Sand and gravel, the pillars of construction

Sand and gravel may sound drab and bland, but aggregate gravel and sand are the pillars of construction supply and are the tools needed to mold and form concrete. Al Blair Construction, servicing to the Eastern Ontario region since 1932 is proud to provide quality construction supply materials. Sand and gravel have many uses and are used in all areas of construction and in places you would never expect. Building homes, creating structures, mixing concrete, pavement and even sand at the beach are all general uses for sand and gravel.

Without various types or aggregate gravel, the modern world would be lacking precision and durability in all structures and society would not function accurately. To provide some context and a little geography lesson-- sand and gravel are both made up of rocks, of different materials and differing densities. Rocks are categorized into three types: natural mineral aggregates, sedimentary rocks and metamorphic rocks. Each of these categories are differentiated by the type of rock they are made up of.  Ingenious rocks, which are natural minerals, are made from tough and strong metamorphic rock such as granite and basalt, these make ideal aggregates because they are tough. Sedimentary rocks are made out of limestone and sandstone and are used for different purposes and can be cost-effective. Metamorphic rocks are ones that have changed over time due to weather conditions underneath the earths’ surface such as marble or slate.

You may be wondering how different types of rock affect construction and why they are important. First of all they are all used for different purposes but the key point is that different aggregates have different moisture and absorption levels, which contributes to the making of concrete. There are different types of concrete mixes, from lean mixes to rich mixes, they have different purposes and each aggregate provides beneficial results to a specific mix. Rough and elongated texture aggregate gravelneeds more cement paste to be able to make good concrete mixtures. Therefore, this raises the cost of making concrete. Rounded aggregates create lower grade concrete than crushed aggregates and larger sized aggregatesproduce less strength in concrete. Large aggregates give the most strength and value in lean mixes. Meanwhile, in rich mixes, smaller, more refined aggregates produce a stronger concrete mix.

Sand and gravel and more broadly, aggregates are the pillars of construction because they are the most mined minerals in the world. These materials provide us with a beneficial use for many things throughout our daily lives. Sand and gravel are used for paving roads, are used for a base under railroads and are also used in the process of mixing concrete, which makes and constructs infrature worldwide. Aggregate gravel is a cost effective option to bind and fuses cement or asphalt together.

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