WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES OF CONCRETE?

Advantages of Concrete

The following are the advantages of concrete

1. Concrete ingredients are easily available.
2. Concrete can be easily handles and moulded to any desired shape.
3. Concrete can be easily transported from the place of mixing to place of casting before initial set takes place.
4. Concrete can be pumped or sprayed to fill into cracks and lining of tunnels.
5. Using steel as reinforcement it is possible to build any structure; be it lintel or a massive fly-over.
6. The monolithic character of concrete gives it better appearance and much rigidity to the structure.
7. The property of concrete to possess high compressive strength makes a concrete structure more economical than steel structure.

Disadvantages of Concrete

The following are the disadvantages of concrete.

1. Concrete possess low tensile strength. Therefore concrete is required to be reinforced to avoid cracks.
2. In long structures, expansion joints are required to be provided if there is large temperature variance in the area.
3. Due to drying shrinkage and moisture expansion concrete may crack. Therefore construction joints are provided to avoid these types of cracks.
4. If soluble salt is present in concrete then it may lead to efflorescence when comes in contact with moisture.
5. Concrete made with ordinary Portland cement, gets integrated in the presence of alkalies, sulphates etc.
6. Sustained loads develop creep in structures.