Saturday, August 17, 2013

Use Precast Concrete To Realize Building Benefits

Use Precast Concrete To Realize Building Benefits

By Adam Prince


Concrete is a versatile building material that is currently used all over the world. Concrete, in its most basic formula, is a mixture of aggregate (usually some type of gravel or sand), cement (used to bind the aggregate), and water (which allows the concrete to be shaped and also creates the hardness). To this may be added other materials in order to achieve various affects.

The Romans, who perfected the use of concrete in the ancient world, often added various things to their formulations to accomplish specific outcomes. If they wanted to reduce the chance that cracks would appear, they added animal hair; if they wanted the concrete to be more resilient, they added animal blood. One excellent advancement for building bridges came when they discovered that adding volcanic ash allowed the concrete to set while it was fully submerged in water.

One clear advantage modern concrete has over Roman types is reinforcement. Concrete is incredibly strong in terms of compression (crushing), but has less resistance to tensile forces (stretching). By including something in the concrete that has high tensile strength, such as steel bars, builders have created "reinforced" concrete, which has been of tremendous use to the construction industry.

Another innovation in terms of the use of concrete in construction is precasting. Often, concrete is molded and poured where it is needed. A precast concrete strategy creates concrete pieces, such as slabs or pillars, away from the job site -normally in a concrete "factory" called a precast plant - and then ships these products to where they are needed.

Precast concrete is an advancement over "regular" concrete in many ways. The most obvious is the elimination of any delay around curing the concrete. Precast pieces arrive ready to be installed, and once they are installed, other pieces can be installed on top of them. They are fully cured. There is no risk and no uncertainty.

And when it comes to strength, precast concrete is unmatched, because it has been made with care under conditions that cannot be replicated out in the open air (or even inside a building under construction). From the specialists that do the pouring to the heavy duty reusable molds that form the products to the climate-controlled air, precast concrete is made in perfect circumstances. And it is allowed to cure to maximum hardness, never rushed.

Anyone who is contemplating Where to Get Precast Concrete Products in Ontario is advised to conduct a careful search. Question potential firms on their experience in procuring precast concrete products, as well as their experience when best to use them. Precast concrete can be a boon to both budget and building, provided it is correctly used.




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