About the Book
Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 66. Chapters: Glass, Clay, Marble, Concrete, Ivory, Soapstone, Alabaster, Terracotta, Plaster, Architectural metals, Polymer clay, Papier-m ch, Concrete mixer, Weathering steel, Play-Doh, Silicone rubber, Roman concrete, Latex, List of decorative stones, Porphyry, Plasticine, Metal clay, Microcrystalline wax, Fimo, Plaster cast, Stone sculpture, Sugru, RTV silicone, Ferrocement, Modelling clay, Sculpey, Sylacauga marble, Wax carving, Hepatizon, List of types of limestone, Salt ceramic, Composition ornament, Tortoiseshell material, Faux Bois, Milliput, Parian marble, Kato polyclay, Cold porcelain, Salt dough, Plastilina, Pagodite, Modroc, Equilibrium gel. Excerpt: Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement (commonly Portland cement) and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate (generally a coarse aggregate made of gravel or crushed rocks such as limestone, or granite, plus a fine aggregate such as sand), water and chemical admixtures. The word concrete comes from the Latin word "concretus" (meaning compact or condensed), the perfect passive participle of "concrescere," from "con-" (together) and "crescere" (to grow). Concrete solidifies and hardens after mixing with water and placement due to a chemical process known as hydration. The water reacts with the cement, which bonds the other components together, eventually creating a robust stone-like material. Concrete is used to make pavements, pipe, architectural structures, foundations, motorways/roads, bridges/overpasses, parking structures, brick/block walls and footings for gates, fences and poles. Concrete is used more than any other man-made material in the world. As of 2006, about 7.5 cubic kilometers of concrete are made each year-more than one cubic meter for every person on Earth. Concrete powers a industry, employing m...
