Control, Construction and Isolation Joints

Control, Construction and Isolation Joints

Concrete shrinks irreversibly as it cures and dries out. After this initial shrinkage has occurred, concrete expands and contracts reversibly with changes in temperature and moisture content. This movement can cause concrete to crack uncontrollably unless it is reinforced with steel and built with special joints that are designed to control cracking locations.

 The amount of expansion and contraction that concrete will experience is influenced by several things, including the water content of the mix, and the weather conditions during the curing period. Mixes made with a high water content are more prone to cracking from initial shrinkage than drier, stiffer mixes. Reinforcing steel increases the strength of concrete and absorbs the stress of expansion and contraction, but it cannot prevent cracking altogether it can only distribute the stresses so that there will be many minute cracks instead of a few big ones. While reinforcement limits the amount of expansion and contraction to some extent, cracking and movement can also be regulated by subdividing the concrete into smaller sections with control joints and construction joints, and separating it from adjacent construction with isolation joints.

What are the core strengths we possess in this business ?

Mastour ReadyMix is a ready mix concrete and cement products company Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

ROBUST INFRASTRUCTURE. SPEED OF DELIVERY. CUSTOMISED SOLUTIONS. SUPERIOR QUALITY.
Mastour ReadyMix’s value proposition stems from a variety of synergistic factors, with the most important one being rich experience and comprehensive know-how of our team which help to customize mixes to suit the diverse requirements of clients.
With our commitment to develop robust infrastructure with high production capacities and focus on manufacturing superior quality in fully automated batching plants and ensuring speed in delivery using sophisticated equipment, methods and means, Mastour ReadyMix is all set to garner a significant share of this industry.
Additionally, testing of raw materials & fresh concrete and large fleet of transit mixers & mobile and stationary pumps help discharge concrete at high elevations and over long distances.
Setting up of a concrete testing laboratory:
At Mastour ReadyMix, we understand that our concrete and cement products, are the most unique and versatile building materials in the Saudi Arabia. It can assume virtually any shape and reach great strengths. Concrete is ideal for any building project such as residential homes, schools, high-rise buildings, bridges, dams, highways etc. Concrete is perishable in its plastic state and very “sensitive” from the time the raw materials are combined to the final product. Mixing, transportation, placing, and curing can influence its plastic and hardened properties. This is why Mastou ReadyMix places great emphasis on quality by expanding the parameters of its concrete quality management model from quality control to quality assurance. Mastou ReadyMix is leading the way to higher quality practices with the implementation of a Quality Management System based on the guidelines and principles
This laboratory would help us in:
• Becoming expert in mix designs of high strength concrete.
• Gathering knowledge of durable production of concrete.
• Concrete practices and repair/rehabilitation of deteriorated
structures
• Offering services to large institutional clients
• Finalizing of mix designs, development of special concretes,
mixes for hollow, solid and paving concrete blocks, optimization
of mixes.
• Conducting trials for the optimization of admixture doses etc.
Our experienced technical and marketing team enables us to define & specify quality standards and also design concrete mixes to meet clients’ specific requirements while our strong Reasearch & Development and market knowledge helps to avoid setting of Ready mix Concrete, which are critical aspects in the Ready mix Concrete business.
Our ability consistent and assured quality of concrete with the flexibility to easily insert admixtures, manufactured under stringent conditions to prevent overdosing of admixture, while also checking the slump, gives a fillip to our already superior quality standards.
Lastly, we are well poised to raise the quality bar by virtue of our ability to integrate backwards and carry out mining and crushing activities using the latest technology crushing equipment.

Concrete Block

Mastour ReadyMix is a Ready mix concrete and cement products company Jeddah Saudi Arabia.

Concrete block, cement block, and foundation block – is a large rectangular brick used in construction. Concrete blocks are made from cast concrete, i.e. Portland cement and aggregate, usually sand and fine gravel for high-density blocks. Lower density blocks may use industrial wastes as an aggregate. Clinker blocks use clinker as aggregate. In non-technical usage, the terms cinder block and breeze block are often generalized to cover all of these varieties. Lightweight blocks can also be produced using aerated concrete

Uses

Concrete block, when built in tandem with concrete columns and tie beams and reinforced with rebar, is a very common building material for the load-bearing walls of buildings, in what is termed “concrete block structure” construction. Large buildings typically use copious amounts of concrete block; for even larger buildings, concrete block supplements steel I-beams. Tilt-wall construction, however, is replacing Concrete Block Structure for some large structures.

Stamped Concrete

Stamped Concrete Products in various patterns are also available at Mastour ReadyMix can be customized and proportioned to fit your specific needs and application.

Stamped Concrete is concrete that is patterned and/or textured or embossed to resemble brick, slate, flagstone, stone, tile, wood, and various other patterns and textures. Stamped concrete is commonly used for patios, sidewalks, driveways, pool decks, and interior flooring. The ability of stamped concrete to resemble other building materials makes stamped concrete a less expensive alternative to using those other authentic materials such as stone, slate or brick.

There are three procedures used in stamped concrete which separate it from other concrete procedures; the addition of a base color, the addition of an accent color, and stamping a pattern into the concrete. These three procedures provide stamped concrete with a color and shape similar to the natural building material. It also is longer lasting than paved stone, and still resembles the look.

Procedures

Adding base color

The base color is the primary color used in stamped concrete. The base color is chosen to reflect the color of the natural building material. The base color is produced by adding a color hardener to the concrete. Color hardener is a powder pigment used to dye the concrete.

The color hardener can be applied using one of two procedures; integral color or cast-on color. Integral color is the procedure where the entire volume of concrete is dyed the base color. The entire volume of concrete is colored by adding the color hardener to the concrete truck, and allowing all the concrete in the truck to be dyed. Cast-on color is the procedure where the surface of the concrete is dyed the base color. The surface of the concrete is colored by spreading the color hardener onto the surface of the wet concrete and floating the powder into the top layer of the wet concrete.

Concrete can be colored in many ways; color hardener, integral liquid or powder, acid stains to name a few. The process of integrally coloring the concrete offers the advantage of the entire volume being colored; however, the surface strength is not increased as with the use of color hardener. Dry shake color hardener is another popular way to color concrete. You broadcast the hardener on the concrete as soon as it is floated for the first time. After letting the bleed water soak into the hardener you float and trowel it in. This method only covers the surface about 3/16 of an inch but it gives the concrete surface a longer wear life.

Adding accent color

The accent color is the secondary color used in stamped concrete. The secondary color is used to produce texture and show additional building materials (e.g. grout) in the stamped concrete. The accent color is produced by applying color release to the concrete. Color release has two purposes. Color release is a pigment used to color the concrete and color release is a non-adhesive used to prevent the concrete stamps from sticking to the concrete.

The color release can be applied in one of two procedures based on the two forms it is manufactured in: powdered (cast-on color release made up of calcium-releasing powders that repel water); or liquid – which is a light aromatic-based solvent, spray-on color release. Cast-on color release is a procedure where the powder color release is applied by spreading the color release on the surface of the concrete before the concrete is stamped. Spray-on color release is a procedure where liquid color release is sprayed on the bottom of the concrete stamps before the concrete is stamped.

Stamping patterns

The pattern is the shape of the surface of the stamped concrete. The pattern reflects the shape of the natural building material. The pattern is made by imprinting the concrete shortly after it has been poured with a “concrete stamp“. Most modern concrete stamps are made of polyurethane, but older “cookie cutter” style stamps were made of various metals. The old style stamps lacked the capabilities of forming natural stone texture.

Concrete stamping is the procedure which uses the concrete stamps to make the pattern in the stamped concrete. Concrete stamps are placed on the concrete after the color release has been applied. The concrete stamps are pushed into the concrete and then removed to leave the pattern in the stamped concrete.

In most cases concrete stamping is made to look like ordinary building products. Whether it be flagstone, brick, natural stone or any other common exterior looks, but there are many ways to personalize your own kind of stamp. It could be a homemade stamp or a recycled stamp, you can be as basic or as ornate as you wish. The Process is easy, first find a design that you, the homeowner, or contractor thinks will be a good fit. After making a mold of the desired stamp design, plan out the way it will look and fit in your designated area. The hardest part of stamping is the waiting, you must make sure the concrete is hard enough that the stamp won’t sink but loose enough that it will make a clean stamp. Do not be afraid of trying new and creative stamps around your house. However, remember to be sure to test the stamp on a demo before stamping onto the permanent surface.

History

Stamping concrete increased in popularity in the 1970s when it was first introduced in the World of Concrete. Builders saw it as a new way to satisfy the customer and make their budget work simultaneously. This technique of stamping concrete has been done since at least the 1950s. When stamping concrete first began, there were very few choices of design and colors. However, as the industry grew more stamping patterns were being created along with many different types of stains to give us the vibrant colors we have today. Another advantage to using stamped concrete, is that it can be applied to many different surfaces and textures. Such as driveways, highways, patios, decks, and even floors inside the home.