The construction of almost any modern building can not do without the use, to one degree or another, of concrete. This is a versatile and highly affordable material that allows you to make reliable and durable structures of any configuration and complexity. It is used in the manufacture of foundations, supporting structures, ceilings, building blocks (wall and foundation), paving slabs, borders and small architectural forms (flowerpots, flower girls, stucco moldings and sculptures). Concrete is also used in structures such as swimming 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 design or product. How much cement per 1 m3 of concrete is needed depends on the quality and brand of this substance. In addition, it is necessary to know that various fields of application of concrete require different strengths. For example, for the manufacture of supporting structures or foundations, the increased strength of this substance is required. But for the manufacture of various small forms, such as paving slabs, flower girls, borders, such strength is not required.
How to choose the right cement and what should I look for? There are various types of cement on sale. The quality and ultimate strength of products and structures depend on the brand. The higher the grade of cement, the higher the quality, and, accordingly, the strength. The most common brands sold in any city are M300, M400 and M500. For the manufacture of structures requiring high load-bearing capacity, brands M400 and M500 are used. For other cases, you can use any.
Another important factor affecting quality is shelf life. An expired product loses its binding ability and the brand decreases. It is also worth paying attention to the condition of the cement itself. It should be crumbly. The presence of lumps may indicate a violation of storage conditions. Mostly it’s high humidity. Such cement is not recommended.
Features of the choice of components
Any concrete consists of several components:
- Cement.
- Sand.
- Rubble.
- Water.
- Additives.
Sand and gravel are added to the mixture to reduce its cost and give strength. The reliability of future products depends on the quality of these components. Impurities of clay, silt or soil are not allowed in them. Depending on the type of work, crushed stone with a fraction of 1 to 7-8 cm can be used. For the manufacture of small architectural forms, building blocks and paving slabs, finely graded gravel, the so-called screening (0.1-1 cm), is more often used.
The water used in the mixture should be clean and free from clay impurities. The high content of minerals in water can lead to the appearance of white streaks on the surface of concrete after hardening.
The use of special additives is optional. However, they should not be neglected in the manufacture of concrete mix. They can improve some characteristics of concrete:
- Increase in frost resistance and give the chance of works at subzero temperatures (water does not crystallize).
- Strength increase before and after hardening.
- 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 and quality of fillers and additives, various types of concrete can be obtained. The designation of concrete grades is similar to that used in cement. But with the addition of components, the brand of cement, as a rule, decreases. So, for example, from M400 cement it is possible to obtain concrete grades M350, M300, M250, M200 M150, and so on.
Thus, the manufacture of concrete is the uniform mixing of all ingredients in the right proportions. Depending on this, mixtures of high strength are obtained for foundations, load-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
How much cement per 1 m3 of concrete for the foundation needs to be added will be discussed further. Here we consider the features of foundation work. For the manufacture of foundations and supporting structures, concrete is used not lower than the M200 brand, 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 design of the future structure, there are three main types of foundations:
- Monolithic plate.
- Tape.
- Columnar.
The manufacture of concrete is the same for all types. 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 ready-mixed concrete, then there is no need to know how much cement per 1 m3 of concrete to take. It remains only to calculate the desired number of cubes and order. In almost every city there are many companies involved 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 3000 to 5000 rubles. The cost mainly depends on the brand of concrete. And in order to more accurately answer the question of how much a cube of concrete costs, you need to find out prices in your region.
When buying, you should pay attention to the quality of the mixture. The seller must have certificates confirming that you are purchasing high-quality concrete. GOST must also be specified.
Self-made mixture
Self- preparation of concrete is not a difficult 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 gravel is present in the mixture, mixing it by hand is quite problematic. To do this, it is better to use a concrete mixer. It is relatively inexpensive, but will save considerable time and effort.
So, concrete production takes place in several stages:
- First, water is poured.
- Then crushed stone is poured.
- After that, cement and sand are added.
You can make a 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 remnants of the mixture after the end of work, pour water and fill up a small amount of crushed stone and interfere for some time. After that, it all merges.
Calculation of concrete components
How to choose high-quality concrete? GOST allows you 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 in the production of concrete mix? First of all, it depends on the quality of the ingredients used and how much cement per 1 m3 of concrete is used.
Depending on what brand concrete is needed, the consumption of materials varies. Thus, we obtain the following approximate amount of cement per 1 m3 of concrete:
- Concrete M200 - 250 kg of cement M400.
- Concrete M200 - 220 kg of cement M500.
- Concrete M250 - 300 kg of cement M400.
- Concrete M250 - 250 kg of cement M400.
- Concrete M300 - 350 kg of cement M400.
- Concrete M300 - 300 kg of cement M500.
- Concrete M400 - 400 kg of cement M400.
- Concrete M400 - 330 kg of cement M400.
conclusions
A simpler and less time-consuming option is to purchase ready-made concrete. But you need to contact proven companies. 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 takes considerable time, while a lot of effort is spent on the manufacture of the mixture. In addition, you need to order the necessary fillers and buy additives. But this option is more cost-effective. In addition, using quality components, you can be sure of the result.