Constituents of concrete
Although concrete is the most consumed
construction material on earth, most people tend not to know much
about it, how it is made, how flexible it is and for how long it
can last.
The oldest concrete discovered dates from
around
7,000 BC, a concrete floor that was uncovered
during the construction of a road in Israel in 1985. More famous
concrete structures include the theatre at Pompeii, The Colosseum
and Pantheon in Rome, and the Pont du Gard Aqueduct in France
1.
After the collapse of the Roman Empire its
secrets were almost lost, only to be rediscovered in more recent
times. Its modern development spans less than 200 years and during
the last few decades there have been remarkable developments: new
structures, new construction techniques and even new kinds of
concrete.
Concrete today is manufactured by mixing cement,
water, sand and coarse aggregate with or without admixtures,
additions, fibres or pigments. It is produced, proportioned
and engineered to each specific job.
To find out more about the individual materials
that together make up concrete please click on the following
links:
References and further reading
1. Concrete through the ages: from 7000 BC to AD 2000, British
Cement Association, UK, 1999