Concrete is one of the world's most commonly used building materials, found everywhere from basketball hoops to foundations.

Concrete is an engineered composite material composed of cement, aggregates and water. Water is key in any successful concrete project; you need to prevent your mix water from evaporating too quickly so it can begin the hydration process and form the structure.

Water

Concrete slabs Melbourne materials and mixture proportions are typically chosen with regard to standard specifications. Within those boundaries, however, choices exist that can affect curing practices - for instance in regards to pozzolans, aggregates, admixtures or mixing water.

Water-retention methods should be included as a topic within this chapter to address situations in which using curing compound isn't feasible, such as when tining will increase surface area by an order of magnitude or more. Furthermore, it should address evaporation reducers for which there is little documentation.

Protection options between placing concrete and starting curing must also be addressed, but current guidance provides limited help here. These could include covering with tining as well as using wind machines to reduce evaporation.

Cement

Concrete is an extremely strong and long-lasting building material composed of cement. Cement can be found both as mortar for keeping bricks together and in concrete used to construct roads, dams, buildings etc.

Cement for both concrete and mortar production is made by heating limestone, clay, silica sand and shells to 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit in order to produce a fine powder called clinker that is ground into useable material for concrete production and mortar applications.

Though widespread, the cement industry has received very little scrutiny for its role in climate change. To minimize its environmental impact, making smart decisions at source may help. This may involve replacing some clinker with fly ash from coal plants or decreasing temperatures needed for heating raw materials during cement-making can help mitigate its effect.

Aggregates

Aggregates are geological materials such as sand, gravel, crushed stone and blast furnace slag that form the bulk of concrete. When combined with cement, water and other additives they create durable construction material known as concrete - making this type of construction material highly sustainable and versatile.

Due to their uniform properties, aggregates play an integral role in many projects. For instance, they help create a solid foundation for buildings while binding cement and other materials together for effective road building projects.

The type of aggregate used in concrete projects varies depending on their purpose, but all come from rock formations. Aggregates are crushed and sized so they can be mixed evenly with other construction materials to produce different types of concrete, as well as influence density, strength and thermal characteristics of its final product. Clean aggregates without chemicals or coatings have the greatest positive effect on its quality and should always be preferred over ones which absorb chemicals or have other detrimental properties that may compromise it's final form.

Mixing

DIY concrete projects abound, from pouring patios to crafting weather-resistant planters. However, without proper knowledge on mixing concrete properly these projects could quickly turn into disaster.

One key point to keep in mind when working with concrete is that it does not set itself, and must be mixed properly to get maximum strength from it. To do this effectively requires using appropriate tools and techniques as well as understanding which materials work with the substance (and which don't).

At first, you should measure out the appropriate dry concrete mix amount for your project based on both experience and what type of job is being undertaken. Once this step has been accomplished, add water gradually while mixing to maintain consistency throughout. A good tip here would be adding smaller quantities at a time until all required is added - adding small amounts until everything has been mixed thoroughly together.