Civil Engineering Information

What is Top-Down Construction?
In top-down construction, permanent structures are built from the ground up, beginning with a deep basement excavation. This method is the inverse of the more common bottom-up approach. This method involves constructing the basement levels in layers as the excavation continues. The concrete floors in basements act as lateral bracing for the surrounding walls. Slabs for the ground floor and basement are poured into the excavation holes. Since all subsequent below-grade levels have been completed, the floors can now act as lateral bracing for the perimeter walls.

Diaphragm walls, or “D” walls as they are more commonly known, are a type of perimeter wall that provides a foolproof answer to any problem that may arise during underground building. D walls are ideal for controlling groundwater movement and maintaining stable earth retention.

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Introduction
Curing is the process of providing moisture to the concrete mix so that better interlocking is established. If curing is not done properly then it will cause insufficient hydration and as a result there will be capillary pores, causing cracks and shrinkage. Moreover, strength and durability will also get affected and the concrete will disintegrate and break. It also ensures to maintain a sufficient temperature of concrete at its early age. It must be implemented as soon as placement & finishing is done. Also, it must continue for a specific period for the concrete to achieve its desired strength and durability. Uniform temperature is necessary to avoid thermal shrinkage cracks, plastic shrinkage and problems like bleeding and segregation.

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Introduction
Brick is one rectangular building unit that constitutes the whole structure. It is mainly made of clay at high temperature and is mostly red in color. Other constituents of bricks are sand, cement, lime and fly ash. There are many patterns involved in laying bricks some of which are going to be discussed here. Nowadays, concrete hollow bricks are replacing the conventional bricks as more advancement in technology is going on. The standard size of brick used in buildings without mortar is 219 x 9 x 9 cm and with mortar the size is 20 x 10 x 10 cm. Bricks contribute in distribution of loads and maintain stability of the structure. Thus, bricks are such units that are irreplaceable in construction industry till today.

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Introduction
Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) or Strain Hardening Cement-based Composites (SHCC) is a particular type of concrete reinforced with specially selected short random fibers. The strain capacity of such composite is in the range of 3–7%, compared to 0.01% for ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Bendable concrete acts like ductile metal when compared to the brittle nature of OPC cement. As a result of adverse effects on fiber dispersion and overall performance, the coarse aggregates are not used in ECC. Different type of fibers is implemented to impart the tensile strength in ECC. Some fibers include Poly Vinyl Alcohol, Polypropylene fiber, and also natural fibers. ECC shows ductility property in the hardened state, and flexible property in the new state makes ECC applicable to a wide range of construction applications. This report presents a review of ECC durability studies in the literature, with detailed discussions on ECC high-temperature resistance, permeability resistance, and shrinkage resistance. The use of engineered cementitious composites (ECCs) has gained wide attention considering their properties, such as high tensile strength and elasticity values. However, the required methods for direct measurement of tensile strength are not developed adequately.

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What is Concrete Grinder ?
A concrete grinder is used to smooth out work surfaces or floors. Concrete grinders are used to grind and polish marble, granite, concrete, and other types of floors. Concrete grinders are occasionally custom-made to perform specific tasks. Concrete grinders are designed to withstand more stress and power than marble grinders.

Concrete grinders have recently become a popular choice for industries due to their versatility. Concrete grinders remove adhesives and grease-like compounds from the floors of commercial sectors and industries, in addition to finishing activities. Concrete grinders are widely used in developed countries because of their ease of use and versatility.

Grinders are using rotary action rather than impact to remove material. The material removal depth is limited to about 1/8 inch. When working on hard, dense concrete, they may polish rather than rub the surface.

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