BRIEF HISTORY OF READY MIXED CONCRETE

Concrete has an important place in the development of the history of humanity and in the artifacts of the old civilisations that could survive. As of 3000 BC, binding materials of calcium based were used by humankind. In the construction of the pyramids lime based binders, in the constructions of Pantheon and Coliseum Puzzolanic with natural hydraulic binder were used and the use of a binder in the Middle East and Anatolia named Khorasan Mortar show us that the history of what we can call CONCRETE goes far back to the old ages.

It is assumed that the modern concrete chronology of concrete starts in the beginning of 1800's; production of the fist artificial cement by Louis Vicat and issuance of the patent of Portland Cement to Joseph Aspdin.  

Ready mixed concrete first appeared in the world in 1903 in Germany and after a few years, it was started to be used in USA. In 1914, by the development of a concrete transportation vehicle by a Turkish immigrant, the penetration of ready mixed concrete in USA increased and many ready mixed concrete companies were established especially after the war. With the urbanisation and substructure works that gained speed especially in the second half of the twentieth century the use of ready mixed concrete and concrete products started to be widely used.

Chronological development of concrete:

• 1848 First cement factory (England)
• 1857 Invention of reinforced concrete (France )
• 1865 Use of blast furnace slag together with Portland cement (Germany)
• 1903 The beginning of the ready mixed concrete sector (Germany)
• 1936 Use of chemical additives (Germany)
• 1950 Experimental use of micro silica for long term tests (Norway)
• 1965 Use of super plasticizers in concrete (USA)
• 1971 Use of micro silica in the bearing system ( Norway)
• 1981 The first use of triad mixture (PC, Micro silica, fly ash) cement (Iceland),
• The construction of the highest reinforced concrete building (USA)

The starting years of various countries in the Ready Mixed Concrete sector: