Concrete

Aggregate is the component of a composite material that resists compressive stress and provides bulk to the composite material.

A cement is a binder, a substance used in construction that sets and hardens and can bind other materials together.

Cement mortar becomes hard when it cures, resulting in a rigid aggregate structure; however the mortar is intended to be weaker than the building blocks and the sacrificial element in the masonry, because the mortar is easier and less expensive to repair than the building blocks.

Prestressed concrete is a concrete construction material which is placed under compression prior to it supporting any applied loads (i.e. it is "pre" stressed).

Sodium silicate is the common name for compounds with the formula Na2(SiO2)nO.

Slag is the glass-like by-product left over after a desired metal has been separated (i.e., smelted) from its raw ore.

Precast concrete is a construction product produced by casting concrete in a reusable mold or "form" which is then cured in a controlled environment, transported to the construction site and lifted into place.

Welded wire mesh, or welded wire fabric, or "weldmesh" is an electric fusion welded prefabricated joined grid consisting of a series of parallel longitudinal wires with accurate spacing welded to cross wires at the required spacing.

Reinforced concrete (RC) is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are counteracted by the inclusion of reinforcement having higher tensile strength or ductility.

Plasticizers (UK: plasticisers) or dispersants are additives that increase the plasticity or viscosity of a material.

Fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) is concrete containing fibrous material which increases its structural integrity.

Robustness is the ability of a structure to withstand events like fire, explosions, impact or the consequences of human error, without being damaged to an extent disproportionate to the original cause - as defined in EN 1991-1-7 of the Accidental Actions Eurocode.

Afwillite is a calcium hydroxide nesosilicate mineral with formula Ca3(SiO3OH)2·2H2O.

Shotcrete is concrete (or sometimes mortar) conveyed through a hose and pneumatically projected at high velocity onto a surface, as a construction technique.

Brucite is the mineral form of magnesium hydroxide, with the chemical formula Mg(OH)2.

Biogenic sulfide corrosion is a bacterially mediated process of forming hydrogen sulfide gas and the subsequent conversion to sulfuric acid that attacks concrete and steel within wastewater environments.

Ettringite is a hydrous calcium aluminium sulfate mineral with formula: Ca6Al2(SO4)3(OH)12·26H2O.

In civil engineering, concrete leveling is a procedure that attempts to correct an uneven concrete surface by altering the foundation that the surface sits upon.

The Roman Architectural Revolution, also known as the concrete Revolution, was the widespread use in Roman architecture of the previously little-used architectural forms of the arch, vault, and dome.

Friedel's salt is an anion exchanger mineral belonging to the family of the layered double hydroxides (LDHs).

Chlormayenite (after Mayen, Germany), Ca12Al14O32[☐4Cl2], is a rare calcium aluminium oxide mineral of cubic symmetry.

Ye'elimite is the naturally occurring form of calcium sulfoaluminate, Ca4(AlO2)6SO4.

Thaumasite is a silicate mineral with chemical formula Ca3Si(OH)6(CO3)(SO4)·12H2O.

Ready-mix concrete is concrete that is manufactured in a factory or batching plant, according to a set recipe, and then delivered to a work site by truck mounted in–transit mixers.