Monday, October 26, 2015

How to Work with Concrete




                                                           



Concrete is a material used in constructing a building. It is composed of sand, gravel, crashed stone, slag, ashes, burned shell and clay. It is then mixed with cement and water to bond it. The usage of concrete can be traced back in ancient times. The Assyrians and Babylonians have their own version of concrete using clay as the bonding substances. We can also put into consideration the Egyptian people who use lime and gypsum cement as concrete. The first modern concrete was introduced in 1756, when a British engineer by the name of John Smeaton mixed gravel as an aggregate with powdered brick into the cement. Until then concrete evolve as the time goes by. Here are the tips on how to work with concrete.

The first step in working your concrete is to secure the form of it. There are many forms in which you can chose from. These are the ready-mix concrete   transit- mix concrete and you-haul concrete. The ready mix concrete is the simplest form of concrete, you just add water and then you have your own concrete made right in front of you. This is not recommended for large scale construction as it will be too costly for a certain contractor. The second type of concrete is the transit-mix concrete which is delivered by you through a revolving truck. It is desirable for large project but you have to pay for the delivery and the pre mixing. The third type is the You-haul concrete this is done by renting a you-haul for the mixing of the aggregate and the cement. This is still costly though. The cheapest option for a large project is to buy the materials needed and mix it yourself.

The next step in working your concrete is to make your own concrete. When making your own concrete take not that it is made of four basic elements: these are Portland cement, fine aggregate such as sand, coarse aggregate such as crushed rock or gravel and water. You mix these elements and then you have your concrete. Remember to make your aggregates as fined as possible and free of dirt. The result of the concrete depends on how you mix the four elements.

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