Construction Materials and Terms

Construction Materials and Terms

Aggregate : Means all particles of sand, broken stone or gravel etc., used in making Concrete.

Bulking : The increase in volume of sand or aggregate caused by the absorption of Water.

Concrete : Concrete is a building material that consists of prescribed quantities of Cement, Sand, Aggregates and water. When mixed, transported and placed, the concrete hardens and solidifies through the process of hydration since the water reacts with cement and bonds other components finally leading to a stone like material.

Curing : Keeping the concrete damp after it has been placed in its position to complete the chemical combination of cement and water

Final Setting: Occurs when the concrete has definitely set but has not yet hardened.

Time sufficiently for the framework to be removed. Final set occurs in about 3 to 4 hours with ordinary cement and should not take more than 10 hours.

Hardening : ls‘ the process that indicates the growth in strength of a mortar in or concrete and commences at the end of the initial set.

Initial Setting: The period elapsed between the time when water first added to Time of cement neat cement to form a paste and the time when that paste ceases to be fluid and plastic to a specified degree under the specified conditions of test.

Lean mix : A concrete mix having a low cement content

Screeding : Obtaining a level surface as the correct height by means of a piece of wood or metal having a straight edge.

See More Storage of Construction Materials

Setting : is the chemical action which begins to take place when water is added to cement and which causes the plastic nature of cement to disappear slowly. We have initial set and final set of cement

Segregation : The separating out of particles of different sizes in a concrete mix. The heavier aggregates settle at the bottom. The strength of the concrete is adversely affected due to segregation.

Striking : Dismantling and removal of formwork or centering.

Workability: That property of the freshly mixed concrete(or mortar) which determines the ease or difficulty with which it can be handled so as to produce full compaction.

Above all are general Construction Materials and terms.

Ebook to read Concrete Building Scheme Design Manual