There are various kinds of concrete used in construction, each designed for specific tasks and possessing its own special properties.
Traditional cement concrete combines aggregates, water and cement in specific ratios to form its material. Additional additives may be added for improved consistency, flowability and environmental resistance.
Plain Concrete
Concrete slabs Melbourne is one of the world’s most widely-used construction materials, from driveways and floors to foundations and foundations for homes and businesses alike.
Plain concrete (traditional concrete) can be produced by mixing cement, aggregates, and water in a ratio of 1:2:4. This form of concrete is ideal for building structures that don’t require high tensile strength.
Builders typically add steel reinforcement bars or mesh to concrete mixes in order to increase its tensile strength, and volumetric mobile mixers make it possible to produce tailor-made mixes for specific applications by transporting ingredients directly from cement plants to sites.
Reinforced Concrete
Concrete has long been considered one of the premier building materials. Durable, water-repellant and noncombustible, its strength enables it to withstand forces applied by heavy buildings or strong winds.
Steel can be embedded into concrete during production to increase its tensile strength, creating reinforced concrete constructions such as tall buildings, bridges, and stadiums.
Glass fiber-reinforced concrete (GFRC) is an innovative form of concrete that marries durability with aesthetic appeal, offering more creative designs for decorative designs or architectural features than regular concrete alone. Molding into unique shapes for architectural features or unique decorative designs are possible using this form of concrete, and stamped or colored finishes may also be added before hardening takes place.
High-Density Concrete
Density plays an essential role in concrete’s weight and load-bearing capacity, so selecting an ideal density for your project ensures structures can receive proper support.
High-density concrete (also referred to as heavyweight concrete) is made with heavy aggregates such as granite. This concrete type can be found in projects such as nuclear radiation shield walls, ballast blocks and counterweights which require greater mass.
HDC differs from regular concrete in that its water-to-cement ratios are significantly greater, necessitating special skills and careful planning in order to achieve uniform consolidation. Once made, HDC mixtures may be set using either normal or alkaline water as curing agents; though alkaline curing has limited use within nuclear industry.
Rapid Hardening Concrete
Rapid-hardening concrete, like standard concrete, gains strength as it sets. Builders turn to this form when their construction schedule is short or if heat exposure threatens a building site; its additives like fly ash and silica fumes help speed the setting process.
Construction workers use this form of concrete in high-rise buildings to speed up floor completion times and on roadway pavements so drivers can pass over them more quickly. Additionally, it can also be found as road pavements for quick driving over them.
Self-consolidating concrete is typically created using a ratio of 1:2:4, composed of cement, sand and aggregates in that order. Furthermore, chemical admixtures may be added to alter viscosity while mineral additives adjust particle size.
Self-Consolidating Concrete
Conventional concrete requires vibration to ensure proper compaction, leading to air pockets forming near formwork that result in honeycombing or weak spots. SCC was designed specifically to flow freely over intricate forms without vibration – saving labor, time and potential quality control issues.
SCC is a high-flow concrete that is designed to pass easily over dense reinforcement without segregation or excessive bleeding, thanks to special admixtures and mix designs that enable this. SCC makes an excellent solution for heavily reinforced structures with limited space or access, or those where space constraints restrict accessibility.
Volumetric Concrete
Volumetric concrete allows users to meet project requirements more precisely. Self-contained trucks carry all the ingredients for volumetric concrete production on-demand at construction sites.
Timely repairs of overnight freeways require fast action, such as making necessary changes on-the-fly and adding in various add-ins without leaving the site for fresh concrete; with its ability to change design and quantity on demand, this allows progress without delays.
As it’s mixed on-site, on-demand ready mix concrete also reduces waste as only what’s required is mixed at any one time. This contrasts to traditional ready mix concrete which is batch mixed before dispatch, increasing wastefulness if your requirements change unexpectedly.
