Materials for Concrete

Ready-mixed concrete consists of fine aggregates, coarse aggregates,

cementitious binders and water. Sometimes, admixtures are used to
modify the appearance, workability or physical properties of the concrete.

Hardened ready-mixed concrete offers durability, strength, water

tightness, and resistance to abrasion. All of these characteristics are
influenced by the quality of the component materials and their
proportions. Sometimes, expert assistance is required and our Technical
Services personnel work with customers and specifiers to optimize the mix
designs.

For thousands of years people have been mixing aggregates, cement and
water together to build structures. Many ancient structures such as the
Great Pyramids and the Coliseum were bonded together with cement
mortars. Today, ready-mixed concrete is frequently used to construct
highways, bridges, dams, buildings, airports, sewer systems, tunnels,
home foundations, driveways and sidewalks.

How is Ready Mix Concrete Prepared and The Raw Materials?

Ready mixed concrete or RMC is concrete that is prepared at the factory
based on project requirements and delivered to the job site. It is a
composite material that comprises of a binder and filler. The cement paste
works as the binder and glues the filler together to create the synthetic
conglomerate. The filler is comprised of coarse or fine aggregate
depending on the kind of application. Most people have seen the ready
mix concrete truck. This guide provides you valuable information about
how it is made.

Early Application

RMC was first made in a factory in the 1930s. However, it took another
three decades before its commercial demand became consistent. Since
the 1960s, the demand for concrete increased so much that it became the
second most consumed substance, after water.

Raw Materials

The raw materials used for producing concrete are as following:

Aggregates

Cement

Additives

Water

Air

1. Aggregates

A typical ready mix concrete calculator involves up to 75% of its

composition as aggregates. This percentage can vary from 60-75% of the
RMC's volume. The raw material is obtained from aggregate banks or
quarries.
2. Cement

Cement plays the most important role in the preparation and price of
ready mix concrete. It is responsible for giving resistance to concrete.
There are different types of cements and the prices and properties will
vary accordingly.

3. Additives

There are liquid and solid chemical additives. These are added to the RMC
either during preparation or before preparation. Different additives have
different functions. The commonly used ones can help in hardening the
durability or in reducing the water content to reduce the setting times.

4. Water

Water adds fluidity to RMC and its proportion plays an important role in
ready mix concrete calculator. It creates a chemical reaction when the
other raw materials come in contact with it.

Mixing The Raw Materials

When all the raw materials are mixed together, it creates a uniform
concrete mass. The mixing time affects the mixture's properties. Different
mixing time is required for different types of construction applications. It is
recorded from the moment the water and material are added into the
cement mixer.

The cement mixer is part of the ready mix concrete truck and keeps
rotating even during transit. Usually, the rotation speed is 2-6 rotations
per minute.

Ready Mixture Categories

As already mentioned, the ready mixtures can have slightly different
composition. There are 3 main categories.

Central Mixed RMC - In this case the concrete is properly mixed before
being transported to the site in a ready mix concrete truck.

Shrink Mixed RMC - In this case the concrete is partially mixed at the
plant. This helps in reducing (shrinking) the volume of the mixture. The
final mixing of the raw materials takes place on the job site or on the
ready mix concrete truck.

Truck Mixed RMC - As the name suggests, this type of RMC is mixed during
transit in the vehicle. The raw materials for the mixture are accurately
weighed and batched using the ready mix concrete calculator and added
to the truck.
in the mix; its the ingredient that gives concrete its resistance. Although types II
and IV are also employed, the most widely used cements are gray Portland type I
and Pozzolana Portland type C-2.

Concrete mixing
During the mixing phase the different components come together to
produce a uniform mass of concrete. Mixing time is registered from the
moment material and water are poured into the cement mixer, and it
begins rotating.

While transporting concrete to a site, the cement mixer never stops

revolving at a speed of two to six rotations per minute.