Académique Documents
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HistoricalTimelineofConcrete
12,000,000BC Reactionsbetweenlimestoneandoilshaleduringspontaneous
combustionoccurredinIsraeltoformanaturaldepositofcement
compounds.
3000BC Egyptiansusedmudmixedwithstrawtobinddriedbricks.Also
furtheredthediscoveryoflimeandgypsummortarasabindingagent
forbuildingthePyramids
3000BC Usedcementitiousmaterialstoholdbambootogetherintheirboats
andintheGreatWall.
300BC Romansusedslakedlimeavolcanicashcalledpozzuolana,found
nearPozzoulibythebayofNaples.Theyusedlimeasacementitious
material.Plinyreportedamortarmixtureof1partlimeto4parts
sand.Vitruviusreporteda2partspozzolanato1partlime.Animal
fat,milk,andbloodwereusedasadmixtures
193BC ofPorticuHousesAemeliamadeofboundstonestoformconcrete
200AD ThePantheon
After400AD TheartofConcretewaslostafterthefalloftheRomanEmpire
1678 JosephMoxonwroteaboutahiddenfireinheatedlimethat
appearsupontheadditionofwater.
1756 JohnSmeaton,BritishEngineer,rediscoveredhydrauliccement
throughrepeatedtestingofmortarinbothfreshandsaltwater
1779 BryHigginswasissuedapatentforhydrauliccement(stucco)for
exteriorplasteringuse.
1796 JamesParkerfromEnglandpatentedanaturalhydrauliccementby
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calciningnodulesofimpurelimestonecontainingclay,called
ParkersCementorRomanCement.
18121813 LouisVicatofFrancepreparedartificialhydrauliclimebycalcining
syntheticmixturesoflimestoneandclay.
1818 MauriceSt.Legerwasissuedpatentsforhydrauliccement.
1818 CanvassWhite,AmericanEngineer,foundrockdepositsinMadison,
County,NewYork,thatmadehydrauliccementwithlittleprocessing
18201821 JohnTickellandAbrahamChamberswereissuedmorehydraulic
cementpatents.
1822 JamesFrostofEnglandpreparedartificialhydrauliclimelike
VicatsandcalleditBritishCement.
1824 JosephAspdin,bricklayerandmasoninLeeds,England,patented
whathecalledportlandcement,sinceitresembledthestonequarried
ontheIsleofPortlandofftheBritishcoast.
1825 ErieCanalcreatedthefirstgreatdemandforcementintheUS
I.K.Bruneliscreditedwiththefirstengineeringapplicationof
1828 portlandcement,whichwasusedtofillabreachintheThames
Tunnel.
1850s JeanLouisLambotwasthefirsttousereinforcinginboats
1854 WilliamB.Wilkinsonerectedareinforcedconcreteservantscottage
18591867 PortlandcementusedintheconstructionoftheLondonsewersystem
1867 JosephMonierpatentedadesignforreinforcesgardentubs,beams
andposts
1868 ThefistrecordedshipmentofportlandcementtotheUS
18501880 FrancoisCoignet,abuilderinFrance,responsibleforthefirst
widespreaduseofconcreteinbuildings
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1871 DavidO.SaylorestablishedthefirstportlandcementplantintheUS
inCoplay,PA
18711875 WilliamE.Wardbuildsthefirstlandmarkbuildinginreinforced
concreteinPortChester,NY.DesignedbyArchitectRobertMook
1883 WarddeliveredapaperonthehousetotheSocietyofMechanical
Engineers.
EarnestL.Ransompatentedareinforcingsystemusingtwistedrods.
1884
1885 F.Ransomepatentedaslightlytiltedhorizontalkilnwhichcouldbe
rotatedsothematerialmovedgraduallyformoneendtotheother
1887 HenriLeChatelierofFranceestablishedoxideratiostopreparethe
properamountoflimetoproduceportlandcement.Henamedthe
components:Alite(tricalciumsilicate),Belite(dicalciumsilicate),and
Celite(tetracalciumaluminoferrite).Heproposedthathardeningis
causedbytheformationofcrystallineproductsofthereaction
betweencementandwater.
1889 Thefirstconcretereinforcedbridgeisbuilt.
1891 GeorgeBartholomewplacedthefirstconcretestreetintheUSAin
Bellefontaine,OH.whichstillexists.
1904 Ingallsbldg.usingtheRansomesystem,wasthefirstconcrete
skyscraper.
1870s FrancoisHennebiquepatentedtheHennebiquesystem.Hewas
responsibleforthewidespreadacceptanceofreinforcedconcrete.
1902 ThomasEdisonwasapioneerinthefurtherdevelopmentoftherotary
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kiln.
1903 AugustPerremakesconcreteanacceptablearchitecturalmaterial
Perrebuilds25bisRueFranklinandtheTheatreChampsElysee
1904 Ingallsbuilding,probablythebeginningofhighriseconcreteconst.
1916 PortlandCementAssociationfounded
1917 TheUSBureauofStandardsandtheAmericanSocietyfortesting
Materialsestablishedastandardformulaforportlandcement
1919 MeisvanderRoheproposesconcretehighrises
Thetallestconcretebuildingwasbuilt230ft.,theMedicalArts
1922 bldg.,Dallas
1922 NotreDameduRaincy
1927 EugeneFreyssinetdevelopssuccessfulprestressedconcrete
1930 EduardoTorroja,designedthefirstthinshelledroofatAlgeciras
1935 EduardoTorroja,designedtheMadridHippodrome.
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1936 Thefirstmajorconcretedams,HooverDamandGrandCouleeDam,
werebuilt.
1935 PierLuigiNervibuiltthehangersfortheItalianAirForceusingthin
shellconstruction
1931 LeCorbusierbuildsVillaSavoye
1936 FrankLloydWrightwastheoneofthefirsttoexploitthecantileverat
Fallingwater.
1940s PortlandCementLaboratoriesperfectairentrainedconcrete
1947 FLLWbuildsonMeisideasattheJohnsonwaxtower
1956 FLLWbuildstheGuggenheimmadeofreinforcedconcrete
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1957 LeCorbusierbuildsRonchamp
~1958 FelixCandelamasterstheconcreteshell
1958 FelixCandelabuildstherestaurantatXochimilco
1958 ExecutiveHouseHotel,Chicago,exceedstheMedicalArtsrecordat
371ft.
1959 LeCorbusierbuildsLaTourette
1960 BankofGeorgiaBuildinginAtlantabeatsExecutiveHouseat391ft.
1961 LeCorbusierbuildsthegovernmentcomplexatChandigaraIndia
1962 BertrandGoldbergstwintowersatMarinaCitymarkedthe
beginningoftheuseofreinforcedconcreteinmodernskyscrapersand
settheheightrecordto588ft.
1964 1000LakeShoreDrivebeatsMarinaCityat640ft.6000psiconcrete
inthelowercolumnswasusedforthefirsttime.
1964 PlaceVictoriainMontreal,ht624ft.using6000psiconcretecolumns
1967 Firstconcretedomedsportstructure,theAssemblyHall,was
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constructedatTheUniversityofIllinois,atUrbanaChampaign.
1968 LakePointTowers,70stories,645ft.7500psiconcrete
1970 OneShellPlaza,Houston,ht714ft.,using6000psiconcrete
1970s Fiberreinforcementinconcretewasintroduced.
1975 WaterTowerPlace,859ft.,9000psiconc.usingsuperplasticizers
1985 PeakshipmentofportlandcementtotheUSincreasedtonearly3
millionbarrels
1985 The"higheststrength"concretewasusedinbuildingtheUnionPlaza
constructedinSeattle,Washington.
1989 ScotiaPlazaBuilding,Toronto,907ft.
1990 311SWackerandTwoPrudentialPlazainChicagosetsnewheight
recordat920ft.
1996 PetronasTwinTowers,1476ft.
References:
ReinforcedConcrete,PreliminarydesignforArchitectsandBuildersR.E.Schaeffer,1992McGraw
HillInc.
HandoutonSkyscrapers
WorldBookEncyclopedia
WorldWideWebpage:ThePortlandCementAssociationOnline,http://www.portcement.org
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