I am thinking about hiring a concrete company to redo out driveway and other concrete work. What I really want is that the driveway should stay level and crack-free for years, as cracks seriously nterfere with my material handling. How would I ensure that? Is that a matter of putting more gravel, more concrete, different concrete, or what?
thanks
A RELLY GOOD base with proper drainage, then thick concrete with mesh and rebar tying the sections together.adding fibre to the concrete and a high strength mix helps too. how heavy loads on this driveway?
you can build iut to airport runway specs if you dont mind spending a gazillion bucks.
poor drainage is a major trouble, and realize concrete doersnt last forever.....
But properly done, concrete can last over 100 years. Preparation and a good base are very important. Take a look at what id done when building roads.
Rebar, lots and lots of rebar. And concrete 6" thick. Did i mention rebar?
Another Idea to make sure it doesn't crack is to make sure that u try and keep it as cool as possible while it is curing,spraying water on it at different times,but be sure not to mess up the finish,and u could use expansion joints,good concrete co. should already know this. Hope this helps
check out these threads about driveway thickness, prep & design
short answer: good base, 6" thickness & crack control joints every 150 sq ft
prep is more important than mix but a low water ratio & a decent amount of cement in the mix help (3000 psi min)
I like rebar or mesh but lots of people (more expert than me) don't. think it's necessary
It is going to crack, eventually. Expansion joints and scoring are recommended in addition to a good base, adequate thickness, reinforcement, proper curing and so on.
The ONLY way to assure it doesn't crack. Don't use concrete. Use bricks.
Except lots of rebar can also mean lots of spalling. Rust requires more room than steel and can explode the concrete.
Delay putting it in as long as possible so the soil is compact as possible. Most houses in my neighborhood were built in 6 months but mine, built by the same builder took almost 3 times as long and the driveway wasn't put in until completion. My driveway went 7 years without a crack. Others were cracked in a year or so. Same soil, same concrete supplier, same builder, same contractor laying concrete.
Keeping it damp is what is important not cool. High temperature steam curing is often used for high strength concrete.
You can't re wet concrete. Once it dries it stops curing.
10- 30 days of keeping it damp will get you very strong concrete.
bricks move and get uneven faster than concrete.
might be better to use asphalt and know in advance it will need repaved.
or asphalt over concrete.........
nothing can be perfect and last forever...
I think you are joking. If not, the rebar should be in the lower third of layer. How do you explain the lack of spalling on exposed concrete pillars, e.g., bridge supports, basement supports, etc. since they have lots of rebar.
Do a little net search. Spalling is an IMMENSE problem in concrete structures.
They generally know what they are doing.
In Quebec recently an overpass collapsed killing people. Spalling is the probable cause.
Spalling in concrete on the ground can be very bad due to the moisture. There is such a thing as TOO much rebar.
Yea, but it is easy to correct and the next time it takes far longer. After a while they get very very stable. Of course that assumes they were put in properly in the first place.
First a very good foundation. What this means depends on where you are the the local soil conditions, but don't skimp.
Next make it thick enough. When in doubt go thicker.
Add rebar -wire. Very important
Use a strong mix. Not all concrete is created equal. You can order different qualities.
Have someone who really knows what they are doing put it in. Over working or under working it when it is put in will result in poor surface strength and you will get scaling in a year or two.
In short, there is not one factor, it is all well known and it all adds up to a quality job. Cost more now less in the long run.
Spalling is an IMMENSE problem in concrete structures.
Spalling on bridge trusses, coated beams, etc, is a very big problem here in SW Michigan. I know several 40 year old bridges where they had to replace or cast over and make thicker the pillars, and parge the supporting beams. All recent projects around here are designed with coated steel and replaceable decks instead of concrete over steel. Sure, there is still concrete in them, but they are designed so the salty crud doesn't saturate the concrete and rot the rebar. A couple historic bridges had to be torn down, due to the left-in-place steel forms under the concrete arches rotting out.
Didn't somebody develop rust-resistant rebar a few years back? Special alloy, some sort of coating, and some sort of field prep kit for welded and twisted joints?
aem sends...
alloy, some sort of coating, and some sort of field prep kit for welded and twisted joints?
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