The History of Concrete - A Timeless MaterialConcrete is the timeless material that holds our world together and the history of concrete is a captivating story. Look at the world around you and notice the substantial building materials used in our every day lives. Wood, brick and concrete make up the natural materials that construct our homes, our schools, public buildings and endless highways that take us places. Concrete is made from cement combined with fine aggregates and coarse aggregates to give it a binding texture that only gets harder with age. Many people use the terms cement and concrete interchangeably but cement is only a portion of the total ingredients of concrete. The history of concrete begins with the discovery of cement, which has been around since 3000 BC as indicated by Egyptian pyramids. Although a pyramid is built entirely of stone, a type of "glue" had to be used to hold the large boulders perfectly in place. It is believed that the Egyptians used limestone and natron that were placed in pools of water to create a paste. The act of evaporation then turned the mixture into a wet clay-like substance. Portland Cement InventedJoseph Aspdin was a British stonemason that mixed up the first batch of what we know today as Portland cement in his kitchen in 1824.By heating a mixture of clay and ground limestone, that had been finely ground, with water, a quick hardening occurred that had never been seen before. Aspdin named his new patent Portland cement in honor of the stone found on the Isle of Portland off of the British Coast. This was great news to replace the existing hydraulic lime material that had previously been created by John Smeaton in 1756. Concrete is DiscoveredYou would have thought that Portland Cement with its astounding characteristics of air-entrainment and high-strength properties would have been enough for most builders but there was still the problem of a low heat of hydration and a slow curing rate.Henri Le Chatelier from France explored the chemical reactions of oxide ratios that made up the elements of Portland cement in 1887. Knowing the fundamentals of what made the components in Portland cement act as they did, he went one step further and concrete was born! Concrete Technology Improves1890 brought more technology to newly discovered concrete when vertical shaft kilns were replaced with rotary kilns to grind cement more efficiently. Gypsum was also added to the previous ingredients that helped retard the setting of concrete.These two innovations brought the history of concrete into a culture that had used wood and bricks as primary building materials. Bridges were built, streets were paved with concrete and Thomas Edison even came up with the idea to build small houses from concrete that are still standing today. But... there still appeared to be one thing missing from this very sustainable building material. The ability to keep concrete from freeze and thaw damage could cause crumbling and the need for regular repair. Continuing to innovate, in 1930, scientists that continued to try and improve the quality of concrete found that by adding essential air entraining agents, freeze/thaw cycles did not have such a dramatic effect on the material. To prove the sensationalism of the improved concrete, in 1936 the Hoover Dam (built by Morrison-Knudsen, the parent company of my last construction company- with a team of 5 other construction companies) and the Grand Coulee Dam were built are still in good operating condition today. Building roads, dams, foundations and structures has continued to be part of our modern society. As each decade passes, there have been more improvements made to concrete, making it, in my opinion, the best material for constructing anything that needs structural durability and longevity. Recent Concrete DevelopmentsThe 1970s brought the introduction of reinforcement to concrete. The 1980s continued improving concrete with new additives of superplasticizers that gave flexibility and more certainty to a molded form.Today, we see concrete in homes for countertops, patio pavers, and walls and even complete homes that have a lifelong duration. The history of concrete shows that evolving a great product such as Portland cement can be improved through innovative minds. It is amazing to watch the developments of concrete than began thousands of years ago that favor natural substances designed to shelter and protect us. Not only this, but concrete can be recycled time and time again, introducing it to an even newer and better climate to help us all. There's a look at the history of concrete. If you have any questions on the history of concrete, please feel free to send them to me. Relevant Links to See:Properties of ConcreteDensity of Concrete How to Mix Concrete Correctly Recycling Concrete Meet-Mr-Concrete.com provides concrete construction advice at no charge and in good faith for consideration only. We do not warrant the implementation of its content and are to be held harmless when and if any advice or ideas provided are utilized. The risk from using it lies entirely with the user. 
|
