On Earth there are different types of concrete, concrete is the man-made substance that is most frequently utilized. It is a crucial building component that is widely employed in structures including buildings, bridges, highways, and dams. It can be used for structural purposes as well as for paviors, kerbs, pipelines, and drains.
There are countless uses for new concrete. Squares, rectangles, and circles are just a few of the shapes that they may be poured and cast into. Moreover, it can be utilized for typical constructions like stairs, columns, doors, beams, and lentils. Several grades of concrete, such as regular, standard, and high-strength, are produced. These grades describe what kind of construction projects can use the concrete and how much pressure it can withstand. Well, in this article I’ll be discussing the various types of concrete.
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Contents
Types of Concrete
Below are the various types of concrete:
- Normal Strength Concrete
- Air-Entrained Concrete
- Volumetric Concrete
- Ready-Mix Concrete
- Reinforced Concrete
- Stamped Concrete
- Plain or Ordinary Concrete
- Self-Consolidated Concrete
- Prestressed Concrete
- Precast Concrete
- Lightweight Concrete
- High-Density Concrete
- Decorative Concrete
- Polymer Concrete
- Rapid-Set Concrete
Normal Strength Concrete
We can produce normal-strength concrete by combining the fundamental ingredients of cement, water, and aggregate. These types of concrete range in strength from 10 MPa to 40 MPa. The normal strength concrete requires an initial set period of 30 to 90 minutes, depending on the cement’s characteristics and the local weather.
When pavement or a building doesn’t require high tensile strength, it is typically used. Due to its poor ability to endure the stresses brought on by wind loads or vibrations, it is not very good for many other buildings.
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Air-Entrained Concrete
These concrete kinds contain 3 to 6% of the concrete that is purposefully entrained with air. Foams or gas-foaming agents are added to the concrete to achieve air entrainment.
The air is entrained in the concrete by adding several foaming agents during the mixing process, including:
- Fatty acids
- Resins
- Alcohols
Between 3 and 6 percent of the concrete’s volume is made up of entrained air. Air is entrained in almost all concrete used in cold climates or areas subject to freeze-thaw cycles.
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Volumetric Concrete
To solve the issue of great distances between the concrete plant and construction sites, this concrete was developed as an alternative to ready-mix concrete. Volumetric mobile mixers, and specialized trucks, are needed. They transport the water and components for the concrete that will be mixed on the job site.
When a builder needs two distinct kinds of concrete mix at one location, volumetric concrete is quite helpful. One truck can create two distinct mixes of concrete since the concrete may be mixed and delivered as needed. It is especially helpful when working on huge building sites, basement renovations, and many projects that need various types of concrete.
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Ready-Mix Concrete
Ready-mix concrete is defined as concrete that has been mixed and cleaned in a central mixing plant. A truck-mounted transit mixer is used to transport the ready-mixed concrete to the job site. Once arrived on the site, this can be used right away without any more preparation.
Ready-mixed concrete is extremely accurate, and specialized concrete can be created based on the specification with the highest quality. A central mixing plant will be necessary for the production of this concrete. The location of these plants will be a variable distance from the construction site. Concrete will be set if the transporting process is too prolonged. The employment of agents that retard the setting helps to address such time-delay difficulties.
Because of the superior precision of the combination and the fact that the concrete is already ready to be poured, ready-mix concrete is preferred to concrete made on-site. Among other things, ready-mix concrete can be used for walls, roads, and buildings.
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Reinforced Concrete
The concrete that has reinforcement added to it to support the tensile strength is referred to as reinforced cement concrete. Simple concrete is strong in compression but weak in tension. Thus, sustaining the tensile stresses will be the responsibility of the reinforcing location.
To prevent cracking or breakage, these reinforcements withstand tensile stresses. When this is going on, concrete itself withstands compressive stresses to support heavy weight. In opposition to numerous applied forces, including cars, the two materials work well together to form a solid connection. They essentially merge into a single structural component.
Concrete that has been strengthened with steel fibers is known as fiber-reinforced concrete. Mesh used in concrete results in ferrocement. Regardless of the type of reinforcement utilized in concrete, it is imperative to guarantee a strong link between the two. The strength and endurance of the concrete will be regulated by this bond.
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Stamped Concrete
Architectural concrete that may be realistically decorated with designs resembling natural stones, granites, and tiles is known as stamped concrete. Whilst the concrete is still in its plastic state, these stamping operations are performed on it. Finally, various coloring stains and texture treatments will produce a finish that closely resembles more expensive natural stones.
The following are a few benefits of stamped concrete:
- Compared to natural pavers and stone, affordability
- simple to maintain once sealed
- with the addition of a non-skid component, becomes non-slip
- increases the value and improves outdoor space
- Many design and color options that are strong and long-lasting
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Plain or Ordinary Concrete
There won’t be any reinforcing in the plain concrete. The cement, aggregates, and water make up the majority of the mixture. The typical mix design, which is most frequently utilized, is 1:2:4. Plain concrete will range in density from 2200 to 2500 Kg/meter cube. 200 to 500 kg/cm2 is the range for compressive strength. In places where there is less demand for high tensile strength, these forms of concrete are mostly employed to build buildings and pavements. Certain types of concrete provide a high degree of satisfaction in terms of durability.
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Self-Consolidated Concrete
Self-consolidated concrete is defined as concrete that will compact on its own weight when it is poured. It is not necessary to give vibration for the same independently. This mixture is more workable. Between 650 and 750 will be the declining value. Due to its greater workability, this concrete is also known as flowing concrete. Self-consolidating concrete performs best in locations with strong reinforcement.
The following are some advantages of self-consolidated concrete:
- Self-leveling Better toughened characteristics
- more effective consolidation in crowded locations
- safer working conditions decreased use of labor and equipment
- increased flexibility in the detailing
- smoother elements
- lowered noise
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Prestressed Concrete
For many substantial concrete projects, prestressed concrete units are used. You need to employ a unique method in order to produce prestressed concrete. It has bars or tendons, just like reinforced concrete does. Yet before the concrete is applied, these bars or tendons are under stress.
Heavy machinery and labor-intensive skills will be needed for the prestressing procedure (jacks and equipment for tensioning). The prestressing equipment is therefore manufactured and assembled on-site. They are applied to bridges, heavily laden constructions, and longer-span roofs.
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Precast Concrete
Different structural components can be manufactured and cast in the factory in accordance with the specifications, then transported to the assembly site. Precast concrete refers to these concrete units. Concrete blocks, stair railings, precast walls and poles, concrete lintels, and many more components are examples of precast concrete units. These units have the benefit of having a quick construction process since only assembly is required. Quality is guaranteed due to on-site manufacture. The only safety measure is to ensure their transit.
Precast concrete has the benefit of quick assembly. The units are of extremely high quality because they are produced in a factory.
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Lightweight Concrete
Any type of concrete with a density under 1920 kg/m3 is referred to as lightweight concrete. Lightweight aggregates are used to make lightweight concrete. Aggregates are components that increase the density of a certain concrete type. These lightweight aggregates are created from a variety of raw, manufactured, and artificial materials, such as:
- Clays
- Vermiculite
- Pumice
- Expanded shales
- Scoria
- Perlite
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High-Density Concrete
Heavyweight concrete can be defined as concrete with a density of between 3000 and 4000 kg/m3. Heavy-weight aggregates are utilized here. The coarse aggregates are made of crushed rocks. Barytes is the most often used heavy-weight aggregate. The most typical applications for these aggregates include the construction of nuclear power plants and related projects. The construction will be better able to withstand any form of radiation thanks to the large weight aggregate.
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Polymer Concrete
Aggregates used in polymer concrete, as opposed to other types of concrete, are joined in a matrix by polymer rather than cement. This form of concrete is constructed with high-compressive-strength components such as quartz, silica, granite pebbles, and limestone gravels. The capacity of the concrete to bind can be harmed if these materials are not dry, clean, and dust-free.
The aggregate acts as the material for compressive stress, while the polymer resin acts as the binder. Composites made of polymer and concrete have a unique combination of characteristics. These qualities include, among others:
- temperatures that cure quickly
- Good adherence to surfaces
- Long-term robustness
- high tensile, compressive, and flexural strengths
- low water permeability and a little amount of solution
- Simple formulation
- strong resistance to chemicals
Decorative Concrete
Concrete mixes that are visually and aesthetically pleasing are produced using decorative concrete. Many procedures can be used to create decorative concrete, including:
- Coloring
- Polishing
- stitching
- Molding
applying ornamental toppings
It is perfect for any project where you want to add some style. It’s also a terrific way to add a touch of “personality” to dull surfaces or structures. For instance, ornamental concrete can be used effectively for flooring and swimming pools.
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Rapid-Set Concrete
As the name suggests, this concrete will get stronger a few hours after they are made. As a result, it is simple to remove the formwork, which accelerates the building’s development. They are often utilized in road repairs since they may be reused after a short period of time.
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Types of concrete FAQs
What are the 3 types of concrete?
The three most popular varieties of concrete—cast-in-place, precast, and prestressed—will be discussed in this article. The most popular kind of concrete used in buildings is cast-in-place concrete.
What is the most common type of concrete?
Concrete of standard strength. The most popular type of concrete is normal strength concrete, sometimes known as “regular” concrete, which is composed mostly of cement, aggregates, and water.
What is concrete and what types of concrete?
Cement (often Portland cement), water, coarse aggregates, and fine aggregates are all combined to create concrete, a composite building material. Concrete is a crucial part of residential and commercial construction all over the world, being used in everything from streets and patios to airport runways and bridges.
What are the classifications of concrete?
- Hydro-technical concretes.
- Concretes for pavement structure.
- Prestressed concretes.
- Precast concretes.
- Decorative (visible) concretes.
- Concretes for radiation protection (heavy-weight concrete)
- The thermal insulating concretes (lightweight concretes)
- The waterproofing concretes.
What are the two types of concrete?
Different types of concrete are:
- Normal Strength Concrete.
- Plain or Ordinary Concrete.
- Reinforced Concrete.
- Light – Weight Concrete.
- High-Density Concrete.
- Air Entrained Concrete.
- Ready Mix Concrete.
- Polymer Concrete. Polymer concrete. Polymer cement concrete. Polymer-impregnated concrete.
What are Type 1 and Type 2 concrete?
Portland cement Type I is an all-purpose material appropriate for most applications. Structures in water or soil with a considerable level of sulfate are classified as Category II. Type II(MH) is cement with a moderate level of sulfate resistance and moderate heat production during curing.
What 4 materials are in concrete?
Cement, fine aggregate, coarse aggregate, water, chemical admixtures, and mineral admixtures are the main components of the concrete mix. Reinforcing bars, wire mesh, and other reinforcing fibers may also be present in concrete used in construction.
What is C25 concrete?
C25 denotes that, 28 days after the concrete has been laid, the concrete mix has a minimum compressive strength of 25 newtons. The number after the letter C, which stands for concrete, denotes the concrete’s strength.
That’s all for this article, where we’ve discussed the following type of concrete.
- Normal Strength Concrete
- Air-Entrained Concrete
- Volumetric Concrete
- Ready-Mix Concrete
- Reinforced Concrete
- Stamped Concrete
- Plain or Ordinary Concrete
- Self-Consolidated Concrete
- Prestressed Concrete
- Precast Concrete
- Lightweight Concrete
- High-Density Concrete
- Decorative Concrete
- Polymer Concrete
- Rapid-Set Concrete
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