Most material, including concrete,
shrinks as it dries. The Portland Cement
Association (PCA) points out that the most common amount of shrinkage is about
1/16 of an inch in a 10-foot length of concrete. To alleviate the problem, joints are placed
in concrete pavement and floors “to allow the concrete to crack in a neat,
straight line at the joint, where concrete cracks due to shrinkage are expected
to occur.” Likewise expansion joints are
placed in bridges, concrete walls and other structures to allow for shrinkage
and to control cracking.
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 20th century. Along with the superior performance, concrete
has also become “greener” to produce.
The Conco Companies have a long
history of providing exceptional concrete services for a wide range of projects
using our extensive fleet of concrete pumps and ancillary equipment. Since 1975, we have owned and operated one of
the largest concrete pumping and belting companies in the U.S., and have the capability
and resources to handle the most challenging project specifications.
Portland cement is the most common
type of cement and typically originates from limestone. It is the key ingredient in concrete, mortar
and stucco and used throughout the world.
When added to concrete, it is the paste that binds the aggregate (consisting
of gravel and sand) with the water.
One of the mysteries that continue to
baffle scientists and engineers is how the ancient Romans produced the
strongest concrete in the world. Typically
modern concrete buildings last about 50 to 60 years while ancient Roman
concrete structures have survived through 2,000 years of environmental
damage.
The
Conco Companies have recently opened a new office in Portland, OR. While not new to the area as we have performed
services for Portland from our facilities in Kent, WA, this is our first actual
office in the city. The need for the
office made sense as we are working on several large projects throughout the
city and having a more established presence allows us to better serve our current
clients as well as future clients.
As
one of the nation’s leading commercial concrete contractors, The Conco
Companies have undertaken many challenging jobs placing concrete over our nearly
60 years in the industry. We attributed
our success to our seasoned team of professional engineers, managers, pump
operators, and finishing crews as well as to our large fleet of
state-of-the-art concrete pumps.
