How to make a concrete solution: determining the number of

Concrete is one of the most common building materials. No construction, from the construction of a huge shopping center, and ending with the construction of a barn with your own hands, is complete without the use of this building mixture. But in order for the resulting structure to be of high quality and meet the requirements of the regulatory documentation, it is necessary to correctly calculate the proportions of the concrete solution. This will be discussed below.

Components of building mixture

Ready concrete solution is a fluid mixture of four main components:

1. Cement - a substance for binding, which is the basis of many mortars. Externally similar to the smallest powder of a characteristic gray color, which contains limestone and forms a solid crystalline structure upon wetting.
2. The filler is gravel or crushed stone for concrete, as well as their mixture with sand. There are different types of ballast filler, depending on the brand of concrete mix and its scope. For the manufacture of concrete is suitable substance with a fraction of more than 0.5 cm.
3. Construction sand - the size of a separate grain of sand in it should be from 0.1 to 5 mm. There are several varieties of this bulk material, but the best is considered river. Its rounded particles perfectly penetrate into the pores of other building materials, and a small admixture of clay makes the solution more viscous.
4. Water is a component that binds together all other substances entering concrete.

Note! The same components, with the exception of the filler, are used in the kneading of the usual mortar used for laying brick, stone, plastering and other finishing works.

It should be noted that when laying some types of artificial stone it is not recommended to use cement mortar: for aerated concrete blocks, for example, a special adhesive composition is better suited. Although its price is slightly higher, the result will justify these costs.

Making concrete

Selection of proportions

Before you make a concrete solution, it is necessary to determine the scope of its application. The proportions of the components that are mixed in the concrete mixer directly depend on this.

Instructions for the use of concrete provides for the following:

1. For the casting of the concrete strip foundation for the construction of a small private housing construction concrete with a filler, the dimensions of which range from 20 to 30 mm, should be used. The amount of cement used must be such that the other components are securely fastened together, but the mixture is fluid. This will allow you to tamp concrete concrete, getting rid of air bubbles in it.
2. If you need to make a concrete pad, you can use the simplest concrete recipe, which in addition to cement and water includes only coarse-grained river sand.. Its consistency should be similar to wet soil.
3. The small fraction of the filler is indispensable in cases where it is supposed to cast products of complex shape: balusters, decor elements, garden utensils and so on.

Regulatory documents regulating the amount of a substance in concrete of a certain brand are:

• GUEST 7473-94;
• SNiP 5.01.23-83.

They take into account the many physical parameters of the constituent components. For example, the density of sand, aggregate and the finished solution. To simplify the calculations, you can use a concrete mortar calculator or the table below.

Tip! The most common ratio of components for self-construction is 1: 6: 3, but more often the observance of such proportions does not lead to the desired result, which can be seen after pouring. It is still advisable not to be lazy and calculate the required number of components on their own, based on the data in the table.

After performing all the calculations, you should choose a practical method of measuring. The fact is that the results obtained are hardly applicable in real conditions.

For example, the weight of sand may vary depending on its humidity. Therefore, if you measure it with buckets, the parameters may deviate in one direction or another. In this regard, it is recommended to dry the sand and gravel entering the concrete mix.

To correctly derive the proportions, you need to know the weight of each component in the same volume. To do this, take a bucket and fill it to the top edge with sand, then with cement and gravel. Each portion is weighed. The values ​​obtained are used to determine the proportions not in kilograms, but in buckets.

Equipment for concrete mixing

The best way to mix concrete is the well-known concrete mixer. It allows not only in the shortest possible time and with maximum quality to connect the components, but also delivers the solution to the construction site, avoiding its solidification.

With manual mixing (in a trough) it is impossible to make a more or less significant amount of the mixture. In addition, you will not be able to control the quantity and quality of the added components. This should be discussed in more detail.

There are two main methods of mixing:

• dry - first, cement is combined with sand in the tank, then a filler is added and only after that the necessary amount of water;
• wet - before mixing, the required volume of liquid is measured, to which components are gradually added.

In the first case, there is no guarantee that the entire dry mixture will get wet evenly and efficiently. Often at the bottom of the tank remains of sand and cement are found, which leads to a violation of proportions. If you mix everything long and carefully, it takes too much time. The solution begins to solidify and crystallize before it is poured into the formwork.

When water is added first, there is also the danger of starting to set before adding all the ingredients. But, nevertheless, this method is better than that described above. It can be used for mixing concrete in small quantities.

Tip! If you plan to use a large amount of concrete, it is advisable to purchase or rent a concrete mixer. This will reduce not only the time, but also your efforts to prepare the solution.

Kneading process

Standard concrete mixer allows you to make 200 liters of solution at a time. Based on this quantity, and it is necessary to determine the proportions of all components.

Bookmark occurs as follows:

1. Water. The right amount of fluid is poured. You can leave a certain amount to add at the last stage of the mix.
2. Cement. This component must be fully mixed before adding the other components. Otherwise, lumps may remain, affecting the quality of the solution.
3. Sand. After this ingredient is added, mix the mixture for at least 5 minutes.
4. Filler. He falls asleep at the last stage.

Conclusion

Remember that the quality of the resulting concrete mix depends not only on the correct choice of components and the exact observance of the mixing process, but also on the time of transportation. It is better if no more than 10-15 minutes pass from the moment the batch is finished to pouring.

If a solution remains in the mixer, it should be left on. This will prevent the mixture from freezing.

More information about this can be found in the video in this article. Have a good construction!