Ready mix concrete is the most common concrete used in construction and many home improvement projects. Ready mix is an alternative to mixing the concrete at the job site. It is batch mixed at the concrete plant according to the specifications of the customer. This method has an advantage of mixing when there is no room at the job site.
The centrally-mixed concrete at the concrete plant is transported in a truck which is, in effect, an agitator designed to keep all of the materials which make concrete completely mixed in route. Otherwise, the materials would separate. It is absolutely necessary that the mix arrive at the job site as it leaves the plant. Peterman Concrete will ensure this happens.
One of the many benefits of buying Ready Mix Concrete in St. Joseph is the contractor can specify the ingredients of the concrete to be mixed at the plant. The size of the aggregate can be specified and this is usually 3/4 or 1 inch.
Another specification which Peterman Concrete follows at the plant is the amount of slump created. It is important in mixing concrete because slump is a measure of the consistency of concrete which has just been mixed. Slump is measured in inches. Using a cone shaped device, fresh concrete fills the cone by creating the first layer with fresh concrete. The cone is filled with fresh concrete in three layers of equal amount in volume. Each layer is stroked with a rod about 3/4 inch in diameter and a bullet shaped end.
The concrete is leveled at the top of the cone. The cone is then turned upside down which allows the concrete to fall or slump into a random pile. The distance that the concrete slumps from the original height is the slump of the concrete. A high or low slump may not tell the quality of the concrete because the slump factor cannot be used to assess the water content of a concrete batch. A superplastasticizer is a chemical added to the concrete mix to render a higher slump factor without adding more water. Slump will determine the workability of the concrete, and the ideal is 4 to 5 inches. This does not determine the strength of the concrete because this is determined by the water-to-cement ratio. Get in touch with Peterman Concrete St. Joseph for more details.
