Ready-mixed concrete - Types of concrete
Made from hydraulic binders containing between 10% and 30% mineral additives, Béton Provincial’s concrete stands out because of it has the following properties:
- low permeability;
- good corrosion protection for reinforcements;
- reduced risk of harmful reactions between alkalis and aggregate (AAR);
- reduced cracking;
- low to moderate temperature increase (hydration heat) at the time of initial setting and during hardening;
- increased performance and durability.
Béton Provincial’s technical department adapts the composition of concrete according to the specific needs of each project, under the guidance of the quality control department.
Béton Provincial’s range of products includes:
- Residential concrete - Conventional concrete
- High-performance concrete
- Quick-setting concrete
- Lightweight concrete
- Heavyweight concrete
- Coloured architectural concrete
- Fibre concrete
- Self-levelling concrete
- Cryogenic concrete
- Low-shrinkage concrete
- Shotcrete
Residential concrete – Conventional concrete
Our conventional concrete can be produced with or without entrained air. Entrained air increases the resistance of concrete to freeze-thaw cycles. This ensures the durability of structures that must withstand harsh climates. By using mineral additives and calcareous filaments, these mixes can be pumped, are easy to put into place and require less energy for consolidation.
Our concrete is always delivered at a constant temperature through the use of hot water in winter and ice in summer. A vast range of admixtures are used in very small quantities to optimize mixes in order to achieve the desired characteristics at the time of unloading and placing.
High-performance concrete (HPC)
High-performance concrete is made with cement containing 5% to 10% silica fume. It is also possible, if needed, to replace up to 20% of the cement with mineral or pozzolanic additives.
The compressive strength of HPC exceeds 50 MPa. Béton Provincial’s technical department can provide various HPC mixes for which early strength development can be controlled. The chloride ion permeability of our HPC is less than 1000 coulombs. Béton Provincial also supplies HPCs whose chloride ion permeability is less than 2000 coulombs.
Quick-setting concrete
Quick-setting concrete is a type of portland cement. It is adapted to applications requiring a short working time.
A strength of 8 to 10 MPa is reached in as rapidly as 4 hours after the concrete is placed. Despite a significant acceleration in setting time, this concrete remains workable long enough to ensure adequate consolidation.
Lightweight concrete
Lightweight concrete has a compression strength of 8 MPa and contains styrofoam beads. It is used to level existing slabs on structures than cannot support the added weight of normal-density concrete.
The density of lightweight concrete from Béton Provincial is as low as 780 kg/m3. Because of a low W/B ratio and the use of viscosity agents, lightweight concrete can be pumped over long distances without any segregation of the mix.
Heavyweight concrete
By using special, high-density aggregate, we produce concrete whose density can exceed 4000 kg/m3.
This type of concrete does not usually contain any entrained air. Heavyweight concrete is made to be used in specific conditions, for example, in the construction of nuclear power plants.
Coloured architectural concrete
Coloured architectural concrete is a variable strength concrete to which colour pigments have been added. It is used for both indoor and outdoor architectural structures.
Fibre concrete
Features
Fibre concrete, an innovative product developed by Béton Provincial, contains a new generation of high-strength, synthetic structural fibres.
It is optimized to help control problems associated with cracking. While there is no guarantee that fibre concrete will never crack, the internal stresses that lead to cracking are reduced. The result is a significant reduction in the size of cracks and in their spread inside the concrete.
Depending on the mix used, fibre concrete can improve a structure’s post-crack load capacity and homogeneity. Fibre concrete has increased impact strength as well as structural properties (fracture toughness and ductility) similar or superior to those of concrete that contains mesh.
Uses
Fibre concrete is easy to pump, easy to use and produces a superior finish. It is recommended for new slab projects on commercial, industrial, agricultural and residential ground. Fibre concrete can also be used in concrete repair mixes and many other applications.
Advantages
Fibre concrete is reinforced in all three dimensions and contains hundreds of thousands of fibres per cubic metre. The fibres have a tensile strength equal or superior to that of conventional steel.
The uniform distribution of fibres in these mixes means you no longer need to worry about properly positioning a steel mesh reinforcement. Furthermore, fibre concrete can even eliminate the need for steel reinforcements in on-ground slabs, which saves time and money.
Self-levelling concrete (SLC)
Self-levelling concrete has very high fluidity. The placement of SLC in narrow or curved forms crowded with reinforcements, as well as in forms with corners that are hard to reach with conventional concrete, relies solely on the effect of gravity.
Béton Provincial’s self-levelling concrete mix has high malleability and its spread can reach 750 mm. The mix is resistant to segregation during transport, placement and hardening.
It has a low level of compaction and bleeding. Its stability when fresh is ensured by the optimization of its granular skeleton, a high fine material content, the reduction of free-water content and the introduction of a viscosity agent.
This means that SLC is easy to place without a high risk of segregation. It is a concrete that ensures well-filled forms and superior surface quality that results in a durable structure with homogeneous properties.
Cryogenic concrete
Cryogenic concrete is an especially durable mix that has been developed for use in the construction of liquefied gas storage tanks. The mix is made from a low-alkali concrete to which a high percentage of cementing additives with a low W/B ratio is added. This mix ensures low permeability and good corrosion protection for reinforcements. The binding agent used has low hydration heat, which makes it possible to obtain crack-free components and structures. Cryogenic concrete has a compression strength of 40 MPa at 28 days and more than 50 MPa at 56 days.
The mix is adapted to use in variable worksite conditions. Its malleability can be maintained as long as necessary for transport, placing and consolidation, while ensuring a rather short setting time for use in sliding-form concrete construction.
By using precisely measured quantities of various chemical admixtures, Béton Provincial’s cryogenic concrete can be made with a slump of 50 mm, which makes it easier to use on surfaces that are inclined up to 30°. It can also be made with a 600 mm spread (in which case the slump test is no longer significant) in order to fill in sections that are crowded with reinforcements.
Low-shrinkage concrete
By using a large quantity of large aggregate with controlled aggregate grading, a low portland cement content and (if needed) an anti-shrink chemical agent, Béton Provincial makes concrete that has virtually no shrinkage. This concrete is available with or without entrained air, for indoor and outdoor applications.
Shotcrete
The use of shotcrete, a concrete that is pneumatically placed (whether wet process or dry process), has the advantage of not requiring any formwork, thus making it easier to do jobs rapidly or to make less costly repairs. Adding silica fume and entrained air to shotcrete mixes increases compression strength and reduces permeability. During placement, shotcrete mixes have a low rebound rate.