Concrete

=Concrete =



===Concrete is the material of mixing cement with aggregate (gravel, pebble and sand) and water. The cement mixture with sand and water is called mortar. ===

===The main structural characteristic of concrete is resisting the compression stresses, but it not has good resistance to other types of forces (tensile, bending, cutting, etc.), for this reason is associated with using steel, receiving name of reinforced concrete. When projecting a reinforced concrete structure set the dimensions of the elements, the type of concrete, additives, and steel to be placed in light of efforts to be carried and environmental conditions it is exposed. ===

===Its use is common in works of architecture and engineering, such as buildings, bridges, dams, ports, canals, and tunnels. Even in those buildings whose main structure is made of steel, its use is essential to form the foundation. ===

Definitions (Concepts found in the text)

 * ===**Concrete **  is a manufactured mixture of cement and water, with aggregates of sand and stones, which hardens rapidly by chemical combination to a stone like, water-and-fire-resisting solid of great compressive but low tensile strength. ===


 * ===**Reinforced concrete **  was developed to add the tensile strength of steel to the compressive strength of mass concrete. It was invented (1849) by Joseph Monier, who received a patent in 1867. He exhibited his invention at the Paris Exposition of 1867. Besides his pots and tubs, Joseph Monier promoted reinforced concrete for use in railway ties, pipes, floors, arches, and bridges. The metal is embedded by being set as a mesh into the forms before pouring, and in the hardened material the two act uniformly. The combination is much more versatile than either product; it serves not only for constructing rigid frames but also for foundations, columns, walls, floors, and a limitless variety of coverings, and it does not require the addition of other structural materials. Although the making of forms is a slow and costly process, the technique competes economically with steel frame construction because the mesh, composed of thin, bendable metal rods or metal fabric, employs far less steel, and concrete is itself inexpensive. ===


 * ===**The steel reinforcement **  is employed to take full advantage of the plastic, or sculptural, character of concrete. It can be joined or bent to unify supporting members with the floors and the coverings they carry. ===


 * ===**Concrete-shell ** <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> construction permits the erection of vast vaults and domes with a concrete and steel content so reduced that the thickness is comparatively less than that of an eggshell. ===


 * ===**<span style="background-color: #008080; color: #ffff00; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Precast-concrete **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">construction employs bricks, slabs, and supports made under optimal factory conditions to increase waterproofing and solidity, to decrease time and cost in erection, and to reduce expansion and contractions. ===


 * ===**<span style="background-color: #008080; color: #ffff00; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Prestressed concrete **<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> provides bearing members into which reinforcement is set under tension to produce a live force to resist a particular load. Since the member acts like a spring, it can carry a greater load than an unstressed member of the same size. ===

<span style="background-color: #008080; color: #ffff00; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Concrete-Shell


==**<span style="background-color: #008080; color: #ffff00; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">What is the difference between tiltwall construction, tilt-up panel construction and pre-cast concrete construction? **==

===<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Several terms - tilt-up panel construction, tiltwall construction, and precast concrete building construction - are used to reference new or non-traditional cement building processes. === ===<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Clearly, tilt-up or tiltwall construction and precast concrete are similar processes. Because tilt-up affords more flexibility, it is the method of choice in locations where the weather allows it. Precast concrete is a suitable choice in circumstances where environmental factors and the construction schedule preclude tiltwall as a viable option. ===
 * ==**<span style="background-color: #008080; color: #ffff00; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Tiltwall Construction **== || ==<span style="background-color: #008080; color: #ffff00; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**<span style="color: #ffff00; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Tilt-up Construction ** == || ==**__<span style="background-color: #008080; color: #ffff00; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Pre-cast Concrete __**== ||
 * ===<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">For a tilt-up concrete building, the walls are created by assembling forms and pouring large slabs of concrete called panels directly at the job site. The panels are then tilted up into position around the building's slab. Because the concrete tiltwall forms are assembled and poured directly at the job site, no transportation of panels is required. One major benefit of this is that the size of the panels is limited only by the needs of the building and the strength of the concrete panels themselves. === || === Concrete tilt-up walls are poured outdoors; contractors are at the mercy of climatic conditions. When temperatures drop below freezing, curing the concrete panels becomes more difficult and expensive. === || ===<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The precast concrete building process is similar to tilt-up construction, but it addresses the challenges presented by weather. For precast concrete buildings, work crews do not set up forms at the job site to create the panels. Instead, workers pre cast concrete panels at a large manufacturing facility. Because the precast concrete forms are poured indoors, this activity can take place regardless the weather conditions. After curing, the precast concrete panels are trucked to the job site. From this point, precast concrete buildings are assembled in much the same manner as tiltwall buildings. === ||

<span style="background-color: #008080; color: #ffff00; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Podcast (Use of Concrete)
===<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Concrete as a building material that has a variety of applications in architecture and engineering. Each of them directed to a specific structural function. Among the most important uses are in the construction of bridges, buildings, canals, ports and others. Well basically the concrete is considered as a fundamental element for the formation of the basement or foundation and other structures. Furthermore, its composition allows you to have some particular characteristics that make them very attractive for supporting forces in the buildings. ===