[TowerTalk] Aggregate concrete for tower foundation?

[George Dubovsky]

All concrete has aggregate composition - gravel, sand and concrete. The
gravel can be crushed stone or rounded stone, and the "aggregate finish"
refers to how the top surface is finished. If you want exposed aggregate,
you would want to pick a stone that's attractive when exposed. Usually, you
pour the concrete, get the voids out (vibrator, etc), and then finish the
top surface as a final step, whether its hard troweling for a slick finish,
brush finish (broom finish) for a rougher finish, or you "wash" the top
surface to expose the gravel for the decorative aggregate finish. The
strength of the concrete is based on the ratio of the ingredients (and
that's part of the initial order), not on the finish of the top surface.

Having done all three finshes (and I'm a rank amateur at all of them), the
aggregate finish is best left to the real pros if a large area is involved.

73,

geo - n4ua

On Thu, Jul 12, 2012 at 7:05 PM, Andreas Hofmann <
Andreas.Hofmann at microsoft.com> wrote:

> I got a tower foundation planned and dug up. Plan was to use normal
> concrete (3500psi) that I would at the same time use for a broom-finish
> patio at the same time.  Now wife things she would like aggregate instead.
>
> Can I use aggregate concrete for a tower foundation? Will it be strong
> enough?
>
> Thanks
> Andreas, KU7T
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