Friday Fact Day has become a seriously fun day for Colorado Aggregate Recycling...so, why not do an entire blog post filled with fun facts about concrete? See below for a list of our favorite concrete facts (so far) and the sites where we found them. Sure, Colorado Aggregate Recycling may focus on recycling your used concrete rubble and supplying quality recycled aggregates, but we love ALL THINGS CONCRETE! Please click on "Source," after each bulleted fact, to see where we collected these fun facts!
Our Favorite Concrete Facts
- Did you know the Romans used concrete for the first time? It was a more crude version than what we have today and was made by mixing lime, volcanic ash and water and was called “pozzolana.” The Pantheon, one of the most famous Roman buildings in the world, features the largest dome made from this type of concrete. Source
- - Did you know concrete is very easy to make and is comprised of water, sand, gravel and air? Air comprises about 6-8% of concrete. Contrary to popular belief, cement is different than concrete and a small amount of cement is needed to create concrete. Source
- - The word “concrete” comes from the Latin word “Concretus” which means “to grow together.” Source
- - The first concrete road was built in 1909 on Woodward Avenue between Six and Seven Mile Roads in Greenfield Township, which is now part of northwest Detroit. The mile-long road cost $13, 492.83 and was built by the Wayne County Road Commission, whose membership included Henry Ford. Source
- - Before the development of radar in World War Two, the British erected parabolic acoustic mirrors – commonly called ‘listening ears’ – to detect incoming aircraft. A network of these enormous concrete sound reflectors was constructed along England’s coast during the early days of World War Two and can still be seen today. Source
- - Concrete's usage worldwide, ton for ton, is twice that of steel, wood, plastics, and aluminum combined.[6] Globally, the ready-mix concrete industry, the largest segment of the concrete market, is projected to exceed $600 billion in revenue by 2025. Source
- - At 185 metres high and 2,309 metres long, the Three Gorges Dam on China’s Yangtze River is the world’s largest concrete structure. Built between 1994 and 2006, the dam’s hydroelectric station can generate an incredible 22,500 MW of power. Its reservoir holds as much water as Lake Superior, and displaced around 1.3 million people. Source
- - The Empire State Building, which was the tallest structure in the world when it was built, used a whopping 62,000 cubic yards of concrete. Source
Concrete Recycling Facts
- Concrete recycling is the use of rubble from demolished concrete structures. Recycling is cheaper and more ecological than trucking rubble to a landfill.[1] Crushed rubble can be used for road gravel, revetments, retaining walls, landscaping gravel, or raw material for new concrete. Source
- - Concrete debris was once routinely shipped to landfills for disposal, but recycling is increasing due to improved environmental awareness, governmental laws and economic benefits. Source
- - The largest application of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) is for the aggregate base course in road construction. This term refers to the center layer of the roadbed. Source
- - Recycled concrete has been used in various landscape settings, including paving stones, boulder/stacked rock walls, underpass abutment structures, erosion structures, water features, retaining walls, and other uses.
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