| dc.description.abstract | One of the most used materials for civil construction is concrete. Concrete is a
composite material composed of cement, fine and coarse aggregates, and water.
According to the needs of each project, it happens the use of additives. The water has
the function of hydrating cement, thus conferring the characteristics of strength and
durability of the concrete, in addition to contributing to its workability. The consumption
of mixing water depends on the quantity of each other element in concrete. The present
work carried out surveys in three concrete plants located in the State of Rio Grande do
Sul regarding the consumption of water for making concrete. It also sought to learn
more about environmental management and management practices, as well as to find
out which raw materials the dosing plants use to produce the concrete delivered to
customers. The present work was field research that got to know the practices and
elements that each concrete batching plant uses in its production. Based on the
differences and similarities between the batching plants, it was possible to discover
which are the main factors of influence on the water consumption of the concrete.
Because they had different characteristics, the research does not intend to be a
comparative analysis. Thus, from the data obtained with the research tools, which were
the compliance questionnaires and the survey of the water consumption of the
batching plants in the first semester of 2019, it is possible to assess that the main
influencing factors of water consumption in the production of ready mixed concrete are
the types of fine aggregates used, and the choice of plasticizer and superplasticizer
admixtures used to enhance workability of the mixture, facilitating its mixing and
casting without the need for a larger consumption of water in concrete mix design. | |
