Currently, as many centuries ago, concrete is probably the most common material for construction. It is used in a wide variety of construction works - from major repairs to the construction of buildings. However, to perform any work, the first step is to calculate the amount of material needed, taking into account its characteristics. For example, builders often face the task of determining the weight of its cubic meter. Therefore, this article is devoted to the question of what is the weight of 1 m3 of concrete.
What determines the mass of concrete
First of all, it should be noted that builders do not use such a thing as "specific gravity of concrete." This is due to the fact that this building material in its composition may contain a variety of components with different weights.
Thus, the following can be used as a filler:
• Crushed stone.
• Gravel.
• Expanded clay and others. Even if the same composition is used for the preparation of concrete mortar, the weight of 1 m3 of concrete may be different incases, if the filler has different fractions. The larger the fraction size, the more voids in the material and, accordingly, the smaller its mass.
But builders are still interested in weight characteristics, since many characteristics of the objects being executed depend on the value of this indicator. For example, based on these data, the weight is calculated and the type of foundations is selected for different types of soil. The same applies to other load-bearing elements.
In practice, builders use a parameter called "volumetric weight". But this characteristic does not have a constant value. In addition, the weight of the liquid used in the preparation of the solution must be taken into account in the calculations.
Varieties of concrete
According to the type of binder, this building material is divided into cement, silicate, slag-alkali, asph alt concrete, etc. Ordinary concrete (for civil and industrial construction), special (road, decorative, heat-insulating, hydraulic) and special purposes (chemical-resistant, sound-absorbing, heat-resistant, for protection against nuclear radiation and others).
Characteristics of concrete
Compressive strength is used as the main indicator characterizing concrete. This characteristic determines the class of concrete, marked with the letter "B" (Latin) and numbers indicating (in kg / sq.cm) the allowable load. For example, the value B25 indicates that this class of concrete is designed for a load of 25 kg/sq.cm. When calculating the strength indicators of structures, one shouldconsider coefficients. Example: a structure made of B25 class concrete with a variation coefficient of 13.5 percent is able to withstand a load of 327 kg / sq. cm, and this is equivalent to the M350 strength grade. Strength class B3, 5 corresponds to the strength grade M50, B10 - M150, B30 - M400, and B60 - M800.
Frost resistance, bending strength and water resistance are other important indicators of concrete. Frost resistance is indicated by the letter "F" and a number from 50 to 500, indicating the number of transitions from freezing to thawing and vice versa that the concrete will withstand. The water resistance index uses the letter "W" and a number from 2 to 12, which indicates the water pressure that a sample of this concrete grade in the form of a cylinder will withstand.
Determination of weight
Reference data on the volumetric weight of concrete are defined in SNiP No. II-3. This standard indicates the estimated weight of concrete varieties depending on the type of its aggregate. It contains a table of concrete weight, from which you can find out that reinforced concrete products are characterized by a volumetric weight (in kg / m3) of 2500, concrete using a filler in the form of gravel or crushed stone - 2400, expanded clay concrete based on expanded clay sand - 500-1800, based on perlite sand - 800-1000. In turn, aerated concrete is characterized by a volumetric weight of 300-1000 kg/m3. Naturally, the weight of 1 m3 of concrete is approximate, but these data are quite suitable for calculation purposes. After all, no calculation can ensure the accuracy of data up to several kilograms.
Concrete weight depending on its grade
Builders often determine the weight of 1 m3 of concrete depending on the brand. Its heavy types are characterized by the following calculated data. The weight of M200 concrete is 2430 kg/m3. For grade M100, a value of 2495 kg/m3 can be used. The weight of concrete M300 is 2390, and for grades M400 and M500, you can take the values \u200b\u200bof 2375 and 2300 kg / m3, respectively.
Thus, the quantitative values given in the article can be used for approximate engineering calculations in the production of repair and construction work.
