Though you can choose from a wide variety of materials for your construction project, the demand for concrete and steel is always relatively high. In fact, one of the biggest challenges builders have to face is to decide whether they should choose steel structures or concrete structures. Both the materials are widely used in construction projects and offer their own sets of benefits. Some builders even prefer choosing the construction material from their maintenance point of view. It is one of the primary reasons why the demand for concrete structures is always more than steel structures.
What Are Concrete Structures?
Take a look around and you will notice that it is one of the most commonly used materials in the construction industry. Structures made using this material are capable of handling compressive stresses easily. Since they can’t take tensile stresses effectively, concrete reinforcement is used when the structure has to endure tension load. Two common benefits offered by concrete are compatibility and durability. Both these features have made it one of the most widely used materials in the construction industry. You can mould them into any shape according to the requirement of your project.
3 Common Types Of Concrete Used In The Construction Industry
- Plain Cement Concrete
Almost every experienced supplier of concrete in Sidcup offer plain cement concrete at reasonable prices. This concrete variety is obtained by mixing sand, cement, water and aggregates in definite proportion. Use plain cement concrete to make concrete structures and you can assure that they will have good compressive strength. The only disadvantage is that this concrete variety has little tensile strength which can limit their use in the construction industry. If you are undertaking a construction project which requires a material with high compressive strength and weight, consider using plain concrete.
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Reinforced Cement Concrete
Tensile stresses are taken up by steel and compressive stresses by concrete when ordinary reinforced cement concrete is used. Construction workers generally ignore the concrete below the neutral axis as it is weak in tension. There are even a few situations when the concrete in the tensile zone start developing minute cracks. If you don’t want those cracks to become complicated and damage the structural integrity of your concrete structures, choose a reliable supplier of reinforced cement concrete.
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Prestressed Concrete
Prestressed concrete is generally used by builders to make structures which might be subjected to vibrations like railways sleepers, bridges, girders, gravity dam and electric poles. Prestressed concrete offers similar benefits like precast concrete.
4 Reasons Why Concrete Structures Are More Popular Than Steel Structures
- All the ingredients used to make concrete are affordable and readily available.
- Concrete can be poured and cast into any shape according to your construction needs.
- Concrete has high compressive stress which makes them suitable for structures under compressive loads.
- Concrete is ideal for water retaining structures like dams because of their water tightness and high unit weight.
Since concrete structures offer so many benefits, it’s time you get in touch with Cobra Concrete Ltd for quality concrete.
