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Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, [1] and is the most widely used building material. [2] Its usage worldwide, ton for ton, is twice that of steel, wood, plastics, and aluminium combined. [3]
Concrete is the most widely used material in existence and is behind only water as the planet's most-consumed resource. [ 2 ] Cements used in construction are usually inorganic , often lime - or calcium silicate -based, and are either hydraulic or less commonly non-hydraulic , depending on the ability of the cement to set in the presence of ...
To avoid the flash setting of concrete, due to the very fast hydration of the tricalcium aluminate (C 3 A), 2–5 wt. % calcium sulfate is interground with the cement clinker to prepare the cement powder. In cement chemist notation, CaSO 4 is abbreviated as C S, and CaSO 4 ·2H 2 O as C S H 2.
A chemical reaction called hydration causes the paste to harden and strengthen to create concrete. “Unlike cement, concrete is a hard material that appears like a stone,” Sanders says.
Concrete has a very low coefficient of thermal expansion, and as it matures concrete shrinks. All concrete structures will crack to some extent, due to shrinkage and tension. Concrete which is subjected to long-duration forces is prone to creep. The density of concrete varies, but is around 2,400 kilograms per cubic metre (150 lb/cu ft). [1]
The most common use for portland cement is in the production of concrete. [17] Concrete is a composite material consisting of aggregate (gravel and sand), cement, and water. As a construction material, concrete can be cast in almost any shape desired, and once hardened, can become a structural (load bearing) element.
When water is added to cement, each of the compounds undergoes hydration and contributes to the final state of the concrete. [2] Only calcium silicates contribute to the strength. Tricalcium silicate is responsible for most of the early strength (first 7 days). [3] Dicalcium silicate, which reacts more slowly, only contributes to late strength.
Sodium silicate is a generic name for chemical compounds with the formula Na 2x Si y O 2y+x or (Na 2 O) x · (SiO 2) y, such as sodium metasilicate (Na 2 SiO 3), sodium orthosilicate (Na 4 SiO 4), and sodium pyrosilicate (Na 6 Si 2 O 7). The anions are often polymeric. These compounds are generally colorless transparent solids or white powders ...