Today’s Concrete is More Resilient

Over the last several decades, technological advancements in the concrete industry have led to improvements in both the strength of concrete as well as the longevity.  In fact, experts predict that concrete mixes of today can produce concrete that will last for hundreds of years rather than just decades of concrete structures from the 20^th century.  Along with the superior performance, concrete has also become “greener” to produce.   

With new materials being used in the production process, changes in the mixture’s proportions, and increased recycling efforts, concrete’s environmental impact has been reduced and durability improved.  AggregateResearch.com states that, “new concretes have better corrosion resistance, equal or higher compressive and tensile strengths, higher fire resistance, and rapid curing and strength gain. In addition, the production and life cycle of these new concretes will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 90%.”   

High Performance Concrete (HPC), Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC), and geopolymer concrete are new types of concrete mixtures that offer several advantages over traditional concrete with few disadvantages.  For example HPC and UHPC are produced using industrial waste by-products such as fly ash, blast furnace slag, and silica fume.  The addition of these by-products reduces the amount of portland cement required in the mix, which in turn, cuts down on the amount of carbon dioxide emitted during the production of the cement.  Also there are an abundance of the by-products and are typically less expensive than portland cement. 

Other advancements in the industry include producing fiber reinforced concrete, which is premixed with dry components to create higher tensile and flexural strengths than found in standard concrete.  Fiber reinforcement can be done with steel fibers, glass fibers, synthetic fibers and natural fibers and is less expensive than hand tied rebar. 

The Conco Companies are a leading supplier of concrete services for the Western U.S. and got our start in the Bay Area in 1959 by offering clients the best value on a wide range of concrete services and products.  Since that time, we have taken a leading role as one of the top concrete contractors in the region. Our offices serve California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Nevada.

Sources:aggregateresearch.com/articles/19247/Advances-in-new-concrete-technology.aspx