• Book Name: Concrete in the Service of Mankind Radical concrete technology by Ravindra and Peter
• Author: Ravindra and Peter
• Pages: 758
• Size: 35 MB

Concrete in the Service of Mankind PDF

Preface of Concrete in the Service of Mankind PDF

Concrete has been regarded as a mature technology which has become tainted by its very familiarity. However, by unlocking its potential, cement-based composite materials can offer a performance as yet unexplored. There is, of course, the ‘Holy Grail’ of the development of high strength, ductile concrete which can rival steel directly. Indeed, it is now possible to produce compressive strengths, on a commercial basis, in excess of 250MPa but equal tensile stress capacity remains as elusive as ever.

Many countries now regularly consider the use of high performance concrete, both for strength and/or durability. Such materials are already being proven in tall structures, bridges and tunnels. However, as these new concretes become widely available, it will be necessary to develop design tools that can exploit these, both safely and economically. Furthermore, it would appear that there must be an improved interaction between architects and engineers in order to advance the so-called ultra structures, utilising radical concrete technologies.

Equally, specifications must be developed which can be used to provide confidence in the use of many new materials that are becoming available. Perhaps the most pressing need is the explicit design for durability. The Proceeding of this Conference; ‘Radical Concrete Technology’ dealt with all of these subject areas and the issues thus raised, under six clearly identified themes:

(i) High Performance Concrete,

(ii) Ultra Structures,

(iii) Maximising Strength/Durability,

(iv) Performance Specifications,

(v) Construction Techniques and

(vi) New Materials Technology.

Each theme started with a Leader Paper presented by the foremost exponents in their respective fields. There were a total of 71 papers presented during the 2 day International Conference and compiled into these Proceedings.

Concrete in the service of mankind pdf.