Concrete -Definition, Components, Grades,

Manufacture, Construction

Concrete is a building material composed of cement, fine aggregates (sand) and

coarse aggregates mixed with water that hardens over time. Portland cement is the type
of cement commonly used for concrete production. Concrete technology deals with
the study of the properties of concrete and its practical applications.
In a construction, concrete is used for the construction of foundations, columns, beams,
slabs and other supporting elements.
There are different types of binders other than cement, such as lime for lime concrete
and bitumen for asphalt concrete used for road construction.
Different types of cement are used for concreting works with different properties and
applications. Some types of cement are Portland cement Pozzolana (PPC), fast curing
cement, sulphate-resistant cement, etc.
The materials are mixed in specific proportions to obtain the required strength. The
strength of the mixture is specified by M5, M10, M15, M20, M25, M30, etc., where M is
MIX and 5, 10, 15, etc. as a force in kN / m2. In the United States, concrete strength,
expressed in pounds per square inch, is specified in PSI.

The cement-water ratio plays an important role that influences various properties such
as handling, strength and durability. An adequate water-cement ratio is required for the
production of openable concrete.
When water is mixed with materials, the cement reacts with the water and the hydration
reaction begins. This reaction helps the ingredients form a hard matrix that binds the
materials together in a durable, stone-like material.

Concrete can be poured in any form. As it is a fresh plastic material, various shapes and
sizes of formwork or formwork are used to provide different shapes such as rectangular,
circular, etc.

Various structural elements such as beams, slabs, footings, columns, lintels, etc. are
built of concrete.
Building Code ACI 318 requirements for structural concrete and ACI 301 specifications
for structural concrete are used in the United States as a code of practice for concrete
construction.

There are different types of additives that are used to provide certain properties.
Additives or admixtures such as pozzolans or superplasticizers are included in the
mixture to improve the physical properties of the wet mix or the finished material.

Several types of concrete are manufactured these days for the construction of buildings
and structures. These have special properties and characteristics that improve the
quality of the construction according to the requirements.

Components of Concrete
Table of Contents
Concrete components are cement, sand, aggregates and water. The mixture of Portland
cement and water is called paste. Concrete can therefore be called a mixture of dough,
sand and aggregates. Sometimes rocks are used instead of aggregates.

Cement paste covers the surface of fine and coarse aggregate when properly mixed
and binds. Shortly after mixing the components, the hydration reaction begins, giving
strength and giving extremely strong concrete.

What is Grade of Concrete?

The quality of the concrete indicates its resistance required for the construction. For
example, the category M30 means that the compressive strength required for the
construction is 30 MPa. The first letter of the class “M” corresponds to the mixture and
corresponds to the force required in MPa.

Based on different laboratory tests, the quality of the concrete is presented in the mixing
ratio. For example, for the M30 grade, the mixing ratio can be 1: 1: 2, with 1
representing the cement / cement ratio, 1 the sand / sand ratio and 2 the coarse
aggregates ratio with respect to the volume or weight of the materials. .

Resistance is measured using concrete cubes or cylinders by civil engineers working on

a construction site. The cube or cylinders are made during the casting of the structural
element and after hardening it is cured for 28 days. Then, a compressive strength test is
performed to find the resistance.

Ordinary concrete grades are M15, M20, M25, etc. For concrete concreting work, M15
is generally used. For the reinforced concrete construction, at least one shade of M20 is
used.

How to Make Concrete?

Concrete is manufactured or blended in w.r.t. amount of cement. There are two types of
concrete mixes, namely nominal mix and design mix. The nominal composition is used
for normal construction work such as small residential buildings. The most popular
nominals are in the ratio of 1: 2: 4.

Shotcrete concretes are those for which the proportions of the mixture are finalized on
the basis of various laboratory tests on cylinders or cubes with regard to compressive
strength. This process is also called as a blend design.

These tests are carried out to find an appropriate mixture based on locally available
material in order to obtain the required strength according to the design of the structure.
A mixed design offers an economy of use of the ingredients.

Once the appropriate mixing proportions are known, its ingredients are mixed in the
selected ratio. Two methods are used for mixing, namely mixing by hand or mixing with
the machine.
Depending on the quantity and quality required, the appropriate mixing method is
selected. In the mixture by hand, each ingredient is placed on a flat surface and water is
added and mixed with hand tools. In the mix of machines, different types of machines
are used. In this case, the ingredients are added in the amount required to mix and
produce fresh concrete.

Once properly mixed, it is transported to the casting site and poured into formwork.
Different types of formwork are available and selected according to the use.

Cast concrete is allowed to take into formwork for a specified time depending on the
type of structural element in order to obtain sufficient strength.

After removal of the formwork, curing is performed by various methods to compensate

for moisture loss due to evaporation. The hydration reaction requires moisture which is
responsible for setting and gaining strength. Thus, curing is generally continued for at
least 7 days after removal of the formwork.

Types of Concrete Construction

Concrete is generally used in two types of construction, namely ordinary concrete
construction and reinforced concrete construction. In PCC, it is poured and poured
without any reinforcement. This is used when the structural element is subjected only to
compression forces and not to bending.

When a structural element is subjected to bending, reinforcements are necessary to

resist the tensile forces of the structural element because it is very low in tension with
respect to the compression. Generally, the tensile strength of the concrete represents
only 10% of its compressive strength.
 It is used as a building material for almost all types of structures such as residential
concrete buildings, industrial structures, dams, roads, tunnels, multi-storey buildings,
skyscrapers, bridges, sidewalks and highways, etc.

The Hoover Dam, the Panama Canal and the Roman Pantheon are examples of large
concrete structures. These are the largest human-made building materials used for
construction.

Steps of Concrete Construction

The construction steps are:

1. Selecting quantities of materials for selected mix proportion

2. Mixing
3. Checking of workability
4. Transportation
5. Pouring in formwork for casting
6. Vibrating for proper compaction
7. Removal of formwork after suitable time
8. Curing member with suitable methods and required time.

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