Sand is a naturally occurring material that is constituted of small rocks, coral, and shells. Sand has been used as a construction material for centuries due to its numerous benefits. The primary reason for the widespread usage of sand in construction is its easy availability and its inexpensiveness. Sand does not have any toxicity and it is not susceptible to problems like corrosion or organic degradation. Here are the 4 places where sand is used for construction.
Sand-lime bricks:
Dr. William Michaelis discovered and patented sand-lime bricks in 1880. The sand-lime brick primarily consists of sand that is bound together with the help of hydrated calcium silicate. This brick is manufactured by converting the mix of sand and hydrated lime into a damp, which is further cured using steam pressure. Production of sand-lime bricks has been increasing due to easy availability of sand supplies in North Shore. These bricks are usually manufactured with indentions on one side. This indentation increases the usability of these in bricks in two ways, first, by allowing the mortar to attach more firmly and second, by reducing the overall weight of the brick.
Aggregates:
Aggregates are a broad category of materials, ranging from coarse to fine, that are used in construction. Sand is one of the composing materials of aggregates. Aggregates are used in a number of different construction applications. For instance, they are used to support concrete slabs and foundation during building construction. The aggregates are considered to be an essential component in the construction of roads, canals, and bridges. The abundance of sand supplies in Northern Beaches has made it extremely easy to acquire aggregates, particularly coarser aggregates.
To make concrete:
Sand is one of the important components of the concrete mix. Sand serves an important purpose of filling up the void created by the aggregates. Of course, even sand leaves numerous gaps, which is further filled up with cement. Sand is the preferred component of the concrete mix because it does not react with any other component. The form of sand that goes most efficiently with the concrete mix is pit sand. This form of sand can always be found in the sand supplies of North Shore. The pit sand can be placed under the category of coarse sand and they are usually retrieved from deep pits that have a huge supply of sands.
Plastering:
The purpose of plastering is to remove the irregularities from the surface of the constructed material. Another reason for using plaster is to protect the surface from the external temperature and weather changes. There are different types of plasters, such as cement plaster, gypsum plaster, and lime plaster. Out of the mentioned three types, cement plaster uses sand as one of its ingredients. To create cement plaster, cement and sand are mixed in different proportions to specific construction needs. Various constructors are using sand supplies in Sydney to create plastering.
