flyovers, bridges or homes in high seismic zones. It can also be designed to have lower strength for applications such as low-cost housing or footpaths where higher strengths are not needed.
Concrete usually gains strength with time but there are some special types which gain strength rapidly, within a few hours after casting so that formwork can be removed early and follow-up construction started quickly. These special types are called rapid hard
Cement concrete is the most commonly used man-made product in the world. It is only second to water as the most used substance on our planet. Since cement concrete is so widely used it’s important that we understand what it is and how it works.
Cement concrete is a mixture of portland cement, fine aggregate (sand), coarse aggregate (rock) and water. When mixed together in proper proportions these four ingredients form a plastic compound that hardens into a rock-like mass through a chemical reaction called hydration (a chemical reaction in which water combines with another substance).
This chemical reaction is caused by mixing cement and water together. Portland cement has been described as the glue that holds the mixture of sand and rock together. This glue comes in powdered form, when mixed with water and allowed to dry, it bonds all of the ingredients together into one solid mass – concrete.
Cement concrete is a mixture of cement, sand and stone chips in correct proportions. The items are mixed in water and churned thoroughly in a concrete mixture. The cement concrete is used for foundations, flooring, walls, roofs etc.
The size of the building component does not influence the choice of cement concrete but the method of construction does. Cement can be mixed by hand or machine mixing. Machine- mixed concrete is usually preferred as it is more thorough than hand mixing. For large works mechanical mixers are used while smaller jobs may be mixed by hand.
Cement is available in different grades and it has to be selected according to its intended use. For example, when building a wall with bricks or stones, the cement has to be strong enough to stand up to the weight of the wall and its contents which may include furniture and other heavy things kept on the shelves in a room. But if one is casting plaster for a statue or preparing mortar for laying tiles, then a weaker grade cement will do better.
The amount of water added also decides how hard or soft the concrete becomes when set. The ideal ratio between water and cement is 1:3 by weight (1/2:3 parts by volume). Too much water weakens the hardening process
Cement concrete is a mixture of cement, sand and stone chips in the ratio of 1:2:4. It is used for flooring and roofing purposes. It can be used as a plastering material. In the past it was used as a building material. But nowadays its use has been confined to non-load bearing members like beams, slabs, floors and roofs. It is a good material for construction purpose because it has low cost, high strength, resistance to fire and easy availability.
Cement concrete is a composite material consisting of a binder, which is cement most commonly Portland cement, and an aggregate, which is usually a mixture of fine aggregate sand and coarse aggregate stone. The properties of concrete vary with the proportions and types of the constituent materials. According to the American Concrete Institute (ACI), the proportioning of ingredients for concrete should be done by following established procedures such as ACI 211.1 or ASTM C 94. It is also important that care be taken in the mixing, placing, and curing of concrete.
Concrete has good compressive strength but poor tensile strength. To improve its tensile strength, steel is often added. The most widely used reinforcement for concrete is steel rebar. Steel reinforcing bars are commonly available in Grade 60 (with a minimum yield stress of 60 ksi) and Grade 75 (with a minimum yield stress of 75 ksi). Another widely used reinforcing material is glass fiber. Today’s fiber-reinforced concretes can have compressive strengths comparable to those made with Portland cement, but with reduced weight and increased resistance to weathering, cracking, and corrosion.
The main uses for Portland cement concrete are pavements, foundations, walls (including buildings), floors and roofs, dams,