How Much Ballast D o I Need To Mix Co ncrete?
Concrete is a building material known for its marvellous strength and wide range of applications. Its usage worldwide (weight for weight) is twice that of wood, steel, plastic and aluminium combined. When mixed concrete hardens, it gives a stone-like finish that is extremely useful in construction. Here we will enlighten you about the correct concrete mix ratio using ballast.
What Is Concrete Made Of ? Mixed concrete is made up of basically two materials: • Cement, the binder which holds other materials. cement is made of finely ground powder which hardens when it reacts with water. Additives are added to give concrete other desired properties. Accelerators hasten the hydration process, and plasticisers improve the workability of concrete. Also, corrosion inhibitors minimise corrosion. • Concrete ballast or aggregates, which provide the bulk, increases the strength of the concrete Ballast for concrete comprises of coarse materials like sharp sand, gravel, and limestone. Concrete ballast or aggregates make up the bulk of the cement mix. The amount and particle sizes and distribution of concrete ballast added to a cement mix significantly affect the strength and the amount of cement used in the cement mix.
More Ado About Concrete • One of the most important factors in making concrete with your required strength is the cement to water ratio. Using less water makes the concrete stronger, and using excess water will make the concrete less workable • Using too much water leads to segregation of the sand and aggregate particles and cause microscopic pores which is known as bleeding, and it makes the concrete weaker than it should be. • Generally, your water to cement ratio should be between 0.35 and 0.6. • he aggregates and additives should be added after the water and cement have been mixed to achieve maximum strength.
Mixing The Right Amount of Ballast
• For making a cubic metre of cement with 20 MPa strength, mix 320 kg of cement, 600 kg of sand with 1200 kg of aggregate. This can be easily scaled down to whatever amount you require. • Your cement: sand: aggregate ratio should be 1:2:4 or ballast to cement ratio of 6 to 1. • For a low-grade concrete with 10MPa strength, the perfect ratio should be 1:3:6. For 30MPa concrete use 1:0.75:1.5.
• At TJC Transport, we offer a wide range of aggregates which can be delivered to you. You can also choose to come to collect them.
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