Concrete

This page explains concrete as a construction material and its different forms and types. To begin we have to define concrete; which is a manufactured mixture made of water, aggregates of sand and stones and cement that gets hard quickly and it's used for construction purposes. Since ordinary concrete has great compressive but low tensile strength, Joseph Monier came up with reinforced concrete in 1849, which adds the tensile strength property of steel to concrete. The developments in concrete are directly reflected in architecture. For example, there are concrete-shell constructions that allows domes and vaults to have so reduced quantity of steel and concrete that the thickness is considerably reduced too. Another development are the precast-concrete constructions that employs bricks, slabs and supports with many purposes like increase the durability and waterproofing of the building. The final development is prestressed concrete, which acts like a spring and can carry more weight that ordinary concrete of the same size.

Reinforced Concrete



Precast Concrete



Prestressed Concrete

Concrete-shell