Universal Precast started very small, but has risen to become one of the major supplier of concrete precast products along the Gulf Coast and the Florida Panhandle. Creating precast products takes a lot of engineering and skill to meet high standards we not only place on ourselves, but to also meet all rules and regulations required within the construction industry. There are also many things that will effect concrete. The precious air we breathe every day can be very destructive to it's integrity. Even more so than tons of pressure being applied to it.
There are basically 5 different types of concrete. We will mention them briefly below:
- Lightweight Concrete Product.
- High-Strength Concrete Product.
- Reinforced Concrete Product.
- High-Performance Concrete Product.
- Precast Concrete Product.
Lightweight Concrete Product: Most of the time, lightweight concrete product is made from a material called pumice rock. It is not meant to be used as a load bearing or for supporting structure. It is traditionally used as maybe insulation for water pipes or covering up other supporting structures.
High-Strength Concrete Product: This is a special type of concrete that would be used for things that require strong stability and that can withstand higher stress points such as concrete that would be used in a power plant. Most of the time, barytes or iron are used as the aggregate in it's creation rather than rock, which is the standard.
Reinforced Concrete Product: Reinforced Concrete is a high grade of concrete, but it isn't called "Reinforced" because of what it is made from. It is called this because most of the time some other type of material such as metal bars (rebar) or a very fibrous material is used to increase the strength of the concrete overall. Most concrete projects use some kind of material to help reinforce the concrete itself.
High-Performance Concrete Product: Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC), is also known as reactive powder concrete (RPC). The material is typically formulated by combining portland cement, supplementary cementitious materials, reactive powders, limestone and or quartz flour, fine sand, high-range water reducers, and water. The material can be formulated to provide compressive strengths in excess of 29,000 pounds per square inch (psi) (200 MPa). The use of fine materials for the matrix also provides a dense, smooth surface valued for its aesthetics and ability to closely transfer form details to the hardened surface. When combined with metal, synthetic or organic fibers it can achieve flexural strengths up to 7,000 psi (48 MPa) or greater.
** Reference:
https://www.cement.org/learn/concrete-technology/concrete-design-production/ultra-high-performance-concrete
Precast Concrete Product: Precast concrete products are more about what the concrete is molded into rather than about the concrete itself. Precast products sometimes take days or weeks to set in forms and they are usually created in a very controlled work place. This means that Precast Concrete Products can be made in a production type environment and thus stored for a later use. Besides creating the particular design for use in the construction industry, there is also different types of concrete that can be used to create these products depending on what the Precast Concrete Product will become and be used for.. Usually, type 1 concrete is the accepted standard for use in creating Precast Concrete products. Type 2 concrete can be used to counter act when moderate sulfate levels are suspected within the soil or water. Type 3 has a high early strength because of the way it is made, but it is not quite as strong as Type 1 concrete.
No matter what your project is being built for, Universal Precast along with Alabama Pipe is your resource for all your concrete, precast or piping needs. Contact us today if you have questions or need a quote!
