If you visit any construction site, you would have heard concrete and cement constantly. But many use cement and concrete interchangeably. However, cement is one of the ingredients used in making concrete. Concrete is nothing but a vital construction material made from the aggregates like sand, cement, stone, and water. The mixture solidifies and hardens due to the hydration process and acts as a perfect placement for the building materials to stay intact. Hence, many building constructors in Chennai use this concrete in every project extensively. However, there are different types of concrete for your building to stand still for the years to come. These different concrete types are classified based on the three factors, namely,
- Material type
- Stress condition
- Density
Therefore, let us see the different concrete types that are used in the construction process.
Ordinary Concrete:
The foremost type of concrete commonly used for every project is ordinary concrete. The major constituents of ordinary concrete are cement, sand, and other coarse aggregates with a specified quantity of water. However, contractors can vary the amount of the products as per the requirements. The average aggregate mixing ratio of cement, sand and other aggregates is 1:2:4. This ordinary concrete is used in making buildings and pavements, which does not require much tensile strength. The best house construction companies in Chennai use ordinary concrete in their projects, even for dams, to fulfil the fundamental requirements.
Lightweight concrete:
Another prime type base mixture used for many projects is lightweight concrete. The concrete with a density below 1920 Kg/m3 are classified under the lightweight concrete and includes organic materials like scoria and pumice. In some cases, the top civil engineering companies in Chennai include artificial aggregates like expanded clays and shales or processed vermiculite and perlite.
The most excellent property in lightweight concrete is its low thermal conductivity. For instance, the thermal conductivity of ordinary concrete ranges from 10-12, whereas for lightweight concrete is 0.3. The lightweight concrete is used to protect the steel structures because of their outstanding thermal insulation and composition. They are also used in safeguarding the bridge decks and building blocks for their longevity.
High-density concrete:
Thirdly, the contractors use high-density concrete for the structures to stay stable. The concrete that ranges between 3000-4000 Kg/m3 comes under the high-density concrete. The high-density concrete comprises coarse aggregates like crushed rocks, stones, and gravel. The most commonly used aggregate in high-density concrete is Barytes, with a specific gravity ranging from 4.5. Hence, because of their high density and excellent strength, they are used to construct projects like power plants for nuclear radiation and related activity.
Reinforced concrete:
It is a commonly used concrete type and popular in recent times. The reinforced concrete includes components like steel in different forms to the concrete mixture to enhance the tensile strength. It is also called RCC and is applied to the bars, rods, and meshes. Thus, the best house construction companies in Chennai use RCC to bear all the stress in the construction.
Hence, these are the different concrete types used in the construction industry. Thus, approach Sathvik – the best builders in Velachery, to give your structure a unique construction style.