Concrete
Some people use the terms “cement” and “concrete” interchangeably - but that is not correct. Cement is a powder that equates to the “glue” in concrete. When mixed with water and aggregates that glue reacts to form the familiar hardened concrete. You wouldn’t call bread flour - so don’t call concrete cement!
Concrete, because of its superior properties, has become a term used to describe something strong, significant, and long lasting. This great construction material is versatile. Concrete can be used in the widest range of building applications. You can use concrete to build:
Roads
Walkways
Office Buildings, and Sky Scrapers
Homes
Architectural Accents
Concrete is a naturally “green” building material. The materials that go into making concrete are very natural. Concrete can be easily disposed of and/or recycled. Concrete is also more frequently being made with already recycled materials to even enhance its already environmental friendliness. Fly ash and ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS) are materials that instead of being land filled are improving the characteristics of concrete mixes.
Concrete is a mixture of Portland Cement, coarse aggregate. fine aggregate (sand) and water. Most often additional materials are added to the mix to obtain the desired properties - including chemical admixtures, fly ash and Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCM). Concrete professionals utilize these tools to arrive a mixture that will deliver the final properties specified by the owner. Among the key properties are final strength, durability, slump (which is how easy the concrete will flow when delivered by the truck). A typical concrete plant is shown below.
This is a batch plant where the process begins. The tall silos hold cement powder while the different size aggregates can be seen in bins on the right side. A computer system makes sure the proper amount of each ingredient makes it into the truck.