REPORT ON READY MIX CONCRETE

HISTORY
Concrete is a hardened building material created by combining a binder i.e. cement (commonly Portland cement), aggregate (generally gravel and sand), water and admixtures. Although people commonly use the word cement as a synonym for concrete, it is only one of several components in modern concrete. As concrete dries, it acquires a stone-like consistency that makes it ideal for constructing roads, bridges, water supply and sewage systems, factories, airports, railroads, waterways, mass transit systems, skyscrapers and other structures. Concrete is used more than any other man made material on the planet. It was in 1824, when Joseph Aspdin and Isaac Charles Johnson refined synthetic cement , that Portland cement came into existence. However, it was not widely used until World War II, when several large docks and bridges were constructed.
CONCRETE

Concrete is the mixture of Cement, sand and aggregate. This mixture in different proportions gives us different grades of concrete.
TYPES

1. On site mix 2. Ready mix

ON SITE MIX
The on site mix is where all the components are brought onto the site and then mixed there along with water. This method becomes obsolete when a large amount of concrete is required.

READY MIX
In the Ready mix method the amount of concrete required is pre calculated and made in the factory of the RMC to be sent to the site on time which is the sole responsibility of the RMC supply plant. The first ready-mix factory was built in the 1930s, but the industry did not begin to expand significantly until the 1960s, and it has continued to grow since then. Ready-mix concrete is sometimes preferred over on-site concrete mixing because of the precision of the mixture and reduced work site confusion

GRADIENTS
Cement: Fresh cement, protected from weathering conditions and influence of external environment such as air, moisture etc., is an important ingredient of concrete. Coarse aggregates: Coarse aggregates free from clay, weeds and other organic materials, cubical or rounded with a combination of different sizes and not elongated or flaky ensure proper strength of the concrete and make it non-porous. These coarse aggregates are a vital ingredient of good concrete.

 Fine aggregate: Sand, the fine aggregate used in concrete must be free from silt, clay, salts and organic materials to prevent shrinkage cracks, which affect the concrete quality and durability. Water: Potable water, free from impurities such as oil, alkalies, acids, salts, sugar, organic materials is ideal for concrete. UltraTech Concrete uses water tested at frequent intervals and uses water purifiers whenever necessary. Admixture: Admixtures used in concrete during mixing ensures its workability (the ease of placing of concrete in moulds) and the setting time is carefully chosen from reputed companies. The workability is measured for every batch through the slump cone and is controlled using a scientific method of dosing.

CASE STUDY ON ULTRATECH READY MIX CONCRETE PLANT - NH5,GUNTUR

The Ultra Tech RMC supply plant located near the outskirts of Vijayawada is under the authority of Aaditya Birla Cement.

Grade available- M5 to M70.

The structural engineer decides the grade of the concrete.They use cement from Aaditya Birla Cement as the main component of the concrete.

TYPES OF CEMENT USED AREOPC- Ordinary Portland cement PPC- Possilona Cement

FLY ASH
Fly ash can be used in the mixture of below M30 grade concrete upto 33% in OPC according to government rules. The aggregate is measured using different types of sieves.

SAND
The sand supplied to the plant has moisture content which is weighed first in wet condition and again in dry condition in order for the moisture content to be measured.

THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF AGGREGATE -20mm, 18mm, 16mm, 14mm, 12mm.

TESTING OF THE STRENGTH OF CONCRETE.

A Compression machine used to measure the strength of the concrete.

ACT- Accelerated Cube Test is used in case of emergencies. The machine accelerates the process of curing and hence the cube is cured within 24 hours. New trial versions of concrete are tested with this machine.

The grade of the concrete is testing using the compression machine. Each supply is first made into cubes of size 6x 6 x6.

The cube is then cured in a curing tank for 28 days. The tank is kept filled with water during all the 28 days to ensure perfect curing The cube is then tested for strength and load in the compression machine. When the cube is tested the client is requested to be present for surety.

The concrete strength also depends on the water proportion. The more amount of water added the less the strength of the concrete and vice versa.

BULKERS
The cement is supplied to the plant in bulk quantities in large trucks called bulkers.

STORAGE AND PROCESSING

The cement is then stored in large cylindrical towers called SILOs that are connected to the concrete mixer. Blower machines are used to transfer the cement from silo to the mixer.

The sand, aggregate are stored in separate areas and taken in large quantities to the mixer on a conveyer belt.

A carrier machine carries it to the conveyer belt.

The sand and the different types of aggregate are stored in different compartments in a storage unit that can be electronically controlled. The amount of sand or aggregate required is then controlled with a computer. This ensures that perfect proportion of sand, aggregate is allowed.

The water is pumped from an underground water supply directly into the concrete mixer. The concrete mixer is cylindrical shaped and is strategically placed so that the trucks used to convey the concrete can directly be loaded below it.

The trucks are directly loaded with the wet concrete which is then more thoroughly mixed during the transportation to the site.

Each truck has a volume of about 6 cubic metres. The concrete supplied to a site depends on the amount of concrete required. Each truck is weighed before and after loading with concrete to determine the amount of concrete and to make sure it is supplied in the right amount to the required site. The wet concrete has a setting time of about 4 hours. The time can be extended to 5 hours with the addition of admixture.

ADMIXTURES.
Admixtures like BASF are stored in large plastic tanks. If the setting time is exceeded then the concrete cannot be used for the construction and is returned to the plant where it is washed off.

The aggregate is then reused along with the slurry which is only used in definite percentages depending on the grade of concrete initially supplied.

ADVANTAGES They are available readily. They can be poured through pipes to the given area. It takes comparatively less time to finish the work. The ready mix concrete is comparatively of good quality. In site mix concrete, water is poured manually which gets out of control resulting in the adverse effect on the strength of concrete but in ready mix concrete, everything is premixed. The use of ready mix concrete also reduces accidents.

Report on RMC
Submitted byNakul kumar nayan Sec-b Roll no-1090100119 Sem-6th 3rd year School of planning and architecture ,Vijayawada