The construction of almost any modernthe building is not without the use, to one degree or another, of concrete. It is a versatile and very affordable material, allowing to produce reliable and durable structures of any configuration and complexity. It is used in the manufacture of foundations, support structures, floors, building blocks (wall and foundation), paving slabs, borders and small architectural forms (flowerpots, florists, moldings and sculptures). Concrete is also used in structures such as pools, cellars, stairs, and so on.
How to choose cement
Cement is the foundation of any concrete.It is a substance that binds the mixture and gives strength to the future structure or product. What amount of cement per 1 m3 of concrete is needed depends on the quality and brand of the substance. In addition, you need to know that the various applications of concrete require its different strengths. For example, for the manufacture of support structures or foundations require increased strength of the substance. But for the manufacture of various small forms, such as paving slabs, flower containers, curbs, such strength is not required.
How to choose cement and what should benote? Cement of various grades is on sale. From the brand depends on the quality and ultimate strength of products and structures. The higher the brand of cement, the higher the quality, and, accordingly, the strength. The most common brands sold in any city are the M300, M400 and M500. For the manufacture of structures that require a large bearing capacity, use the brand M400 and M500. For other cases, you can use any.
Another important factor affecting quality,is the expiration date. An expired product loses its binding ability and the grade is reduced. Also pay attention to the state of the cement itself. It should be crumbly. The presence of lumps may indicate a violation of storage conditions. Mainly - it is high humidity. Such cement is not recommended.
Features of the choice of components
Any concrete consists of several components:
- Cement.
- Sand.
- Crushed stone
- Water.
- Supplements.
Sand and crushed stone are added to the mixture.cheaper and give strength. The quality of these components depends on the reliability of future products. They are not allowed the presence of impurities of clay, silt or soil. Depending on the type of work, crushed stone can be used with a fraction from 1 to 7-8 cm. For the manufacture of small architectural forms, building blocks and paving slabs, small fractional gravel, so-called screenings (0.1–1 cm), is more often used.
The water used in the mixture must be clean and free from clay impurities. Increased mineral content in water can lead to protrusion of white streaks on the concrete surface after curing.
The use of special additives is optional. However, they should not be neglected in the manufacture of concrete mix. They allow to improve some characteristics of concrete:
- Increased frost resistance and allow work at sub-zero temperatures (water does not crystallize).
- Increased strength before and after curing.
- Improving the plasticity of the mixture and preventing the occurrence of microcracks;
- And much more.
Cement application
Depending on the brand of cement, the quantity andThe quality of fillers and additives can be obtained from various grades of concrete. The designation of grades of concrete is similar to that used in cement. But when adding components, the cement grade is usually reduced. So, for example, from concrete M400 it is possible to obtain the brands of concrete M350, M300, M250, M200 M150, and so on.
So making concrete isuniform mixing of all ingredients in the right proportions. Depending on this, high-strength mixtures are obtained for foundations, bearing structures, floors and less durable mixtures for structures that do not require increased strength. Therefore, in order to determine which brand of concrete is needed, it is necessary to know its purpose.
Foundation work
About how much cement per 1 m3 of concretefor the foundation you need to add, will be discussed further. Here we consider the features of the foundation works. For the manufacture of foundations and support structures use concrete not lower than the mark M200, depending on the future design, its weight and features. For heavier structures, it is advisable to use concrete not lower than M300.
Depending on the characteristics of the soil and the structure of the future structure, there are three main types of foundations:
- Monolithic plate.
- Ribbon.
- Columnar.
Making concrete for all types is the same. And the amount of cement per 1 m3 of concrete for the foundation does not depend on its type.
Purchase of ready-mixed concrete
If a decision is made to purchase a finished concretemix, then there is no need to know how much cement per 1 m3 of concrete to take. It remains only to calculate the required number of cubes and order. In almost every city there are many companies engaged in the sale and production of this material. But how much does a cube of concrete cost? On average, the price of the finished mixture varies from 3,000 to 5,000 rubles. The cost mainly depends on the type of concrete. And to more accurately answer the question of how much a cube of concrete costs, you need to find out the prices in your region.
When buying should pay attention to the quality of the mixture. The seller must have certificates confirming that you acquire quality concrete. GOST must also be specified.
Self-manufacturing mixture
Self-preparation of concrete is notcomplex process. A person who does not have a building education will cope with this. The main thing is to strictly observe the proportions and follow the recommendations. Since crushed stone is present in the mixture, it is quite problematic to mix it manually. For this it is better to use a concrete mixer. It is relatively inexpensive, but will save considerable time and effort.
So, the manufacture of concrete takes place in several stages:
- First, water is poured.
- Then rubble is filled up.
- After that add cement and sand.
You can make the batch "dry". The sequence is the same, only water is added last. Do not mix cement with water before adding fillers, as the cement may stick together.
In order to clean the mixer from the rest of the mixture after work, pour water in and pour a small amount of rubble and interfere with it for some time. After that, it all merges.
Calculation of concrete components
How to choose high-quality concrete?GOST allows to determine the compliance of the brand with the specified parameters for strength, frost resistance, vapor permeability and others. But how to achieve quality and get the right brand for self-manufacturing concrete mix? First of all, it depends on the quality of the ingredients used and the amount of cement per 1 m3 of concrete used.
Depending on what brand is needed concrete, the consumption of materials varies. Thus, we obtain the following approximate amount of cement per 1 m3 of concrete:
- M200 concrete - 250 kg of M400 cement.
- M200 concrete - 220 kg of M500 cement.
- M250 concrete - 300 kg of M400 cement.
- M250 concrete - 250 kg of M400 cement.
- M300 concrete - 350 kg of M400 cement.
- M300 concrete - 300 kg of M500 cement.
- M400 concrete - 400 kg of M400 cement.
- M400 concrete - 330 kg of M400 cement.
conclusions
More simple and less time consuming optionis the purchase of ready-made concrete. But at the same time you need to contact a proven company. To do this, you need to look at customer reviews and how many years the company has been operating in this market. Any self-respecting company values its reputation and provides quality products.
Independent production of concrete takesconsiderable time, while spending a lot of effort on the manufacture of the mixture. In addition, you must order the necessary fillers and buy additives. But this option is more cost effective. In addition, using quality components, you can be confident in the result.
