2 QUALITIES OF GOOD CONCRETE AGGREGATE
- By Southport Concrete Corp.
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- 20 Jul, 2018
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Ready-mix concrete has a nearly limitless range of applications from residential foundations to commercial parking lots. Concrete boasts a level of strength and durability that few other building materials can match. Yet not all ready-mix concrete exhibits the same positive qualities. A poor quality mix may lead to weaker, problem-prone concrete.
For that reason, you must be sure to buy your ready-mix concrete from an experienced professional — one who understands the numerous factors involved. Aggregate is one of the most critical aspects of ready-mix concrete. If you would like to learn more about how aggregate can affect the performance of concrete, read on. This article will outline two key qualities of good aggregate.
For that reason, you must be sure to buy your ready-mix concrete from an experienced professional — one who understands the numerous factors involved. Aggregate is one of the most critical aspects of ready-mix concrete. If you would like to learn more about how aggregate can affect the performance of concrete, read on. This article will outline two key qualities of good aggregate.
1. LOW CHERT
Most aggregate consists of crushed gravel, limestone, or a mixture of the two. Manufacturers mine aggregate in rock quarries, which means that the composition of the aggregate is subject to naturally occurring variations. Higher quality aggregates boast a much greater homogeneity — in other words, they will contain only a minimal amount of problematic substances.
Low-quality aggregate sources, on the other hand, often contain dangerously high proportions of the substance known as chert. Chert is a sedimentary type of rock known for its highly porous nature. This high porosity can lead to serious problems for ready-mix concrete made from aggregates containing chert.
Chert displays a greater tendency to absorb water. During freeze and thaw cycles, this often causes the pieces of chert to pop out of the concrete. Pop-outs have a negative impact on the concrete in terms of both aesthetics and structural integrity. By allowing water to pool up in void spaces, pop-outs hasten the rate at which cracks and other problems accumulate.
Chert can also lead to increased crack formation through its chemical effect on the cement in a concrete surface. The presence of chert causes the cement to undergo the alkali-silica reaction. This reaction leads to the formation of expansion cracks, which can quickly undermine the structural integrity of a concrete surface.
An experienced concrete contractor understands the importance of using aggregate that contains little to no chert. Aggregate sources must be regularly tested for compliance with industry-wide quality standards.
Low-quality aggregate sources, on the other hand, often contain dangerously high proportions of the substance known as chert. Chert is a sedimentary type of rock known for its highly porous nature. This high porosity can lead to serious problems for ready-mix concrete made from aggregates containing chert.
Chert displays a greater tendency to absorb water. During freeze and thaw cycles, this often causes the pieces of chert to pop out of the concrete. Pop-outs have a negative impact on the concrete in terms of both aesthetics and structural integrity. By allowing water to pool up in void spaces, pop-outs hasten the rate at which cracks and other problems accumulate.
Chert can also lead to increased crack formation through its chemical effect on the cement in a concrete surface. The presence of chert causes the cement to undergo the alkali-silica reaction. This reaction leads to the formation of expansion cracks, which can quickly undermine the structural integrity of a concrete surface.
An experienced concrete contractor understands the importance of using aggregate that contains little to no chert. Aggregate sources must be regularly tested for compliance with industry-wide quality standards.
2. SHAPE
Manufacturers use high-powered crushing machines to reduce chunks of aggregate to an appropriate size for use in concrete. Yet size isn't the only factor that will affect the performance of aggregate. The shape of the aggregate plays just as important a role in the strength and economy of the resulting concrete.
Aggregate produces the best results if crushed into a cubical shape. By reducing surface area, cubical aggregate allows ready-mix manufacturers to minimize the amounts of water and cement while still ensuring strong concrete. Asymmetrical, elongated, and flaky aggregate have a greater surface area, meaning more water and cement will need to be added to produce a concrete with the requisite strength.
Two main types of aggregate crushing machines exist: jaw crushers and conical crushers. Despite their somewhat misleading name, conical crushers excel at producing cubical aggregate particles. Jaw crushers, on the other hand, tend to generate more angular and flattened pieces.
Several stages of crushing are required to produce ideally shaped aggregate. Often, manufacturers will use different machines at different stages in the crushing process. An initial pass through a jaw crusher reduces the size of the particles. Subsequent passes through a conical crusher will give the particles the desired shape.
An experienced concrete contractor knows exactly what sort of aggregate to put in their ready-mix concrete. For more information on what it means to optimize concrete strength through aggregate selection or to purchase concrete aggregate from a supplier who takes quality into consideration, please don't hesitate to contact the pros at Southport Concrete Corp.
Aggregate produces the best results if crushed into a cubical shape. By reducing surface area, cubical aggregate allows ready-mix manufacturers to minimize the amounts of water and cement while still ensuring strong concrete. Asymmetrical, elongated, and flaky aggregate have a greater surface area, meaning more water and cement will need to be added to produce a concrete with the requisite strength.
Two main types of aggregate crushing machines exist: jaw crushers and conical crushers. Despite their somewhat misleading name, conical crushers excel at producing cubical aggregate particles. Jaw crushers, on the other hand, tend to generate more angular and flattened pieces.
Several stages of crushing are required to produce ideally shaped aggregate. Often, manufacturers will use different machines at different stages in the crushing process. An initial pass through a jaw crusher reduces the size of the particles. Subsequent passes through a conical crusher will give the particles the desired shape.
An experienced concrete contractor knows exactly what sort of aggregate to put in their ready-mix concrete. For more information on what it means to optimize concrete strength through aggregate selection or to purchase concrete aggregate from a supplier who takes quality into consideration, please don't hesitate to contact the pros at Southport Concrete Corp.
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When completing any construction project that involves a foundation, the use of concrete pilings is essential. These columns that have been pre-cast and cured before installation provide needed support and reinforcement to the foundations used by your home or business. They have many qualities that make them beneficial to a variety of projects:
- Cost effective: When anything is manufactured on a massive scale, your costs decrease substantially from having something custom poured.
- Superior quality: Being pre-cast, pilings are checked for every sort of defect before being installed, giving them an additional safety advantage.
- Underwater usage: There are several instances in which the pouring of concrete in certain types of subsoil or other environments won’t set. The use of formed piles easily takes care of that issue.
- Convenience: With a wide selection of piles all ready to go, you are able to select what you need and install them at your convenience.
- Adaptability: Trying to pour the exact shape you need is a thing of the past with concrete pilings available in square, round, octagonal and other shapes.
- Incredible strength: Because of the nature of the piles, the reinforcement used inside is more likely to stay put without getting disturbed or moving its place. They also have high bending and lateral resistance to hold their strength in adverse conditions.
- Eco friendly: With no leftover materials to clean up at the installation site, piles are the most environmentally friendly option when supporting your foundation and in other applications, such as retaining walls, embankments and cofferdams.
Southport Concrete Corp is a leading builder of seawalls
in the Southport area. A seawall is a barrier that prevents waves from inundating property and land. These concrete walls are ideal for areas that are susceptible to hurricanes and frequent flooding. During storms, the sea level, as well as lake and river levels, can rise dangerously high and threaten communities and natural areas. The wall stops the water in its tracks and keeps communities from sustaining millions of dollars' worth of damages. Despite their name, our walls can be built near any large body of water, and our company can construct the following types:
- Curved
- Vertical
- Mound
You have a lot of options when it comes to building materials in Southport, but there are some that are more high-quality than others. At Southport Concrete Corp., we offer ready-mix concrete. As a product that is made in a factory, it offers the highest quality possible, as it is regulated under specific conditions. Being carefully monitored while it is mixed, it allows maximum economy at every turn. It is a convenience for contractors because it can be delivered to most jobsites. If a truck can get there, the ready mix can get there. It can also be poured directly from the truck into handling equipment or formwork, minimizing loss and mistakes.
Although the terms cement and concrete are often used interchangeably, cement is actually an ingredient in concrete.
Concrete is basically a mixture of paste and aggregates. The aggregates are crushed stone or sand and gravel; the paste is made of water and Portland cement. Concrete material happens to get stronger as it gets older. Portland cement is not the name of a particular brand of cement; it’s the generic term for the type of cement utilized in almost all concrete (ex: stainless is a type of steel and sterling is a type of silver).
Pervious concrete, also known as "green concrete," is a choice that helps combat building code issues with storm water run-off.
Cement is composed of 10 to 15 percent of the concrete mix, by volume. Then through a process called hydration, the cement and water harden and bring together the aggregates into a rocklike form. This developing and hardening process continues for years, again meaning that concrete gets stronger as it gets older.
There are many residences that need to use a septic tank. If you find yourself in such an area, consider what Southport Concrete Corp. can do for you. We can cast septic systems
for you, and we have been operating in Southport for almost 20 years. We can inspect your location to design a septic system that is perfect for your expected needs, bringing you long-term plumbing solutions.
Concrete driveways are durable and attractive, and they provide a solid, reliable parking surface for vehicles. However, maximizing the lifespan and appearance of your concrete driveway depends upon making the right choices both before the concrete is poured and for many years after that, too.
Below, we’ve listed some important things to keep in mind in order to prevent premature concrete driveway failure.
Concrete is an ideal construction material for countless numbers of applications due to the substance’s strength, reasonable cost, and ease of installation. Paving surfaces is one of the many uses for this flexible medium. However, concrete is prone to crack, and it is normal for even the best-laid concrete surface to develop hairline crevices.
While these tiny cracks are often insignificant, they are unsightly and detract from the overall appearance of the paved surface. You can preventing these cracks by installing contraction joints; below is more information about these important features and their installation.
If you're hoping to replace your tired old countertops with something more modern and durable, you've likely considered popular options like quartz, granite, marble, or solid surface. However, many homeowners do not realize that concrete makes an excellent countertop and has plenty of advantages.
Just like any other countertop surface, there are specific advantages that concrete offers. How do you know if concrete is the right choice for your new or remodeled kitchen?
Concrete is one of the most versatile construction materials currently available. You'll find concrete used for everything from seawalls to countertops.
But not all concrete is exactly the same. When you choose concrete for a building project, you may have several options for the mixture contents and the laying process.
In this blog, we compare two common laying processes: precast concrete and onsite ready-mix pouring.