Aggregates are a fundamental material used in construction. Kilgore Companies will supply you with aggregates for your construction project. We have supply aggregates to many construction jobs across the five states we operate. Anyone working construction jobs or with a construction project should learn exactly what aggregates in construction are.
What Are Construction Aggregates?
Construction aggregates are the most basic raw materials used in construction. They include materials like sand, gravel, and crushed rock.
You obtain construction aggregates from pits and quarries right from their natural source.
You use construction aggregates as the foundation for your construction. When you combine these aggregates with binding materials like cement or bitumen, you create concrete and mortar, making more complex materials for construction.
Types of Construction Aggregates
There are two types of construction aggregates:
Fine Aggregate
As you can infer, fine aggregate refers to aggregate that is fine to the touch. For example, fine sand is considered fine aggregate.
To be more specific, fine aggregate can be retained by a 75 µm sieve but will pass through anything larger. Fine aggregate is specifically used to fill the spaces in the second type of aggregate.
Coarse Aggregate
Coarse aggregates are also named so because they are rough to the touch. Coarse aggregates have large particles and form the foundation for most construction.
Coarse aggregates are typically used when there is a need for an economical mix. Gravel is an excellent example of a coarse aggregate.
Coarse aggregates will be retained by a 4.75mm sieve.
Selecting Construction Aggregates
Shooting construction aggregates will depend on the construction job. Different construction jobs require different materials.
However, you will often require both types of aggregates for a successful construction project.
The contractor will help you choose the ratio of aggregates necessary for construction.
Knowledge of construction aggregates will help you when working construction jobs for Kilgore Companies.