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Aggregates
Crushed Rock: low workability, high strength due to high friction. Rounded aggregate: low friction. High workability, low strength. Found in riverbeds, etc. Expanded clay: not strong. Highly porous. Made by heating in a kiln, where the air inside it expands. Styrofoam beads: lightweight. Absorbs shocks by deforming instead of cracking. Air entrained: Allows water through. Good insulation properties.

Expanded clay and styrofoam beads can be used in combination.

Common aws in concrete

Air voids: lead to lower strength. Honeycombing: loss of strength, ugly appearance. Can be reduced by compacting the concrete. Segregation of aggregates: occurs when concrete is overworked. Less strength on the side with ner aggregate.

Tests
Slump test: used to determine the workability of the concrete. Cube test (compression test): used to nd the compressive strength of the concrete. Ultrasound test: non-destructive method to estimate strength.

Reinforcements
Rounded bar: concrete doesnt hold onto this well as it is smooth; hence it is used as distribution steel. Ribbed bars: ribs mean that it doesnt sleep or pull out of concrete. Shear links: stop shear failure. Hanger bar: also stops shear failure but offers less resistance to it than the shear links.

 Spacer wheels1 : maintain the cover distance.

Other stuff

Concrete is usually tested at 7 and 28 days. If more tests are needed after concrete is in place, a core is drilled out, smoothed on top and tested. To avoid cutting the steel reinforcements, cover meters are used to detect the steel. The cover distance is the distance between steel reinforcement bars.

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