2.1.

Theory on concrete structure

2.1.1 Some definitions
When reading this book, there are some key terms and definitions that are worth having at your
fingertips, or at least not too far from them.
From above:
• Concrete is a mixture of cement, water, fine aggregate (sand) and coarse aggregate (gravel or
crushed rocks) in which the cement and water have hardened by a chemical reaction – hydration
–
to bind the nearly (non-reacting) aggregate.
Other materials in addition to the above are often incorporated, such as fine powders that can
substitute some of the cement, known as additions, and small quantities of chemicals, known as
admixtures, which can alter and improve some properties.

• The use of additions, most of which are fine powders like the cement and which participate in
the
hydration reactions, requires the definition of the binder as the mixture of cement and
addition(s).
Also:
• Grout or cement paste is a mixture of cement and water only; it will hydrate and gain strength,
but it is rarely used for structural purposes since it is subject to much higher dimensional changes
than concrete under loading or in different environments, and it is more expensive.
• Mortar, a mixture of cement, water and fine aggregate (sand), is more commonly used for
small
volume applications, for example in brickwork.
• The aggregates form the bulk of the concrete volume, typically 70–80%. Most of the remainder
of the hardened concrete is the hydrated cement (or binder) and water, often called the hardened
cement paste (HCP). There is also a small quantity of air voids (typically 1–3% of the concrete
volume) due to the presence of air that was not expelled when the concrete was placed.

A few calculations using these figures and the volumes given above show that the ranges of the
mix proportions by weight for most concrete are: cement (or binder) 150–600 kg/m3
water 110–250 kg/m3 aggregates (coarse and fine) 1600–2000 kg/m3.
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2.2 Concrete terminologies
In this part of the book we will be considering the constituents, composition, production,
structure
and properties of concrete itself, i.e. the topics that form the subject of concrete technology. A
simple definition of concrete is that it is a mixture of cement, water and aggregates in which the
cement and water combine to bind the aggregate particles together to form a monolithic whole.
2.2.1 Types of concrete
1. Lightweight aggregate concrete
Lightweight aggregates, which contain air voids within the aggregate particles, produce
concretes
with lower densities than those made with normal-density aggregates

2. High-density aggregate concrete

High-density aggregates can be used to produce high-density concrete for a number of
specialized
applications, such as radiation shielding, counterweights in construction plant (and even in
domestic washing machines) and ballasting of submerged structures.