Way to make concrete

How to make a concrete.

Firstly, we will need to prepare several main materials, which are sand, gravel, water and cement.
Then, mix the sand and gravel well before adding in the cement.
Mix them well. After that, add in water. We will need to add in the water slowly while mixing them so that it will not cause slumps.

This is the video of making a concrete.

Types of bricks :)

There are many several types of bricks. Deciding which brick to use is an important consideration. The four most common types of bricks are:

i. Engineering Block – They’re not particularly attractive looking bricks but they are tenacious and solid and so very useful.

ii. Facing Bricks – this is a very common type of brick which is generally used in small or medium sized projects.

iii. Reclaimed Bricks – these are normally cheap bricks which you can get from other areas of the house or other demolished houses.

iv. Decorative Bricks – these help to add beauty or add a classy look to existing brickwork that might look boring to you.

 

A house made of bricks & cement block have an impression of being solid and durable. According to a study, bricks houses are highly demanded.

Therefore brick & block are mostly used for build a house or high rise building for it to last longer~ Thank you for reading. =D

pros and cons of brick and block

Advantage:

-It can withstand heat thus giving fire protection to the house or buildings 
-It has better sound performance where it able to block the sound from outside.
-It also offers lower utility cost. Energy efficient homes its inherent mass qualities help keep a home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.
-It reduces the nation’s energy needs and produce a cleaner environment
-It offers wide range of non-fade colors.
-It does not require painting  for protection from being destroyed like woods. 
-It is a load bearing material which is it also help to support the building. 
-It is virtually maintenance-free. It never needs painting, caulking or staining.
-It won't burn or rot like other finish materials

As for the advantage of block, let’s look at the construction strength.
- Concrete block homes is better in withstand hurricane, tornado and earthquake with the help of steel reinforcement. Poured concrete are added in the central hollow space of the block walls.
- While for the appraisal value( projection of future cash flows), the labor costs and material used to construct block homes are cheaper than wood frame home.
- Most importantly blocks are environmentally friendly material. The blocks are made from sustainable resources that are recyclable.
-Blocks are not subject to same damage as woods, therefore it require lesser repairs will lessen the impact on landfills.

Disadvantage:

-During extreme weather, it may cause degradation of the surface due to frost damage. 
-It adds a lot of weight to the foundation. Therefore it increases the stress of the foundation which stronger foundation needed to support this bricks.
- When the brick show some damage, it is unable to repair that part only but to remove the entire wall section which very costly. Plus, material used are largely related.
- Poorly made bricks such as clinkers and older recycled bricks might be pitted, irregularly shaped, worn or prone to chipping.
- In humid climates, porous brick invites mold. It suffers damage as water and ice expand and contract in its pores.
- Brick is not cost-effective for many home builders. It can be damaged by vines.

The disadvantage of block is not insulated for northern climates because the frame wall are not being insulated. Therefore, the cold air from the outside will transfer into the house. Besides, block is not vulnerable to fire, mold and termites.

Amazing stone building!

Stones or rock structures were one of the best building materials since ancient time. It brings some advantages and convenience:

- It is the longest lasting building material

- It is usually readily available

- It is dense so it gives protection to building

Rock structures were the ample resources for early settlers. Circular huts were constructed from loose granite rocks throughout the Neolithic and early Bronze Age, and the remains of an estimated 5,000 can still be seen today.



Granite continued to be used throughout the Medieval period and into modern times. Lets us see a good example of granite building. The Dartmoor Longhouse.

It is a type of traditional home, found on the high ground of Dartmoor, UK. Construction of this building is believed to have started in the 13th century. This type of longhouse, which was made of granite, still inhabited today while others have been converted into farm buildings.

Slate is another stone type, commonly used as roofing material in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world where it is found.



There are many famous building made up of rock structures such as granite rocks. The granite-strewn uplands of Dartmoor National Park, United Kingdom. Picture is below:

Mostly stone buildings can be seen in most major cities, some civilizations built entirely with stone such as the Pyramids in Egypt, the Aztec pyramids and the remains of the Inca civilization.

Picture above is the Aztec Pyramid. =)

That is the end of the topic. Hope you guys will enjoy reading. =D

Stone - Introduction

What is stone?

Stones( also seen as rocks), by definition are solid natural combination of minerals which forms the earth's crust. They are formed through different natural processes, depending on their type. Stones can be classified into sedimentary rock, metamorphic rock and igneous rock. Each of them varies in hardness, composition of minerals and formation process. 

1) sedimentary rock


How are they formed? 
Little fragments and sediments were eroded and redeposited by few thousand and even up to million years of wind and water. They settle below water, being compressed and cemented layer by layer, by the weight of water and themselves. Upon hardening, they form sedimentary rocks.


Nature: Soft and fairly porous






Examples of 
sedimentary rock: sandston, limestone, shale, conglomerate, gypsum.

2)metamorphic rock 

How are they formed?  

These rocks were once igneous or sedimentary rocks. Under extreme heat and pressure under earth, they changed in mineral forming metamorphic rock 

Nature: Hard and non-porous

Examples of metamorphic rock: schist, gneiss , marble , slate.

3) igneous rock

How are they formed?  

They are in molten state underground, called magma. After eruption of volcano, the magma comes to the surface as lava and upon cooling, it turns into igneous rock.

Nature:Hard and non-porous

Examples of igneous rock: granite, scoria, pumice, obsidian

The use of rock by humans dates back to prehistoric era such as the stone age and neolithic. Even though the stone age had ended long time ago, yet stone in architecture still remain till today.  

Stones are used in architecture because of their high durability, hence for protection purposes and stone buildings are built to last. They can be made into different sizes, shape,  colours and texture for different purposes such as roofing, flooring, walling, etc. Such stones that is being fabricated are called dimension stones. A classic example of a stone building is the pyramids in Giza.

Brick VS Blocks.

How much do you know about bricks & blocks?
Are they the same? they have differences? and similarities?
Today's topic will find out answer for you! :)


First we talk about Bricks.

Building professionals considered brick as one of the most environmentally friendly building materials in the market, and for sure, it's been on the market for a long long time! 
So what is brick? Bricks are rectangular blocks, most commonly made from clay, shale, slate, concrete, calcium silicate or stone. It is produced by mixing with sand and water, then pressed the clay into steel moulds and heated at high temperature at 1000°c which keeps in the strength of brick.
Want to know some facts about bricks? Bricks are actually a great insulators. Heat energy from the sun during the day will be store and only release for several hours after sun has set. Therefore, in hot climates, this thermal lag can translate into energy savings and increase comfort for the occupants.
Besides, The Great Wall of China is constructed and made of 3,873,000,000 individual bricks!


And now, let's talk about Blocks.

In general, size, usage, purpose and composition of bricks and blocks make the difference. 

So what is block? Block is commonly made from concrete. Block are more larger size than brick. Blocks are more on used as partitions in interior applications, exterior application and also structural of a building. 

For example of block, a concrete block. It is a building materials primarily used in the construction of walls. Most concrete blocks have one or more hollow cavities, and their sides may be cast smooth or with design as well. To form the wall, concrete blocks are stacked one at a time and held together with fresh concrete mortar.

Famous Blocks and Bricks Building

Different building materials can come out with different types of building design and different building materials have different function. Bricks and blocks are hardly being seen everywhere. However, we have to admit that they did exist.

Lets have a look at some other interesting building designed and built by blocks and bricks around the world.

BLOCKS

The above building is the Ottoman Building. This building is made of a combination of bricks, stones and blocks. This historical building is located at Erzurum province. 

BRICKS

This is Town Hall located at St. Mary. This building well display brick checkerboard patterning. Darker bricks are also used for string courses and sill bands.

Yamen's Capital is well known for the streets that full with brick buildings. 

There are also many other beautiful houses that are made up of blocks and bricks.

These Brick building are mostly historical building. It has successfully shown us the beauty of the combination of bricks. 

Future of concrete!

Concrete Printing Process developed at Loughborough University in the UK is capable of producing building components with a degree of customisation that has not yet been seen. It could create a new era of architecture that is adapted to the... environment and easy for the engineering function. This concrete printing will be use in future, so that can create many different shape easily, increase the efficiency of the construction project.
 

No one can say with certainty what the future will bring, but we know that change will come. The improvements of products combined with new technologies and techniques will lead to advances in efficiency and better end products.
 

Several industry leaders had invited to predict upon what might be in store for the concrete construction industry in its next 50 years. Several have focused on advancements in materials, while others focused on improved equipment and techniques. And for many, the future hinges on what concrete offers for sustainable construction.

We hope you enjoy our thoughts. 

Characteristics of Concrete

These are the characteristics of the concrete.


Elasticity

The elasticity of concrete is relatively constant at low stress levels but it starts to decrease at the higher stress levels as matrix cracking occurs. Which means when it exerts the compression limit, it will crack usually in a vertical direction. . 

Craking

As it matures, it shrinks. Shrinkage and tension will cause all the concrete structures to crack up to some extent. Creep will occurs on the concrete that has been subjected to a long-duration of forces. The density of concrete varies by the components of it, but it is around 2,400 kg/m³.  Thus, concrete would always fail from tensile stresses. Therefore, concrete elements are always subjected to tensile stresses that must be reinforced with materials that are strong in tension to increase the tensile strength of it. 

There are two types of cracking which are tension cracking and shrinkage cracking.

Tension Cracking. Concrete maybe put into tension by applied loads. Applied load will put one surface into compression and the opposite surface into tension due to induced bending. Size and length of cracks depend on the magnitude of the bending.

Shrinkage Cracking occurs when concrete undergo volumetric changes (shrinkage) as a results of either drying, autogenous shrinkage or thermal effects. When the tensile strength is exceeded, crack will occurs. Amount of shrinkage that occurs, amount of restraint present and amount and spacing of reinforcement provided will influence the number and width of shrinkage cracks that occurs. These minor cracks have no real structural impact on the concrete member.

Creep

Creep is the permanent movement or deformation of a material in order to relieve stresses within the material. A long-duration forces which is applied to the concrete will cause the concrete to be  prone to creep. Short-duration forces do not cause creep. Creep can reduce the amount of cracking that occurs in a concrete structure or element. 

Interesting Fact about CONCRETE! :)

How well do you know about concrete?
Come on! Let's check it out more interesting fact about concrete!

In fact, many people call concrete ''cement''. This is like calling a cake ''flour''. Flour to cake is also same for cement to concrete. Flour goes far in making a cake, but flour is only a part of the formula. It apply the same meaning on cement as well, it is the vital ingredient in concrete but it is only a part of the whole composition of concrete.

Let's think in another way, cement act as the glue that holds everything else together, which is composed of sand, aggregate and water as well as other additives.

and do you know that?
Concrete is used more than any other man-made material on the planet!
There is about 6 billion cubic meters of concrete are made each year, which equals one cubic meter for every person on Earth.

Beside that, China currently consumes 40% of the world's cement production!
They have completed the largest dam in the world, and working on the infrastructure to the fast growing cities & economy.

And also, wood and concrete are enemies!!
Concrete is extremely caustic and therefore it attacks wood and eventually destroy it. We are actually creating a futuristic problem is wood is placed in driveways or any other flatwork application.

Lastly, enjoy the video :)

We stop here for this topic, hope you enjoy! :)

Have a nice day!

Famous Concrete Building Exemplars

The Petronas Twin Towers

Location: Kuala lumpur, Malaysia
Architect: César Pelli.
Engineer: Deejay Cerico

The Petronas Twin Towers are two 88-story high commercial office towers. It was built not only to act as the headquarters of  our national oil and gas company, PETRONAS, but also as an iconic landmark that represents Kuala Lumpur as well as Malaysia herself.  The skyscrapers were completed in year 1998 and once claimed world tallest building for 6 years surpassing the World Trade Center, USA.

The towers are often assumed to be a steel structure, but in actually fact, they are constructed largely of reinforced concrete. In order to support the mega structure, engineers came out with a special concrete mix which is stronger than other typical concrete mixes and a vast amount of rebars are also used. Then, glass and steel are used for the façade as it reflects the Malaysian Muslim religion.

Ingalls Building

Location: Cincinnati, Ohio

Architect: Alfred Oscar Elzner

This is the world's first reinforce concrete skyscraper. It was built in year 1903 with  height of 15 stories. Concrete at that period of time has a very low tensile, and engineers believed that building a skyscraper that tall would eventually result in collapse under its own weight or wind loads. It was a major engineering challenge of the time. Engineer and architect, Ernest L. Ransome used twisted steel bars cast into concrete slabs as reinforcement and casting slab, beams and joists as a unit would allow them to create a rigid structure. It was a tremendous success and since then, the United States begun to use reinforced concrete widely in construction. High rise building is also made possible while Ernest L. Ransome became pioneer in reinforced concrete. 

Burj Khalifa

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Architect: Adrian Smith

Engineer: Bill Baker

The 829.84 m high skyscraper is current the tallest manmade structure and also the tallest reinforced concrete building in the world. The tower was completed in year 2010 and was renamed from Burj Dubai to Burj Khalifa.It was built with a intention of diversifying the nation's economy from oil-based to service and tourism based.

The inspiration of building design was obtain from the flower Hymenocallis by Architect Adrian Smith and the patterning system found in Islamic Architecture.
Huge amount of reinforced concrete were used in the construction of the towers(45,000 m³ for the foundation while 330,000 m³ for the structure). 
Special mixes of concrete are also used to withstand the extreme pressures of the massive building weight .

A must-watch-video on the construction of the Burj Khalifa!!

Centre Point 

Location: London, England
Engineer: Pell Frischmann
Architect: Richard SifartIt is a substantial concrete and glass office building. It is also one of the first concrete skyscrapers in London.

311 South Wacker Drive  

Location: Chicago, USA
Architect: Kohn Pedersen Fox
This 65-story high skyscraper was once second tallest reinforce concrete building in the world.

There are also much more famous concrete buildings all around the world, spanning from residential houses to offices buildings, educational institutions, hospitals and even commercial buildings. Reinforce concrete is widely used in construction nowadays as it can withstand extreme climates and weathers, support heavy loads of buildings without collapsing easily and does not rust or decompose under acid rain or humid environment.

This is the end of today's post. Hope you guys enjoy reading. =)


P/s: WATCH THE VIDEO !!!

Composition of concrete

cement

water

Aggregate

Concrete is composite construction material mainly of cement, water and aggregate. The aggregate is mostly a course aggregate (gravel) or crushed rock like limestone or granite with fine aggregate (sand). The reason of water and cement mixing together is to form the plastic mass which can be molded into requested shape. There are many different type of cement available and each ingredient has different chemical composition which can give different properties to concrete.

Water also one of the important factors to determine the quality and durability of concrete. The purpose of using water is for hydration in making concrete. Pure drinking water is considerable for making concrete as it is free from minerals and salt. If there is some impurities in the water may affect the quality of the concrete. Salt water (contain chloride and sulphates) cannot use for mixing concrete because it will cause corrosion of steel.

Other ingredient of concrete such as stone and sand must be clean and free from any contaminating substances in making a durable and fine quality concrete.  Substance like wood, humus and coal should not contain in the aggregate because this will affect the durability of concrete due to its weak nature. Moreover, aggregate must be hard and strong because it play an important roles in the formation of desired and durable concrete according to the shape and size of it.

The following video shows how to mix concrete

What is CONCRETE?

We have been living, working, studying in concrete building especially in urban areas. But here is a question appearing in our mind, actually, WHAT IS CONCRETE?


First and foremost, we would like to share a video to give a brief introduction about concrete:

Brief introduction about concrete: 

Generally, concrete, as the main materials that made up a building, it has been playing an important role in building construction since the Roman Empire. For information, during the Roman Empire, Roman concrete (or opus caementicium) was made from quicklime, pozzolana and an aggregate of pumice. However by now, concrete is primarily composed of

- Aggregate (coarse gravel or crushed rocks along with a fine aggregate)

 +

Figure 1: Coarse aggregate    +    Fine aggregate

- Cement (Portland cement which serves as a binder for aggregate)

- Water(for the process of hydration)

What are the uses of CONCRETE?

Concrete is widely used for making architectural structures, foundations, brick or block walls, pavements, bridges or overpasses, motorways or roads, runways, parking structures, dams, pools or reservoirs, pipes, footings for gates, fences and poles and even boats.

We will tell more stories about concrete for the upcoming posts, please stay tune. :)