AGGREGATES IN CONCRETE

Concrete literally provides the backbone to the infrastructure that makes civilization possible. Pavements, bridges, buildings, aqueducts, and pipelines would all be significantly more expensive and less sustainable without it. Most of the people who work with concrete are civil engineers with limited geological training, which is somewhat surprising because roughly 70% of the mass of concrete is comprised of aggregates.

These materials help provide dimensional stability to the hardened material, and influence workability of the fresh mixture. They may also affect the durability of a structure by interacting chemically with the cement paste.

This paper will discuss the mechanisms behind premature failures in concrete that are related to the aggregates, and some research needs related to better understanding these mechanisms.