No building can last long without a reliable and solid foundation. But to prepare good quality concrete yourself and correctly guess the proportions of concrete for the foundation is very difficult. In addition, the solution must be poured into the formwork within one day in order to achieve the maximum possible strength of the future foundation.
Experts strongly recommend that you use concrete of a grade not lower than M200 to prepare a high-quality solution. The most qualitative are the proportions of concrete for the foundation in a ratio of 1: 4: 4, that is, a mixture of a unit of cement, approximately 4 units of sand and 4 units of gravel. There should not be any additional impurities (for example, soil, various oils, grass or clay) in the concrete solution. It is almost impossible to manually mix high-quality concrete; it is better to use a concrete mixer. In addition, the savings on the components of the solution, delivery and workers are very small. Today you can find concrete from suppliers at affordable prices.
It should be noted that before ordering a solution, it is advisable to calculate the concrete consumption for the foundation per day. This will allow you to make the best order in the quantity that you can use. Although the concrete consumption is usually calculated by the foreman (foreman), it is better for the owner to take part in the calculations in order to avoid possible incidents in the form of a frozen mountain of unused concrete in time.
The composition of any concrete includes a number of materials, namely a binder, water and various additives (sand, gravel, crushed stone, etc.). It is these components that form among themselves various chemical reactions and relationships, the result of which denotes the properties of concrete. The properties of concrete directly depend on the quality and ratio of the components used in its composition. The optimal proportions of concrete for the foundation should give it a high degree of strength, water resistance, frost resistance and some other properties. A characteristic feature of concrete is that over time it hardens and becomes stronger. Even the same recipe for concrete production under different conditions can produce a result of different quality. Specialists have a certain base period, after which it is possible to determine the class and grade of concrete. This period is 28 days after preparation of the solution. Today, concrete is considered the most sought-after building material. Concrete mortar structures are used to form powerful foundations, pave airfields, pools and piers, construct underground and high-rise buildings, install walls in the ground, and much more.
The proportions of concrete for the foundation and other purposes are formed in specialized laboratories of enterprises. If control measurements and tests do not show the required material properties, these proportions can be adjusted.
During the construction of any building, a project is preliminarily drawn up, which indicates the consumption and cost of building materials, as well as the quantity, sequence and cost of construction work. And one of the first to calculate how much concrete is needed on the foundation. Since the flow rate is calculated in cubic meters, to determine the required amount of concrete, it is necessary to calculate the volume of the foundation. To calculate it, you need to know the selected type of foundation. In general, the initial data for determining the volume of the tile foundation are the area and thickness of the plate, the presence and dimensions of stiffeners. The volume of the strip foundation can be calculated by knowing the width and total length of the tape, as well as the depth of the foundation. Well, for the volume of the columnar foundation, primary data on the height, diameter and number of columns are necessary.
In any case, when choosing and calculating the amount of concrete for the foundation, it is better to contact experienced professionals who will significantly save the cost of both your time and finances.