Concrete

Abstract

Concrete is obviously a very important constructional material. It is made by mixing together cement, aggregate (sand and/or gravel) and water, and its strength is tremendous. A whole new technology has been built up around concrete during the last hundred years or so, and its strength and suitability can now be tailored for a particular job to a fine degree. It is an easy matter to ‘knock up’ some concrete for a garden path, and a little extra water or sand makes no difference, but a concrete foundation for a multistorey building must be designed down to the last detail, and the civil engineers and technologists of today are very familiar with the intricacies of such a problem.