Types of Concrete and their Sustainability

Concrete was first made with fragments of stone or sand mixed with cementatous materials and water. Concrete has changed over the many years and today it is made with basically the same materials, but the main differences between concrete when it was first made and now, is the concretes strength and that it is produced in larger amounts. Some of the different types are:

• Reinforced concrete
• Prestressed concrete
• Pre-cast concrete
• Concrete Masonry
• Air-entrained concrete
• High early strength concrete
• and Lightweight concrete

What Concrete Does

Concrete, artificial engineering material made from a mixture of Portland cement, water, fine and coarse aggregates, and a small amount of air. It is among the most widely used construction materials in the world. Concrete is a material used in construction. It consists of cementatous materials, water, aggregate and coarse aggregate.

How Concrete Works

The way concrete works is by solidifying and hardening after the mixing process has taken place. This happens because of the chemical process known as hydration. This eventually makes a stone like material, concrete. The two major components of concrete are a cement paste and inert materials. The cement paste consists of Portland cement, water, and some air either in the form of naturally entrapped air voids or air bubbles. The inert materials are usually composed of fine aggregate (which is a material such as sand) and coarse aggregate, such as gravel, crushed stone, or slag. In general, fine aggregate particles are smaller than 6.4 mm in size, and coarse aggregate particles are larger. Depending on the...