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Q:
How long until I may place my recently poured concrete into
service?
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A: Typically, concrete may be placed into
service once it has achieved its design strength. Design
strength is a measurement, of resistance to compression
in pounds per square inch, at a certain age (28 days is
the industry standard). Eagle Ready-mix has designed their
concrete to meet or exceed design strengths within 7 days
under ideal conditions (65 degrees F. ,low wind velocity,
and high humidity) however we would still strongly recommend
you wait 14 days to place your concrete into service.
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Q: What is
the difference between cement and concrete?
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A: Cement, or Portland Cement, or Portland
as it is sometimes called refers to a product obtained by
pulverizing clinker consisting primarily of hydraulic calcium
silicates; usually interground with calcium sulfate. Cement
constitutes between 7 and 15% of the volume of concrete
and forms the binding paste when mixed with water. Concrete
is the combination of cement, water, aggregates and sometimes
admixtures.
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Q: How is
concrete batched so that every yard is the same from load
to load?
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A: Eagle Ready-Mix, Inc. utilizes state of
the art computer batching systems to ensure consistency
from yard to yard or load to load. The computers measure
and weigh each ingredient and insure that those measurements
are within a certain tolerance.
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Q: What does
air do for concrete?
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A: Air is purposely incorporated into concrete
(through the use of a liquid admixture) to increase its
durability to freeze-thaw cycles. The air void system allows
expansive alkali solutions in concrete “room to grow” during
periods of freezing.
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Q: Why is
it not recommended to use a steel trowel on exterior concrete
exposed to freeze-thaw cycles or deicing chemicals?
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A: A steel trowel finish densifies (closes
up) the surface of the concrete, virtually destroying the
air void system, which may lead to surface defects in the
future. A standard practice should be to; “under finish
- and over cure”.
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Q: If you
produce concrete by weight, how do you sell it by volume?
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A: Although concrete is produced (batched)
by weight, the conversion to volume is a simple calculation
once the specific gravity values for all ingredients are
known to calculate the absolute volume each will occupy
in a unit volume of concrete. Specific gravity is the relationship
between the weight of a known volume of material and the
weight of an equal volume of water.
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