Desirable Properties of Concrete & Uses of Concrete

Desirable Properties of Concrete

Appropriate quality and quantity of cement, fine aggregate, coarse aggregate and water should be used so that the green concrete has the following properties:
(a) Desired workability
(b) No seggregation in transporting and placing
(c) No bleeding and

(d) No harshness.
Hardened concrete should have
(a) required characteristic strength
(b) minimum dimensional changes
(c) good durability
(d) impermeable
(e) good resistance to wear and tear.

Uses of Concrete

1. As bed concrete below column footings, wall footings, on wall at supports to beams
2. As sill concrete
3. Over the parapet walls as coping concrete
4. For flagging the area around buildings
5. For pavements
6. For making building blocks.
However major use of concrete is as a major ingradient of reinforced and prestressed concrete.
Many structural elements like footings, columns, beams, chejjas, lintels, roofs are made with R.C.C.
Cement concrete is used for making storage structures like water tanks, bins, silos, bunkers etc.
Bridges, dams, retaining walls are R.C.C. structures in which concrete is the major ingradient.