Construction:

Construction is usually done by one of the three methods:

(a) Manual method, providing steel or wooden forms, pouring concrete and compacting by means of needle and vibrating screeds, and giving the texture by brushing.

(b) Fixed form paver, which has spreader, vibrator, texturing unit and membrane curing compound sprayer, the whole unit moving on fixed forms formed by steel channels.

(c) Slip form paver, which is the latest technique, requiring no fixed forms, the alignment, grade and thickness controlled by electronic sensors. The equipment also inserts dowel bars, imparts texture, cuts the joints and applies the curing compound.

In all the methods, concrete is mixed in a weigh batcher and mixer. The aggregates of various sizes are added as per a job mix formula.

The joints are sealed with a sealant. Modern practice is to seal with cold poured sealants like polysulphide or silicone.

Curing is done by initial application of curing compound followed by watering over wet hessian for 14 days.

Traffic is allowed only after concrete has attained the desired strength, which may be after 21-28 days.