In civil engineering, roller-compacted concrete is a thing. I understand that this involves laying a dry mix and then running over it with heavy machinery, rather than pouring a wet mix into a form and screeding it off the top. Not sure if water is added or if it is simply absorbed from the air over time, though.
Question is; can that (or something similar) be achieved with a whacker plate and readily available materials, whilst curing hard in a reasonable time (a month, say?) and to the sort of hardness required to build a shed on it (i.e. not crumbling when drilled to put a dog or plug in). The goal is a slab to build a wood-framed workshop and I want a slab floor (a wooden floor isn't an option).
Years ago I built something similar by arranging for a mix-on-site truck and some friends to help me shuttle barrows of concrete back to the slab location. This time that's not going to work as TBH I don't think I'm fit enough, and nor are my mates.
It's too far to chute the concrete, and a pump simply isn't economically viable. Using a mixer is one option but if I can simply pile the dry mix up in the form, whack it then give it a sprinkle with the hose a few times a day until it's gone-off then that seems like less work than lifting several tonnes of materials into the air and doing many, many batches over several days.
Any thoughts?
Question is; can that (or something similar) be achieved with a whacker plate and readily available materials, whilst curing hard in a reasonable time (a month, say?) and to the sort of hardness required to build a shed on it (i.e. not crumbling when drilled to put a dog or plug in). The goal is a slab to build a wood-framed workshop and I want a slab floor (a wooden floor isn't an option).
Years ago I built something similar by arranging for a mix-on-site truck and some friends to help me shuttle barrows of concrete back to the slab location. This time that's not going to work as TBH I don't think I'm fit enough, and nor are my mates.
It's too far to chute the concrete, and a pump simply isn't economically viable. Using a mixer is one option but if I can simply pile the dry mix up in the form, whack it then give it a sprinkle with the hose a few times a day until it's gone-off then that seems like less work than lifting several tonnes of materials into the air and doing many, many batches over several days.
Any thoughts?