McKinney Concrete is a ubiquitous construction material. It’s found in our buildings, streets and highways. It reflects heat and can be molded into various shapes.

Its strength can be adjusted to suit a specific project by varying the raw materials used, water/cement ratio and temperature. This flexibility is one of the reasons concrete remains a top-choice building material.

Concrete is a very strong material, and its strength is the reason it’s used as a key component in construction projects around the world. It’s made up of a paste, which is composed of Portland cement and water, which binds aggregates together to create a robust, durable material that can withstand compression forces. The strength of a concrete mix is determined by the size and quantity of the aggregates, and how they’re bonded to each other. Concrete can also be strengthened by the addition of fibres or welded wire mesh, which increase its resistance to tension forces.

The addition of steel reinforce bars or mesh dramatically increases the tensile strength of concrete, making it suitable for use in structures that require extra support. This type of concrete is known as reinforced concrete, and it’s often used in commercial structures such as bridges, tunnels, or load-bearing walls. In order to achieve such high tensile strength, a concrete mixture must contain higher quantities of steel and a lower amount of water than regular concrete.

However, it’s important that a well-proportioned mix is used for any structural project – too much water will make the concrete wet and slippery, while too little will not create the required tensile strength. Concrete can be strengthened even further by the addition of admixtures that boost its strength and durability, such as fly ash or recycled water.

Although concrete is extremely strong in compression, it’s a brittle material that will crack under tensile stresses. This is because the stress causes a crack to develop from a preexisting flaw in the material. Such a crack will weaken the concrete and can cause catastrophic failure of the structure.

In order to prevent such failures, concrete can be reinforced with fibres or welded wire mesh, which increases its tensile strength and ductility. It can also be made stronger by adjusting its composition and incorporating additives such as superplasticizers, which improve the flowability of the concrete, allowing it to fill forms or moulds more easily and quickly.

Durability

Concrete structures are designed to withstand extreme conditions and the test of time. They are a great choice for residential buildings, commercial structures and industrial facilities because they can easily withstand heavy loads. However, if they are not built and maintained properly, they can show serious signs of deterioration. This can lead to hefty repair costs or even total collapse. That is why it’s important to understand how durable concrete is, and how to make it last longer.

Durability is a key factor in sustainable construction because it allows structures to perform as they were intended to for their entire life cycle. High durability enables structures to be used more efficiently, survive natural disasters and reduce environmental impacts. This is especially true for structures made from concrete that are designed to be reused many times over, as this can significantly reduce upfront embodied energy and carbon emissions as well as the need for future demolition and reconstruction.

In addition to being highly durable, concrete is a cost-effective material that can be used in a wide range of applications. It can be made into blocks, slabs, pipes, tunnels and foundations. It can be used to reinforce soil and protect the environment, as well as build bridges and roads. It is also a highly versatile building material that can be used in homes, office buildings, airports and schools.

Concrete’s durability is largely determined by its ability to resist weather, chemicals and other contaminating agents. It also depends on the structure’s permeability. If the concrete is permeable, it can allow chlorides and other corrosive materials to penetrate the structure and initiate corrosion processes that eventually lead to cracking and damage.

The key to ensuring concrete’s durability is using a proper mix design and reducing its permeability. This is accomplished by controlling water-cement ratios, avoiding contaminated aggregates that can cause pop-outs and alkali silica reactivity (ASR), and making sure to follow good construction practices during construction.

Although concrete has great “compressive” strength that can withstand significant squeezing forces, it has very little “tensile” strength that can withstand bending and twisting forces. That’s why it is typically reinforced with a network of steel reinforcing bars or wire mesh that can withstand tensile forces.

Versatility

Concrete is a versatile construction material and one that’s used across the globe. You’ll find it in all types of buildings, shopping centres and stadiums as well as the transport infrastructure we use every day.

Concrete consists of a mix of aggregates, such as sand and gravel or crushed stone, along with cement, which acts as the binding agent. It is poured into a mould and allowed to harden, which makes it a strong, durable material suitable for a range of applications.

Its ability to be shaped allows it to fit into different spaces and is particularly suited to the creation of curvilinear structures, such as bridges. It also offers a good level of resistance to corrosion and weathering, with minimal impact on structural integrity over time. It’s flexible enough to withstand tensile loads, meaning it can also be used in precast products like beams and columns.

It’s easy to mould concrete into different shapes and designs, making it suitable for a range of building projects. It’s a durable, versatile, and low maintenance material, which is why it’s so popular with architects and builders.

Concrete can be coloured and textured to suit the look of the building it’s being used in. This gives concrete its distinct aesthetic and can help it to blend into the surroundings of a structure. Concrete is also an inert material, meaning it won’t burn or mildew, which is ideal for a home. It can also reflect heat rather than absorbing it, which saves energy by cooling the interior of a property without the need for air conditioning.

As modern trends shift, concrete has found new uses and continues to evolve as a construction material. It can be combined with other materials to create unique decorative composites, such as Metzzo, which combines coloured glass aggregate with concrete. Concrete can also be moulded into different textures and bind with other materials to enhance specific properties, such as sound or fire resistance.

It can also be made from recycled materials to reduce its environmental footprint, with the potential for waste to be repurposed as a raw material. It has been used for years to fill voids in mining operations, but has more recently become known for its role in ‘tree dentistry’ – a technique used by arborists to plug holes in tree trunks and stems and encourage healthy growth.

Sustainability

Concrete is one of the most sustainable materials in construction. It can withstand the harshest environmental conditions, including natural disasters and extreme weather. It also requires minimal maintenance, reducing construction waste. Plus, unlike wood frame buildings or asphalt pavement, concrete doesn’t release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air. VOCs are chemicals from paint, sealers, carpeting and cleaners that can contribute to smog.

In addition, concrete structures are long-lived and require little maintenance, which significantly reduces operating energy usage. This helps to offset the embodied carbon emissions from cement production and reduce overall operational carbon footprints.

Concrete’s thermal mass helps to moderate interior temperatures, lowering energy costs during peak consumption periods. This is especially helpful in regions with strong diurnal gradients, where it can save 20-30% on energy use.

Furthermore, concrete structures can be designed to integrate “active” energy systems that take advantage of its thermal properties. For example, the thermal mass of a concrete building’s walls can be used to store renewable energy and generate electricity by pumping water or heat into or out of a concrete slab. This type of system can help achieve LEED certification and lower a building’s operational carbon footprint.

The concrete industry has been working hard to ensure that its products are sustainable from start to finish. Concrete plants are adopting advanced technology to optimize kiln operations and utilizing alternative fuels to reduce carbon emissions. They are also implementing recycling programs to reuse concrete and its associated aggregates. Careful deconstruction of concrete structures can also yield reusable precast elements for future projects.

NRMCA’s CSHub, an initiative that addresses the concrete industry’s carbon management needs, is helping to provide the necessary information and tools for concrete stakeholders to achieve full sustainability. This includes developing a cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment and tracking the status of alternative materials to match emerging sources with high value end uses on a regional basis.

Concrete’s sustainability also extends to other infrastructure, such as bridges and roads, where the material is often used in place of traditional materials. For instance, permeable concrete and pavement systems allow rainwater to be infiltrated into the ground rather than being diverted into stormwater sewers. Additionally, concrete can be used to create dams and other structures that protect and maintain consistent and resilient water supplies.