Research Paper

Waste Reduction Concrete Production

Concrete is widely used product world-wide for construction, sidewalks, buildings, and etc. The purpose of my project is to see if the strength of concrete can be affected by the ratio of sand to cement, and what happens to the components of concrete during the curing process, and how long does concrete take to cure for maximum strength. My project will show people how different amounts of sand to cement affect concrete in strength, texture and hardness.

Concrete is a construction material composed mainly of cement, sand, and water. Concrete is used in a lot of constructions, sidewalk, roads, foundations of buildings and structures, and many other things are built using concrete. It is very important to construction, and it can be strengthened in tension by adding reinforcing bars made of iron or steel. Concrete has relatively high compressive strength, but significantly lower tensile strength, and as such is usually reinforced with materials that are strong in tension (Concrete). About 7.5 cubic kilometers of concrete are made each year that is more than one cubic meter for each person on Earth (Concrete). During the Roman Empire, Roman concrete was made from quicklime, pozzolanic ash, and an aggregate of pumice. The widespread use of concrete in many Roman structures has ensured that many survive to the present day (Concrete). The secret of concrete was lost for 13 centuries until 1756, when the British engineer John Smeaton pioneered the use of hydraulic lime in concrete, using pebbles and powdered brick as aggregate (Concrete). Portland cement was first used in concrete in the early 1840s (Concrete). This version of history has been challenged however, as the Canal du Midi was constructed using concrete in 1670 (Concrete). The elasticity of concrete is relatively constant at low stress levels but starts decreasing at higher stress levels as matrix cracking develops. Concrete solidifies and hardens after mixing with water and placement due to a chemical process known as hydration. Hydration and hardening of concrete during the first three days is critical. The water reacts with the cement, which bonds the other components together, eventually creating a stone-like material. Concrete is used more than any other man-made material in the world. Curing is one of the most important steps in concrete construction, because proper curing greatly increases concrete strength and durability, this happens after the concrete has been placed, and cement requires a moist, controlled environment to gain strength and harden fully. Fine and coarse aggregates make up the bulk of a concrete mixture. Sand, natural gravel and crushed stone are mainly used for this purpose. Concrete hardens as a result of hydration: the chemical reaction between cement and water. If concrete can be made better and stronger, than it will help resist destruction of buildings and structures during earthquakes and floods.

In conclusion, I have learned of the key steps to make concrete, and what concrete is made of, What kinds of things are concrete used for, and its importance in society, such as how much is it used for, and for what, like construction, sidewalks, building, and etc.

Works Cited

· "Concrete: Table of Contents." Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 1995. 3 December 2009.

· "Cement and Concrete Basics: Frequently Asked Questions." Portland Cement Association. Portland Cement Association, 2006. Web. 3 December 2009.

· "Curing Concrete: What is curing and what does it do to the concrete." Concrete network. Fortress stabilization system and many more, 1999. Web. 3 December 2009.

· “Curing Concrete.” Tkproduct.com. TK Products, N.P. Web. 3 December 2009.

· "Concrete." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, 2 December 2009. Web. 3 December 2009.