...Concrete as a building material Name: Institution Concrete is a building material which has been in use since the Roman times. It is a complex mixture of water, coarse granular material usually sand or gravel. Cement fills the spaces among the granular material and acts as a binder that glues them together. The Panama Canal, the Hoover Dam, and the Roman Pantheon are some of renowned structures made of concrete. (PCA) Concrete usage dates back thousands of years ago. Concrete was used for building of many ancient structures. Heinrich Schliemann, a German archaeologist discovered concrete floors in a royal palace of Tiryns, Greece, which dates approximately 1400-1200 BC. The Romans also used concrete on large scale from 300 BC to 476 AD. Roman concrete was made from an aggregate of pumice, pozzolana and quicklime. (Jacobs 4). Modern concrete is different from the Romans concrete in two ways. First, its mixer of a homogeneous fluid, this allows it to be poured into forms instead of hand-layering together with the arrangement of gravel, in Roman practice, this comprised of debris. Second, modern cement is integrated with steel that reinforces it to great strength in tension. Roman concrete depended only on the strength of the concrete bonds to withstand tension. The idea of reinforced concrete was invented by Joseph Monier in 1849. The first reinforced concrete bridge was built that year. (Constructor) Concrete has many benefits. It is economical when ingredients are readily...
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...International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology (IJETT) – Volume 19 Number 4 – Jan 2015 Green Concrete using Plastic Waste Vikram Kathe #1 , Akshay Gangurde #2 , Abhijit Pawar#3 12 Undergraduate Student, 3Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, SIEM Nashik, University of Pune, Nashik, India Abstract— This experimental study presents the use of major plastic wastes as fine aggregates in concrete as an effective way to deal with the scarcity of sand and disposal of plastic waste. Aggregates in concrete account for the largest volume of solid material extracted around the globe at a rate far greater than their regeneration. The removal of aggregates has a major impact on rivers, deltas and marine ecosystems which results in deterioration of land through coastal or river erosion, Depletion of the water table and decrease in sediment supply. This paper emphasizes on using major plastic waste such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene to substitute the sand in concrete to tackle the ill-effects of sand extraction and the problems related to disposal of plastic waste. In addition, Aluminum powder is used to minimize the weight of concrete and plastic itself is lighter than sand which results in lightweight concrete. Overall using these ingredients to replace sand will give new dimension in concrete mix design and if applied universally would transform the construction, by reducing the cost and enable...
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...Concrete is the most widely used material in the world. It accounts for roughly 70% of all construction materials globally. Each year about “7 cubic kilometers of concrete are made” (The Civil Engineer). It is a $35 billion industry with more than two million workers in the United States alone (The Civil Engineer). Concrete is made up of cement, water, and chemical admixtures. Portland cement is the most common cement used in concrete. Fly ash, slag cement, sand, or gravel limestone may also be used to create concrete. Due to hydration, the concrete solidifies and hardens after mixing with the water. Concrete is used to make parking structures, roads, foundations, walls, and many other structures (Encyclopedia Britannica Online Academic Edition). Even though concrete is already such a highly used material, there is still room for improvements. Traditional concrete can have many problems including failure under heavy loads, lack of durability, and the cost of repair resulting from failure. Concrete can also be very heavy at times. For example, when designing a bridge the large weight of the asphalt must be accounted for in order to design the supports. In the 1990’s, a group of researchers from the University of Michigan discovered a new form of concrete called bendable concrete. This new mixture is also referred to as Engineered Cementous Composite (ECC). This was achieved by adding stretchable fibers that are embedded in the concrete. Dr. Victor Li was the...
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... INTRODUCTION 1.1 General Concrete due to its versatility and mouldability is one of the most widely used men made construction material in the world. This is the only substance on our planet which is utilized second to water. Concrete plays an important role in infrastructure development of fast growing countries like India. Concrete for the twenty first century can be made much stronger, more durable and cost efficient. Concrete require cement as a binding material which is much costly than the other ingredients of concrete. But there are some drawbacks of this material as production of cement produce considerable amount of carbon dioxide which is a green house gas hazardous to environment and a...
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...CHAPTER 2 CONCRETE LEARNING OUTCOME: By the end of this session, the students SHOULD BE able to: Explain the basic science and engineering fundamentals pertaining to classification,properties, advantages and disadvantages of concrete. INTRODUCTION Concrete is most widely used as construction material. Obtained by mixing – cement, water + aggregates (sometimes admixtures in required proportions) These mixture then placed in forms and allowed to cure and becomes hard like stone. The hardening is caused by chemical reaction between water and cement and its continues for a long time, and consequently the concrete grows stronger with age. INTRODUCTION (cont.) • The strength, durability and other characteristics of concrete depend: o Properties of its ingredients o Properties of the mix o Method of compaction o Other controls during placing, compaction and curing CLASSIFICATION OF CONCRETE It is usual to specify a particular concrete by the proportion (by weight) of the constituents and their characteristics. Example, 1:2:4 concrete refers to particular concrete mixed of cement, sand and coarse aggregate in a ratio 1:2:4 (with a specified type of cement, water cement ratio & max. size of coarse aggregate). Concrete can be classified either: o Prescribed mix concrete or o Designed mix concrete -Depending on the specifying requirements of the desirable properties of concrete (strength, workability, durability and permeability...
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...screening the demolished concretes. When concrete is mixed with a certain percentage of these recycled aggregates, it is then called “Recycled Concrete” (R.Dalati, 2008). The concept of sustainable construction development is becoming nowadays a widely discussed subject. It is also turning to become a challenge for the construction industry due to the increasing scarcity of natural resources and the ever increasing demolition and construction waste (Wai et al 2012). The essence of sustainable construction development can be given out as the possibility of meeting current needs taking into account the needs of future generations (Valeria et al 2009). Recently, the amount of waste incurred due to demolition and construction has been increasing because of demographic factors, more specifically: increase in population and urbanization. Therefore, the majority of the developed or emerging economies are facing the problem of handling and disposing such wastes. Considering this aspect, the utilization of these wastes and byproducts is gaining momentum and is highly regarded as an emerging necessity. This idea not only focuses on utilizing the wastes, but also has indirect benefits such as saving energy and protecting the environment. According to Mehta (2002 data) the global concrete industry consumes “close to 10 billion tons of aggregates, and produces over 1 billion tons of construction and demolition waste annually”. Aggregates constitute approximately 70% of concrete volume, thus the...
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...Materials and the Environment (L1): 1. In your own words describe what “Sustainability” means. Name one tool that we have used to quantify (measure) sustainability and describe it in few sentences. -Ability to satisfy the basic needs of today without compromising the ability of the future generations to satisfy their needs. (L1 S8) -Characteristics of a process that can be maintained at a certain level indefinitely -Ability to sustain a way of life indefinitely -To only utilize nature’s resources at a rate which they can be replenished naturally -Resources are not limitless Can we grow indefinitely? (L1 S9) -Measured by: cost, time, maintenance, reuse/recycle, resource consumption (L1 S12) -Tool- Life Cycle Assessment (L1 S12) -LCA is to determine the TOTAL cost, energy, consumption, eco-impact, of a structure over its entire life cycle: Material production, transportation, construction, in service(+maintenance), end of life (disposal or reuse) (L1 S13) -Life cycle cost and societal costs are calculated using similar principles. (S13) 2. What does “Resilience” mean in the context of civil infrastructure? Infrastructure’s ability to resist effects of the environment and rebound back to its normal state. (ex. Earthquakes, etc.) 3. By giving an example, explain how a material (e.g., steel panels used in automobiles) impacts the environment and our energy consumption during its service life. Concrete production- during production CO2 is released...
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...design data. Use of appropriate automation tools is highly recommended. Accuracy and completeness are critical factors in all cost estimates. An accurate and complete estimate establishes accountability and credibility of the cost engineer, therefore, providing greater confidence in the cost estimate. The estimate contingencies for programming purposes reflect the estimate confidence. 2.1 Importance of Quantity Takeoff and Required Documents The quantity of material in a project can be accurately determined from the drawings. The estimator must review each sheet of the drawings, calculate the quantity of material and record the amount and unit of measure. Each estimator must develop a system of quantity takeoff that ensures that a quantity is not omitted or calculated twice. A wellorganized check-list of work will help reduce the chances of omitting an item. The estimator must, also, add an appropriate percentage for waste for those items where waste is likely to occur during construction. The material quantity takeoff is extremely important for cost estimating because it often establishes the quantity and unit of measure for the costs of labor and contractor’s equipment. 2.1.1 Contract documents The contract is defined by the contract documents, which are developed from the tender documents. In a logical order, these documents refer to the following subjects: Cost Estimating 21 Dr. Emad Elbeltagi Input from the client (task description)...
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...The invention and advancement of concrete shaped the world to what it is today. Without concrete nothing today would be possible and it is the most facilitated invention in Earth’s history. The Roman’s developed cement that produced structures of remarkable durability. Most government buildings in America are based on the building styles of Rome. Concrete made transportation a possibility and reshaped the world to what it is today. Usually when there is a need for a solution, someone invents the fix. The Roman’s had many issues and many needs for concrete. Some issues were water purification, transportation, and trade. In Roman time, there was no water purification or storage to distribute from house to house. The Roman’s needed a structure that could transports, filter, and store fresh water. “Just like they conquered other people, they would conquer nature with their engineering. In the end, for this city of a million people, they had 11 aqueducts, 11 channels of over 300 miles, delivering perhaps 150 to 200 gallons per person per day, an amazing amount for the ancient world.”. Before the introduction of aqueducts, water was transported on dirt roads by horse and carriage. People would wait and wait for water and some would die because of the delay. Concrete made a water supply readily available to the roman’s and is the basis for water storage in today’s times. (Herring, Benjamin) Trade and commerce is necessary to gather resources that one country could...
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...In Synaxis Ready Mix, the entire organization is divided into functional departments as shown in the above chart, to deal with the problems of business at various levels. Functional authority remains confined to functional guidance to different departments. This helps in maintain quality and uniformity of performance of different functions throughout the enterprise. Features * The entire organizational activities are divided into specifications such as Sales, Production, IT, Finance & Administration, etc as shown in above chart. * Complex form of administrative organization * Three authorities exist- Line, Staff and Function * Each functional area is put under the charge of functional specialists and he has got the authority to give all decisions regarding whenever the function is performed throughout the enterprise. * Better division of labour takes place which results in specialization of function and its consequent benefit. * Management control is simplified as the mental functions are separated from manual functions. Checks and balances keep the authority within certain limits. Specialists may be asked to judge the performance of various sections. * Greater efficiency is achieved because of every function performing a limited number of functions. * Specialization compiled with standardization facilitates maximum production and economical costs. * Expert knowledge of functional manager facilitates better control and supervision. ...
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...development of both Roman concrete and the arch, including the importance of each and the results of their use. Development. While the Ancient Romans did not invent the arch, they did improve upon the concept and create an arch that could support a much larger weight than previously allowed. Until the invention of Roman concrete, corbeled arches had been made of brick or stone which were laid closer to the center as they rose in height and functioned primarily to support or strengthen small buildings. These early arches were used in the Mediterranean and were primarily built underground where the earth could be used as a natural support, such as in drainage systems. The use of mortar, a mixture of lime, sand, and water was commonly used but it wasn’t until the early 2nd century BC when the Romans used pozzolana, a volcanic Italian sand in the mixture that concrete was invented. This simple change, from sand to pozzolana, allowed for additional strength and durability. Arches made of this new material could support a lot of weight....
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...Analysis of Indian Cement Industry 1 • Industry Structure • Regional Scenario • Demand Dynamics • Cost Structure • Ready Mix Concrete (RMC) • Demand • Key Demand Drivers • Supply • Operating Rates • Prices • Profitability • Player Profiles 2 :3 : 13 : 55 : 75 : 86 : 99 : 102 : 132 : 143 : 154 : 161 : 168 Industry Structure 3 Porter five force analysis Industry structure •As of March 2011, the installed cement capacity of large plants in India stands at approximately 284 million tonnes. •This is accounted by around 172 large cement plants. In addition to large cement plants, around 365 mini cement plants account for approximately 11 million tonnes of cement capacity in India. •The industry can be broadly classified into pan-India, regional and marginal players. Pan-India players include large players like Holcim group companies- ACC and Ambuja and Aditya Birla group company- UltraTech Cement (including Samruddhi Cement) . •Companies of both these groups are adding capacities through either greenfield or brownfield expansions. Industry structure •Players whose presence is restricted to one or two regions, with a stronghold in the markets of their respective operations are included in the category of regional players. Key examples of players included in this segment are Jaiprakash Associates (North and Central), Lafarge (concentrated in the East), India Cement (South), Shree Cement •(North), Binani Cement (North), Kesoram Industries (South), OCL (East)...
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...is one of the major components of building that needed attention. Building defect refer to the results in a failure of a component part of a building or structure and causes damage to person or property, usually resulting in financial harm to the owner. Building defect will also reduce the value and the function of a building. There are many types of building defect such as cracking, dampness, spalling, peeling paint, insect or termite attack, corrosion, fungus stain and so on. These building defect can affect the performance and the appearance of the building. Building defect can occur either because of poor design, or low quality workmanship, or because the building was not constructed according to the design, or use of inferior materials. When a building facing defects, the causes of that defect have to identified before any remedial work can be undertaken to remedial it. Therefore, we are required to investigate the building defect of a building. We also have to identify the possible cause of the building defect which occur in that building. We have choose the building of Guest House to make our case study and survey. This building is located at Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang. Guest House is one of the famous hospitality choices for USM visitors, business travellers and tourists due to it good services and strategic location. It is a building that is always visited by many people for the purpose of the stay, so it is very important to kept the building in...
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...Portland Pozzolano cement (PPC) - PPC is manufactured by blending a mixture of ordinary portland cement and pozzolana materials such as fly ash, in proportions not less than 15 per cent and not over 35 per cent by weight of cement. The Portland Pozzolana Cement is ideally suited for the following construction viz. Hydraulic structures, Mass concreting works. * Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) (GRADE-43, GRADE-53, GRADE- 33) * The 43 grade OPC is the most popular general-purpose cement in the country today. The production of 43 grade OPC is nearly 50% of the total production of cement in the country. * The 43 grade OPC can be used for following applications: * General Civil Engineering construction work * RCC works(preferably where grade of concrete is up to M-30) * Precast items such as blocks, tiles, pipes etc * Asbestos products such as sheets and pipes * Non-structural works such as plastering, flooring etc. * White Cement PPC is manufactured by blending a mixture of ordinary portland cement and pozzolana materials such as fly ash, in proportions not less than 15 per cent and not over 35 per cent by weight of cement. It is sold in packets of different quantities: 1. OPC contains a mixture of portland clinker and gypsum ground to a very fine powder. About 75% of all the cement produced goes into ready-mix concrete, which is used for buildings, bridges, sidewalks, walls and all types of structures. The rest is used for building...
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...Prefabricated construction is a very common method used around the world, especially used in the UK because it is a cheaper and faster way of construction. Prefabricated construction method can be classified into on-site and off-site prefabricated. On-site prefabricated method involves casting structural building elements within site before erecting to actual location. On-site pre-casting provides several advantages over cast in-situ construction. These include mass production of units, cost and time reduction and improved quality of work. Off-site prefabricated method involves transferring building operations from site to factory. All elements that can be standardised are pre-fabricated in the factory. Prefabrication allows a component to be built whenever convenient, so long as it is delivered to site on time. Normally, this method would involve the assembly of precast elements such as floor slabs, in-filled walls, staircases, etc. into place for incorporation into the main units, columns and beams. This method of construction has reduced the amount of site labour involved in site operations and increased the productivity of the industry. Prefabricated construction is a building process in which elements or modules of the structure are prefabricated at plants, and then transported to the construction site for installation. Using this method can reduce the time of building, also saving construction cost. Prefabricated construction is now widely applied for new houses or other...
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