Concrete

Cement concrete, commonly known as concrete, is a mixture of cement, aggregates, water and additives. Of all the problems affecting concrete and of which a material engineer can help control, carbonation is the most common. This is a chemical reaction between carbon dioxide found in the atmosphere and the concrete cement. This reaction attacks steel inside the concrete. Steel corrodes, swells which in turn bursts concrete producing the visual result which is observed on several bridges.

Cement concrete is the building material most used in the world. It is also the second mineral material used, just behind… water! This huge consumption has led the industry to become increasingly interested in the recyclability of concrete.

Concrete is the most used material in construction. Therefore, ensuring its quality is one of the major contributions to society by the material engineer.

The engineer first studies the environment where the construction will occur and then formulates recommendations concerning the best proportions and characteristics of the concrete constituents. One of the objectives pursued by the engineer is to find the best combination to ensure the longevity of the concrete. Once he has developed the constituents and the proportions to be used, the material engineer is then best able to determine and validate that predetermined requirements have been met by the manufacturers.

Tests are conducted during the manufacturing of concrete as well as prior to and during its’ use on-site (temperature, slump, air content). Other tests are done at a later date in a laboratory on samples taken during previous phases (compressive strength at 7 and 28 days). These tests are conducted according to very specific North American standards (ASTM standards).

As a general rule when it comes to monitoring purposes, the concrete in place can also be cored and subjected to laboratory tests to determine its state (microscopic determination of air void network, chipping resistance to de-icing salts).

The field of concrete is one of the major fields of expertise for material engineers. An apprenticeship of several years with an experienced engineer and a fair amount of personal involvement is needed to develop the expertise of a new engineer.

On construction sites and in laboratories, our technicians, accompanying engineers in the many activities of concrete sampling and testing, have specific training and a known North American certification.

The wide variety of clients requiring an engineer specialized in concrete is as large as the many different areas for its use.

Individuals, developers, public institutions, but also plants producing concrete are just some entities who seek the expertise developed by our engineers in concrete.

In response to the growing awareness for energy conservation and preservation of natural resources; it is exciting to see the emergence of new and greener ways of producing concrete. We follow closely these developments which allow us to always recommend the newest and the most adapted concrete for the project.

On a global scale, the consumption of concrete is estimated at more than one cubic meter per capita/year.