Concrete mixers from B&S Commercial Power reduce the hassle, time, and costs of mixing concrete by hand for your concrete projects. Once your concrete mixers have created perfectly mixed concrete and you have poured the concrete, you will need to allow the concrete to cure. Curing is a critical step in achieving strong and durable concrete for your project. Read through our guide on the different methods of curing concrete.
About B&S Commercial Power:
B&S Commercial Power is the complete solution to your power equipment needs. We have a wide variety of imported and locally manufactured power tools ideally suited to your professional or personal project.
At B&S Commercial Power you will find a range of reputable brands. We stock Briggs and Stratton, Husqvarna, Stihl, Honda, and Baumax. We have selected these brands based on the durability, performance, and easy use of their power equipment.
We also host various training workshops with Stihl, Husqvarna, Briggs and Stratton, and Honda. This allows you to learn more about these excellent brands, their power tools, and how to use the power tools.
You can find our B&S Commercial Power store in Okavango Park, Cape Town. We offer a nationwide service so that everyone in South Africa has access to our variety of quality power tools.
If you are located in any Southern African country, like Mozambique or Botswana, you also have access to the B&S Commercial Power equipment. We can get power tools to you quickly with our selected delivery service.
B&S Commercial Power is the full package. You have access to robust power equipment and excellent service from our friendly staff of technicians. We are always happy to help with any advice or support you need for choosing the best power tool for your project.
If you are in the market for quality concrete mixers, B&S Commercial Power has you covered.
B&S Commercial Power Concrete Mixers:
B&S Commercial Power supplies four Baumax concrete mixers. The Baumax concrete mixers come in various drum sizes so that you can find the concrete mixers which will produce the quantity of concrete you need for your project.
B&S Commercial Power supplies Baumax concrete mixers because these concrete mixers are the best. They are easy to use, have all necessary safety precautions, and produce perfectly mixed concrete every time.
The Baumax concrete mixer is robust and high-quality whilst still being affordable. The initial cost of purchasing the concrete mixer for your business or to use at home outweighs the time, effort, and energy to mix concrete by hand.
Benefits of Concrete Mixers:
Read through the multiple benefits of using a concrete mixer for your project and find the best concrete mixers at B&S Commercial Power.
1) Perfectly Mixed:
When it comes to perfectly mixed concrete, concrete mixers are a no-brainer. Concrete mixers will ensure that the concrete is mixed to ensure that you have access to fresh, quality concrete for your project. Simply add the correct ratio of cement, water, and aggregate to the mixer drum and wait for perfectly mixed concrete.
2) Large Quantities:
Many projects require large amounts of concrete. To mix great quantities of concrete by hand is time-consuming. Using concrete mixers will ensure that you have access to perfectly mixed concrete within a quick time frame. This allows you to focus on other important aspects of your project.
3) Speed:
Many concrete projects are time-sensitive. You need perfectly mixed concrete readily so that your project can progress. Concrete mixers will produce perfectly mixed concrete quickly so that you can continue working.
4) Prevents Unnecessary Costs:
Concrete mixers save you money in multiple ways. Incorrectly mixed concrete can result in cracks or failures. This will cause you to repair or redo your entire concrete project which will cost you more money, time, and effort.
You also do not need to hire numerous employees to mix your concrete. Your concrete mixers take the unnecessary cost of labour out of your concrete project.
5) Reduces Physical Strain:
Using concrete mixers for your project can also prevent your employees from muscular strain. To manually mix concrete by hand requires effort. This can cause muscular strain in your back, arms, and shoulders. Concrete mixers take all the effort out of mixed concrete and keep your employees safe from injuries.
Curing Concrete:
Concrete that has been perfectly mixed, poured, and smoothed to the ideal finish, can still fail if it is not cured correctly.
Curing concrete is the process of maintaining satisfactory moisture content and temperature of your concrete for a specific time frame. The curing process needs to be done immediately once your concrete has been poured.
When the cement, water, and aggregate are combined to make your concrete, a chemical reaction between the cement and water begins to occur. This chemical reaction is known as hydration. The heat released during the hydration process causes the concrete to dry.
Hydration ensures that your concrete is strong and durable. Maintaining the moisture content and temperature of your concrete during the curing process ensures that correct hydration can take place.
External factors, such as wind, temperature, and humidity, can impact the curing process and therefore needed to be monitored.
Curing Concrete Benefits:
Curing concrete increases the performance of your concrete in these various ways.
Strength: The most important function of the curing process is to increase the strength of your concrete. Curing maintains the moisture levels in your concrete which allows your concrete to strengthen.
Durability: Curing ensures that your concrete will be durable. How your cure your concrete and the time frame of the curing process affect the durability. For example, concrete that is cured quickly will immediately be strong, but over time the strength will deteriorate and thus affect the concrete’s durability.
Retains Volume: Concrete that loses moisture can shrink and thus lose its volume. Shrinking can also result in cracking.
Permeability: Properly cured concrete will be more resistant to water damage.
Abrasion Resistant: Curing hardens and strengthens your concrete which makes the concrete surface more resistant to abrasion and flaking.
Concrete Curing Methods:
There are three main ways to cure concrete.
Maintaining Moisture Content:
The first way to cure concrete is to maintain the water content in the concrete during the initial hardening period. There are two methods to do this.
1) Water Curing:
Water curing is the application of water to the concrete surface to avoid the concrete drying too quickly. This is typically used for concrete projects with thin layers of concrete horizontal surfaces, such as the concrete floor of a building. There are two water curing methods.
The first method is called ponding. Ponding the concrete means covering the concrete in a layer of water. You will need to ensure the concrete surface is surrounded by a kerb to keep the water on top of the surface. This method is typically done in warm, dry climates.
Sprinklers can also be used for water curing. Arrange sprinklers at uniform distances from each other and ensure that the sprinkler sprays water at a consistent rate. This will maintain the water content in the concrete.
2) Wet Covering:
Wet covering is a process of maintaining the water content in the concrete by covering the concrete surface in wet material, such as hessian. This can only be applied once the concrete surface is hard enough to walk on to prevent any damages. The material needs to be kept wet constantly.
Wet covering can also be used on vertical formworks. Formwork refers to temporary structures, which are typically made out of steel, in which concrete is poured and allowed to set. Wet covering is an easy way to ensure adequate concrete curing in vertical concrete structures.
Reducing Loss of Moisture:
Another concrete curing method is to reduce the loss of moisture from the concrete surface. There are two methods to prevent moisture loss.
1) Membrane Curing:
Membrane curing is a material in liquid form that is sprayed, brushed, or rolled onto the concrete surface. This liquid then solidifies and creates a membrane covering on the concrete surface which prevents the moisture in the concrete from evaporating.
Membrane curing liquids are either water-based or oil-based. Companies tend to choose the water-based membrane covering as it is easier to remove after the curing process. Oil-based membrane coverings need to be removed with a sandblaster.
2) Sheet Curing:
Sheet curing uses a sheet placed on top of a just-hardened horizontal concrete surface to trap the moisture in the concrete. Polythene sheets and plastic sheets are typically used for sheet curing. These sheets do not absorb any water and therefore allow the moisture to stay in the concrete. Sheet curing is easy to do and a typically cheaper curing method.
Accelerating Strength with Heat or Additional Moisture:
The final methods of curing concrete are focused on accelerating the hardening process by either adding water or using heat. There are four methods to do this.
1) Pipe Water Cooling:
The pipe water cooling method is specifically used for thick concrete, especially in construction. Pipe water cooling is the process of setting pipes within the centre of the concrete to absorb the heat of the concrete. Water flows through the pipes and reduces the core temperature of the concrete. This is used to maintain the best ratio of heat and moisture during the hardening of the concrete.
The pipe water cooling method requires skill and adequate controlling of the water as a sudden temperature change in the concrete’s core can result in cracking. This method is difficult and time-consuming as the water temperature needs to be continuously monitored.
2) Hot Mixing Method:
The hot mixing method is done whilst the concrete is being mixed and introduces heat at this early stage to speed up the curing process. Increasing the temperature has been shown to increase the concrete strength.
The hot mixing method can be achieved in three ways. You can heat the aggregates before adding them to your concrete mixer, heat the water before combing with the cement, or inject steam into the rotating concrete in your concrete mixer.
This method is difficult to control and should rarely be used.
3) Infrared Curing:
Infrared radiation is generally used for concrete with hollow centres. The infrared heaters are placed in the concrete centre and increase the temperature of the concrete to cure the concrete quickly. This is generally used in colder climates.
4) Electrical Curing:
Electrical curing of concrete is done through the passing of electrical currents through the concrete surface. One electrical plate is placed at the bottom of the concrete and another electrical plate is placed on the top of the concrete surface. These plates then pass electrical currents through the concrete. This is an extremely speedy curing process.
Achieve perfectly mixed concrete every time with concrete mixers from B&S Commercial Power and follow a curing method to ensure your concrete project is durable.