What is concrete made of?

This is a question I asked myself when starting my business and I realize that many people, with good reason, do not know the difference between cement and concrete!

Let's talk about concrete powder!

Concrete powder is actually a mixture of several things like cement, water, aggregates like sand and admixtures. Other ingredients can be used, but here I am talking about the fairly general basic recipe.

Let's take a look at each of these elements together.

Cement

Cement is a hydraulic binder, what that means is that it hardens under the action of water. Used in the preparation of my concrete. There are different types of cement such as pure Portland cement, compound Portland cement, blast furnace cement...

With cement alone, you can make small fillings, joints.

Aggregates

These are different mineral grains. The rocks are all different, so the size and shape of the aggregates vary a lot so we have a choice.

One can use sand or rocks and even crush rocks. You can even recycle demolition concrete. We take those we need according to their characteristics such as diameter, moisture absorption, shape, frost resistance, etc.

Water

An essential element for human survival, but also essential in the composition of concrete. Without water, the concrete mix does not form anything solid and does not harden. This allows it to be manipulated and used. However, too much of it will affect the strength of your concrete.

Additives

Can help increase the quality, strength and performance of concrete. It is usually used in low doses in the recipe. Several conditions come into play when it comes to adjuvants. The type of cement, the dosage, the way of mixing the products...

Other things like fibers and pigments can be added to our recipe, but I believe with this information you understand that cement and concrete are not the same thing.

Stay tuned for more articles...leave us your comments.

Thanks!

Sources:

information

Cement Quebec