Craft · 6 pages · 12 min

Why concrete is strong in compression and weak in tension

Concrete can be squeezed into a tight mass, but a pull opens cracks through the paste.

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From the opening

Concrete is sand and stone glued by hardened cement paste, and that paste is full of tiny pores and bonded interfaces. Pushing the mass together closes those flaws, while pulling it apart opens them into a crack. The opening covers paste closes flaws when squeezed, pulls run a crack, and arches stay in compression.

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Inside

Paste closes flaws when squeezed
Pulls run a crack
Arches stay in compression
Bulk is not tensile strength
Where the idea stops applying
A distinction worth keeping

Sources

Compressive strength of concrete
Brittle tensile cracking of cement paste

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Why concrete is strong in compression and weak in tension

From the opening

Inside

Sources

Also on the desk