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Civil Engineering & Construction vocabulary · Concrete and Steel

Aggregate

Meaning in civil engineering & construction, with examples

/ˈæɡrɪɡət/nounCommon term

In civil engineering & construction, aggregate means: Sand, gravel or crushed stone that is mixed with cement and water to make concrete. It makes up most of the volume of concrete and of road layers.

In Turkish: agrega, kırmataş, kum-çakıl

How it is used

Engineers distinguish fine aggregate (sand) from coarse aggregate (gravel or crushed stone) and specify the maximum size, such as 20 mm. Aggregates are tested for grading, cleanliness and strength.

Example sentences

  1. The supplier changed the coarse aggregate, so we need new trial mixes.

  2. For the thin topping we'll use a 10 mm aggregate.

Common collocations

  • coarse aggregate
  • fine aggregate
  • crushed aggregate
  • maximum aggregate size
  • aggregate grading
  • concreteA building material made by mixing cement, water, sand and gravel. It is placed while wet and hardens into a strong, stone-like mass.
  • cementA fine grey powder that reacts with water and hardens. It is the binder that glues sand and gravel together in concrete and mortar.
  • subgradeThe natural or prepared soil at the bottom of a road, on which all the pavement layers are built. Its strength largely decides how thick the pavement must be.
  • pavementThe layered structure of a road, runway or parking area that carries the traffic, usually asphalt or concrete laid over granular base layers.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Concrete and Steel

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