Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. In the past, limebased cement binders were often used, such as lime putty, but sometimes with other hydraulic cements, such as a calcium aluminate cement or with Portland cement to form Portland cement (for its visual resemblance to Portland stone). Many other non-cementitious types of concrete exist with different methods of binding aggregate together, including asphalt concrete with a bitumen binder, which is frequently used for road surfaces, and polymer concretes that, well, uses polymers as a binder.
Types of Concrete Construction
Concrete is generally used in two types of construction. plain concrete construction (PCC) and reinforced concrete construction. In PCC, it is poured and casted without use of any reinforcement. This is used when the structural member is subjected only to the compressive forces and not bending.
When a structural member is subjected to bending, reinforcements are required to withstand tension forces structural member as it is very weak in tension compared to compression. Generally, strength of concrete in tension is only 10% of its strength in compression.
It is used as a construction material for almost all types of structures such as residential concrete buildings, industrial structures, dams, roads, tunnels, multi storey buildings, skyscrapers, bridges, sidewalks and superhighways etc.
