Concrete @ your Fingertips

History of concrete

A form of concrete was used as early as 7000 BC. Major structures were built by the Romans. For a time following the Roman Era there was little development in the use of concrete until the 17th century when engineers started experimenting with new cement compositions.

Modern concrete started with the development of Portland cement in the 1820s. Significant steps in the development of concrete were through the introduction of steel reinforcement in the mid-1800s and prestressed concrete in the early 1900s.

The last 75 years has seen the development of a widening range of cements, the use of admixtures to modify the mechanical, physical and chemical properties of concrete to suit the demands of users.

Acknowledgement: The Concrete Society

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Concrete through the ages