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Atlanta Concrete Construction – Basics of Putting Up a Strong Pavement

Concrete construction in Atlanta has come such a long way with major technological advances in both the material and workmanship. The modern-day pavements are not only stronger but also smoother and thus provide an excellent platform for riding due to great surface texture and also anti-skid technology. The use of optical and laser guidance systems has enabled string-less paving and trimming which makes construction work much lighter and easier. The quality of the concrete mixes have also improved drastically in the recent years demonstrating exceptional properties both in the fresh and hardened form; the former providing ease of construction and the latter providing durability, reliability and performance.

The first step of any quality pavement concrete construction lies in the proper preparation of the soil surface. The existing layer has to be compacted and graded in the right manner which will enable the right elevation and also prepare the surface for the concrete mix. In some instances, a base material layer may also need to be added to the subgrade layer for superior performance. Certain soil types are extremely susceptible and sensitive to moisture changes, shrinking and expanding depending on the climate. In these situations, a base material is crucial to minimize the changes, cushion the slab and thereby provide higher durability.

The different types of base material that are usually used include crushed stone, quarry stone, rounded river gravel etc. Basically any material that can provide the right density and the least voids can be used for this purpose. The material must also be able to provide strength and stability for the kind of traffic the pavement will be used for after construction. Sometimes, there can be soft spots in the subgrade layer which most contractors fill up by using a mixture of flyash or quicklime which will not only dry up these spots but also help to bind and stabilize the soil in a similar manner to cement or asphalt.

Concrete construction  in Atlanta for pavements must be designed in such a manner to reach a compressive strength of around 4000psi within a period of 28 to 30 days. Durability is an extremely important factor as the pavement must be able to withstand all kinds of traffic in all climatic conditions. The most important parameters that contribute to high durability of any concrete pavement are the use of quality aggregates, well-graded concrete mix to provide low permeability, well-dispersed and proper air-entertainment and also adequate strength.

Slump is another factor of concrete construction and this helps to measure work-ability as well as fluidity of the concrete mixture. 4 to 5 inches is the ideal slump measurement for a good pavement mix. Instead of adding water, engineers and contractors have now started to add chemicals to create the mix to avoid many negative aspects that come out of adding water to the concrete mix. A higher ratio of water to cement drastically causes a reduction in the durability of the concrete mix which can in turn affect construction. Water-reducing admixtures are available these days which help to increase slump without the addition of any water.

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