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[–]troutman1975 4353 points4354 points  (248 children)

30 year concrete guy here. Most likely an acid of some kind. Rain water almost never does this. I have done industrial concrete at food processing companies and I can tell you that juice from peas is quite corrosive to concrete. In a years time or less this will happen. We have to coat all new concrete with a substance called u-Crete or it will look exactly like this. I am not saying this is caused by pea juice, but don’t think it has to be a nasty acid or chemical. Of course it could be a nasty chemical though. Just thought I would share that something as innocent as a pea can do this

[–]mida06 1471 points1472 points  (47 children)

Mighty concrete beaten by a bunch of green bois and their juice

[–][deleted]  (32 children)

[deleted]

    [–]nottoocleverami 218 points219 points  (21 children)

    Each bag is loaded with nutritious pea-ness!

    [–]skidmcboney 66 points67 points  (12 children)

    Pea pee!

    [–]Antichristopher4 57 points58 points  (11 children)

    I... don’t think it’s pee...

    Peamen?

    [–][deleted]  (9 children)

    [removed]

      [–]voolio 5 points6 points  (5 children)

      Concrete guy here looking for the best product to soften concrete for cleaning mixers. Currently chisels and jackhammers. Looking for that chemical that works best to help soften and pressure wash off. Just out of curiosity what do you use to soften concrete so it’s easier to clean?

      [–]cagey_tiger 21 points22 points  (1 child)

      Pea juice! Pay attention man.

      [–]RedHatOfFerrickPat 2 points3 points  (1 child)

      He's not going to answer you because he's a bot that steals comments. The person who originally made that very comment can be found here:

      https://old.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/evva95/the_way_the_water_wore_away_the_cement_top_layer/ffyydg9/

      So maybe you want to ask him that question.

      [–]Gunhound 2 points3 points  (0 children)

      TNT, just ask Mythbusters :)

      [–]Bandin03 7 points8 points  (0 children)

      Yes! Rosebud Frozen Peas! Full of country goodness and green peaness!

      [–]krazye87 2 points3 points  (0 children)

      Big Pea-ness bag!

      [–]Gerse[🍰] 14 points15 points  (2 children)

      The pea is stored in the balls

      [–][deleted] 3 points4 points  (1 child)

      No. It's not. The pee is stored in the kidneys. Peas are stored in pods. Seamen is stored in the balls. And sailors ride on ships and enjoy a little jizz now and again

      [–]grimache83 5 points6 points  (0 children)

      [–]TRIGGERED_SO_SOFTLY 22 points23 points  (3 children)

      Who would win? Concrete, or some mighty green boi juice?

      [–]adamzzz8 12 points13 points  (1 child)

      Whou would win? Concrete or pea pee?

      [–]veeeSix 1 point2 points  (0 children)

      Upvoted for pea pee

      [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

      100 pea-size concretes, or 1 concrete-size pea?

      [–]dtracers 3 points4 points  (0 children)

      Literally the plot of a veggie tales episode

      [–]banjonica 1 point2 points  (1 child)

      Green peas melt steel beams?

      [–]schruted_it_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

      Power of the pea.

      [–]Facetorch 1 point2 points  (1 child)

      Who would win

      6000psi concrete or some green bois and their juice?

      [–]ILove2Bacon 177 points178 points  (80 children)

      Does it bug you when people call it cement?

      [–]troutman1975 235 points236 points  (76 children)

      It bugs the fuck out of me. What’s worse is whenever we pour anything in public there is ALWAYS someone who says “can I write my name in it?” FYI. Concrete guys have heard that one.

      [–]chillig8 85 points86 points  (10 children)

      My answer is always the same. You pay for it, you can write whatever the fuck you want in it

      [–]sahesush 22 points23 points  (9 children)

      So what, like $5?

      [–]AuthorizedVehicle 27 points28 points  (3 children)

      Concrete guy told me $100 per letter.

      [–]SeaGroomer 4 points5 points  (2 children)

      Worth it. That stuff is forever.

      [–]Zentopian 5 points6 points  (0 children)

      Not according to this picture, it ain't.

      [–]RappinReddator 13 points14 points  (4 children)

      Tax money

      [–]beerigation 5 points6 points  (3 children)

      I PAY YOUR SALARY

      [–][deleted]  (1 child)

      [deleted]

        [–]Phillip__Fry 54 points55 points  (5 children)

        FYI. Concrete guys have heard that one.

        You think they're making a joke. In reality, when you turn your back they will DO it >:)

        [–]beerigation 29 points30 points  (1 child)

        Many a beautiful finish job has been ruined by an errant swastika

        [–]Qetuowryipzcbmxvn 9 points10 points  (0 children)

        And it's not even well made at that. Fuckers don't know what directions to face each stick.

        [–][deleted] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

        My uncle has a couple of tales from the construction site but the best needs no explanation:

        The concrete assprint.

        [–][deleted]  (1 child)

        [deleted]

          [–]FuckYeahSriracha 1 point2 points  (0 children)

          i’ve fingered wet concrete in my adult life. my initials all over this city!

          [–][deleted] 23 points24 points  (4 children)

          What's really worse is when you come back to find someone actually did write their name in it

          [–]blove135 44 points45 points  (3 children)

          When I was about 10 yrs old I came across a freshly poured sidewalk while walking home from school. Just as I was finishing up putting my initials in it this big ass rough looking concrete guy came around the corner and busted me. I froze up and about pissed my pants on the spot. I think he must've noticed how completely terrified I was and took pity on me. He told me to never do it again and when I got home I needed to tell my parents what I did. Never did tell my parents but I never forgot it.

          [–]Reagan409 38 points39 points  (2 children)

          Damn not gonna lie you’re kind of a badass for not telling your parents.

          [–]blove135 25 points26 points  (0 children)

          Lol Trust me my little kid mind went over tons of scenarios. I knew he had no idea where I lived but I was still scared as shit for about a week that dude was going to somehow figure it out and randomly show up at my house and ask my parents if I told them what happened. I'm sure I lost some sleep over it. It was some serious shit in my mind and I decided to roll the dice. It worked out.

          [–]dibsx5 2 points3 points  (0 children)

          Straight up r/madlads

          [–]spongey1 15 points16 points  (41 children)

          Is cement the bagged dry form and then concrete is the stuff we see in the wild?

          [–]drinkin-claws-no-law 62 points63 points  (0 children)

          Cement is an ingredient in concrete, the glue that holds the aggregate together that reacts with water.

          [–]LordOfGears2 39 points40 points  (8 children)

          When all these people say aggregate they mean the rocks

          [–]OdieHush 17 points18 points  (7 children)

          And sand!

          [–]P1g1n 27 points28 points  (3 children)

          Baby rocks!

          [–]Xx_Gandalf-poop_xX 4 points5 points  (0 children)

          From a geologic standpoint. Rocks are baby sand.

          [–]DrinkTheDew 25 points26 points  (1 child)

          Cement is a binding ingredient in concrete.

          [–]whambulance_man 25 points26 points  (20 children)

          ELI5 version: Cement is glue, and its holding the aggregate together to make concrete. Interesting topic, its rather simple imo, and I'd suggest anyone to do a bit of reading on the history of concrete.

          [–]koos_die_doos 8 points9 points  (18 children)

          Excuse me sir, what is aggregate?

          [–]whambulance_man 9 points10 points  (15 children)

          ag·gre·gate

          1. a whole formed by combining several (typically disparate) elements.

          2. a material or structure formed from a loosely compacted mass of fragments or particles.

          [–]koos_die_doos 7 points8 points  (14 children)

          Sorry I don’t understand big words yet...

          Elements? Disparate? Fragments? Particles???

          [–][deleted]  (11 children)

          [deleted]

            [–][deleted] 3 points4 points  (4 children)

            Where is chocolate in this equation?

            [–]spongey1 2 points3 points  (4 children)

            What if I’m allergic to peanuts?

            [–]BananApocalypse 2 points3 points  (0 children)

            Basically gravel

            [–]butterchuck 2 points3 points  (0 children)

            I just spent the last 1/2 hour doing what you suggested. Thanks, learned a lot!

            [–]Mydogatemyexcuse 7 points8 points  (4 children)

            Cement by itself has a very weak strength. To combat this you add aggregate (rocks like shale or something) to increase its compressive strength. Ideally you use the least water and most aggregate as possible without sacrificing workability. There's also things called super plasticisers that make concrete more workable without needing more water or less aggregate.

            [–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

            Can we clarify that this may be true for Portland cement, it is not true for gypsum-based cement. I can't even verify if that's true for Portland of any type, but I know gypsum-based has far higher compressive strengths when made neat (without aggregate).

            [–]yummy_gummies 1 point2 points  (1 child)

            Your hardware store bagged stuff is usually cement. For your small homeowner jobs, or even crafts.

            Making concrete is like making a cake. M Mixing the weighed ingredients. M M cake.

            -- H. Simpson

            [–]landragoran 4 points5 points  (0 children)

            Hardware store Lumber/Building Materials department manager here. The vast majority of what people buy is pre-mixed concrete, not cement. For every pallet of Portland cement that I sell, I sell probably 50+ pallets of pre-mixed concrete.

            [–]Sasmas1545 1 point2 points  (1 child)

            Is it not actually attacking the cement as the title said? It seems like the aggregate is less effected than the cement. The title seems accurate to me. No?

            [–]lb-trice 13 points14 points  (2 children)

            To be fair, it does appear to be the cement that has worn away, leaving the aggregate and stone exposed.

            [–]alexmunse 50 points51 points  (11 children)

            Every bar I’ve ever worked in has had the floor eaten away by the spilled beer and liquor. I didn’t know about peas, though. That’s unsettling.

            [–]UnrulyRaven 24 points25 points  (8 children)

            The yeast strain chosen can affect the final beer pH. Most lager beers finish at 4.2–4.6, with some ales ending as low as 3.8. (Sour beers may have pH values around 3.0.)

            https://byo.com/article/the-principles-of-ph/

            About the same as tomato juice (4.1-4.6).

            [–]Valalvax 15 points16 points  (4 children)

            People talk about acids, but caustic (basic) is worse a lot of the time

            [–]Mechanus_Incarnate 19 points20 points  (2 children)

            The most normal form of cement comes from lime (calcium carbonate). Acids easily dissolve it into calcium hydroxide and carbon dioxide. I don't think it reacts much with bases.

            [–]Kittelsen 5 points6 points  (0 children)

            Concrete itself is very basic, pH upwards to 14, it's actually what peotects the rebar in it, when the pH drop over time, the rebar starts to rust which causes it to expand and the concrete will start flaking off.

            [–]UnrulyRaven 1 point2 points  (0 children)

            For organics, it can be. Metals don't appreciate it either.

            [–]BobKickflip 10 points11 points  (1 child)

            What is a pea's pH value? Or rather... pea-H value?

            [–]Fr0gm4n 7 points8 points  (1 child)

            Wait until you learn about tomatoes and citrus fruits.

            [–]SevenSix2FMJ 17 points18 points  (2 children)

            I was going to say the same. The only place I’ve seen concrete that looks like this is outside the pool maintenance closet at my local YMCA. The acid runoff has etched right down to the aggregate.

            [–]jerseypoontappa 71 points72 points  (12 children)

            This guy concretes. Not only what he said, but water alone wouldnt be able to erode the vertical 3 inch drop at the end of the “stream”

            [–]mully_and_sculder 18 points19 points  (1 child)

            Demineralized water is pretty good at dissolving concrete. Often the condensed water from an airconditioner will erode away where it drips. But youre right this looks like chemical runoff of some sort.

            [–]MacAddict81 34 points35 points  (3 children)

            The mineralization on the fringes and rust on the galvanized outlet pipe in the background would suggest this as well. I’ve seen the de-icing pellets we used on the walkways at a ski resort I worked at cause deep pitting in new concrete over the course of a ski season, and they’re mostly calcium carbonate, so a weak acid or base could definitely degrade things to expose the aggregate like this in a surprisingly short time.

            [–]Fr0gm4n 4 points5 points  (1 child)

            calcium carbonate

            That is already a byproduct of how portland cement sets up. When mixing you can add more calcium carbonate to accelerate the set. I'm not sure if it's a chemical problem that causes the deterioration, or that it causes the ice to melt and refreeze which would degrade the concrete.

            [–]MacAddict81 2 points3 points  (0 children)

            I’m pretty sure it was a chemical reaction instead of thermal shock, since you’re more adjusting the freezing point of the water than actually melting the ice, and only a tiny bit of heat is generated in the process unless you’re excessively generous with the pellets.

            [–]Vlad_The_Inveigler 6 points7 points  (0 children)

            And the horizontal surface it meets; the "gutter", as well as an inch up from the gutter.

            Looks like a really bad mix combined with acidic outflow, or chlorine from a pool ; it's full of round and weak aggregate too. The corner rounding is dreadful and you can see how the mix was too weak by how the corner rounding tool pulled aggregate right out of it, leaving those cracks; if this were in a a freezing/thawing climate I would say salt helped this die, but the cracks at the corner would have been chipped all to hell by expanding ice.

            [–]LCranstonKnows 3 points4 points  (2 children)

            Could the contractor have liked skimped on concrete (or something, I don't concrete) and laid down an inferior product resulting in the erosion?

            [–]Vlad_The_Inveigler 3 points4 points  (0 children)

            This is my take too. Super weak mix, lousy aggregate- you can see stones pulling away from each other and leaving cracks as the corner rounding tool was pulled along by the placers.

            [–]Jrook[🍰] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

            It's possible, but it doesn't really take much. Materials like this, the concrete or cement get damaged from a chemical reaction with the acid, basically exposure to acids create more acid on the surface. That water probably wouldn't eat thru wood like it did here.

            [–]highlevelirony 15 points16 points  (0 children)

            I’ll remember this for my next stint in jail. Save a can every day and slowly melt my way out, I’ll be an escapea before you know it

            [–]WolfD128 9 points10 points  (2 children)

            Acid guy and also concrete guy, can confirm acid. Where we have the acid for our drivers to clean their mixers there's a trail of eaten away top layer.

            [–]voolio 1 point2 points  (1 child)

            Concrete guy here looking for the best product to soften concrete for cleaning mixers. Currently chisels and jackhammers. Looking for that chemical that works best to help soften and pressure wash off. Just out of curiosity what do you use to soften concrete so it’s easier to clean?

            [–]Depressionbomb 5 points6 points  (0 children)

            Looks like some concrete evidence right there

            [–]jestyr7 5 points6 points  (0 children)

            We should change the game to Rock, Pea Juice, Scissors. Scissors would still beat pea juice.

            [–]Fredwestlifeguard 2 points3 points  (7 children)

            The pipe could be connected to a boiler. Not an engineer but I think the run off from a natural gas boiler is acidic....

            [–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (4 children)

            I am. Unlikely. Even warm fresh water must be brought to the outside temperature because it changes the ecosystem. All the chemicals produced are made into products and all excess gas is burned in the boiler system.

            Most systems are closed loop and have some sort of phase where the heated fluid transfers just it's heat to the exchanger when there is more than water involved. If it is just a gas/coal fired boiler, the recondensed steam is usually recirculated as it's more efficient this way.

            An interesting study on a nearby sewage plant, has stage 3 tertiary treatment before discharged into the ocean, showed that just the warm water created quite the bio diversity along the pipe and the exit.

            [–]Fredwestlifeguard 1 point2 points  (3 children)

            I'm just going off my combi boiler at home that has a condensate pipe coming off it. Reading up on them the run off is acidic. I can't believe I'm having this conversation about some worn concrete on the street but all knowledge is power!

            [–]ryebread91 2 points3 points  (0 children)

            I work at a as club and sometimes a pallet of Monterey energy has a can leak. After just a few times you could definitely see it's eaten away at the concrete.

            [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

            Wait...peas! The little green vegetables?! 🤩

            [–][deleted]  (3 children)

            [deleted]

              [–]SquareLevelPlumb 9 points10 points  (2 children)

              That's a typical rainwater downspout nozzle. To pipe condensate into a 4" daylighted drain pipe like that would be highly unusual, and against code in most places.

              [–]jpStormcrow 5 points6 points  (0 children)

              Cause nothing against code is ever done.

              [–]yani365 2 points3 points  (0 children)

              30 year building inspection. I agree acid. Long term low level of flow from air conditioning condensate, which is mildly acidic, or high efficiency boiler condensation will do this. Maybe not as fast as pea juice, but but still...

              [–]jpaxonreyes 617 points618 points  (57 children)

              Did it wear it away or eat it away?

              [–]sceadwian 485 points486 points  (27 children)

              That white residue is a pretty good indication there's some pretty hard water involved there at the least.

              [–]squeethesane 185 points186 points  (18 children)

              Calcium and lye from manufacturing leaching out.

              [–]sceadwian 85 points86 points  (10 children)

              That looks awful aggressive.

              [–]squeethesane 162 points163 points  (9 children)

              Yeah I'm doubting it's just roof runoff... This could easily be one of those industrial roofs with stones distributed around though adding to that calcium depositing. If this is the side of a target though that's just concentrated Karen. Evidenced by the caustic nature when returning to the parking lot.

              [–]sceadwian 24 points25 points  (0 children)

              Good as an explanation as I'll probably hear. Thanks Karen!....

              [–]-_-BanditGirl-_- 2 points3 points  (1 child)

              I did a lot of roofs, and whatever that condensate stuff dripping out of air conditioners is, can do this to concrete.

              [–]squeethesane 2 points3 points  (0 children)

              I'm not often testing HVAC discharge... But my science brain of liquor distillation tells me condensation can do interesting things to concentrations of contaminates in suspension.

              [–]danielisgreat 1 point2 points  (4 children)

              Lye is a component of concrete. Lye only destroys organic material.

              [–]SCScanlan 8 points9 points  (4 children)

              Efflorescence

              [–]ThickPrick 8 points9 points  (3 children)

              Isn’t that a female rock band?

              [–]Smtxom 5 points6 points  (1 child)

              WAKE ME UP!

              [–][deleted] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

              I CAN'T WAKE UP!!

              [–]_pm_me_nude_selfies 26 points27 points  (6 children)

              little known fact: water will eat you from the inside out so you have to give it food to keep it satisfied

              [–]diogenesofthemidwest 19 points20 points  (4 children)

              All of the corona virus victims drank water.

              [–]trilere614 6 points7 points  (0 children)

              Honestly, everyone who died had some levels of dihydrogen monoxide present in the body.

              Edit: potentially the most dangerous compound I can think of.

              [–]liquidgold83 4 points5 points  (1 child)

              I thought they drank Corona...

              [–]Hurtcare 2 points3 points  (0 children)

              Yes, did you know dihydrogen monoxide is one of the main ingredients of corona?

              [–]WhyAlwaysMe1991 2 points3 points  (0 children)

              Coincidence!?!?? I think NOT!!!!

              [–]squeethesane 41 points42 points  (6 children)

              Today you learned acid rain is a real thing that media fear mongered you into thinking would only be obvious once it was melting your skin off. Wouldn't be surprised to find this is in a heavy traffic area.

              [–]flareblitz91 21 points22 points  (5 children)

              Wat. Acid rain isn’t a localized event. Also acid rain isn’t the threat it once was, sulfur dioxide emissions were cut drastically. Much like the ozone and chloro fluorocarbons.

              [–]squeethesane 3 points4 points  (0 children)

              I see you're forgetting nitric and carbonic forms of atmospheric acids that also contribute to the phenomena and are not at all targetable gases. (short of not combusting any fossil fuels at all)

              [–]j8945 4 points5 points  (0 children)

              Acid rain is the nonlocalized event because it forms in clouds, but it isn't exclusively what happens to the emissions

              acid deposition is the term for the broader category which includes acid rain, but also more localized effects

              acids can react with moisture closer to the ground, creating acid fog, acid can be created on the surfaces of stuff when the sulfur dioxide is on the ground

              [–]retshalgo 2 points3 points  (0 children)

              Unfortunately low-sulfur coal happens to be high in mercury. Now we can’t eat big fresh water fish in eastern states without risking mercury toxicity :(

              [–]Eyiolf_the_Foul 8 points9 points  (3 children)

              It’s not proper concrete, which has a very specific size requirement for gravel/aggregate used, you can clearly see round(!) rocks the size of a fist in the pic. That, and there was water flowing over it before it even had a chance to set.

              [–]drCrankoPhone 5 points6 points  (2 children)

              Yeah, there’s no way that’s just pure water coming out of that drain pipe.

              [–]crunkadocious 0 points1 point  (1 child)

              Pure water doesn't exist unless you distill water, so

              [–]Reniconix 7 points8 points  (0 children)

              Even then, it's part hydroxic acid and part hydrogen hydroxide.

              [–]dickydickynums 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              Did it eat it away or drink it away?

              [–][deleted] 5 points6 points  (1 child)

              Actually it looks like it was new concrete where they poured it too close to a rainstorm and the rain washed away the surface where it flowed.

              [–]BigRicoIce 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              I thought they went too shallow; less then 2". But that is more plausible. They should've ran a temporary water line.

              [–]frizbplaya 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              The name for it is 'eroded' away.

              [–]Valianttheywere 24 points25 points  (5 children)

              Corrosion due to acidity.

              [–]XxFancyFrogxX 50 points51 points  (11 children)

              Am I the only one who thinks the rocks looks like it’s a painting?

              [–]InAFakeBritishAccent 11 points12 points  (8 children)

              Jeebus thank you. Ive been working on a project that filters images to look like certain oil paintings and thought i was finally going crazy.

              [–]tehreal 2 points3 points  (7 children)

              Certain oil paintings?

              [–]InAFakeBritishAccent 2 points3 points  (6 children)

              Neural style transfer. Not new, but not well developed. A search will turn up more in a single image than i can say.

              [–]gaiyuka 59 points60 points  (8 children)

              Concrete

              [–]hunterl1990 9 points10 points  (0 children)

              Came here looking for this

              [–]MentORPHEUS 140 points141 points  (22 children)

              Someone spilled pool chemical (specifically muriatic acid used to lower pH) which ate away the cement thus exposing the aggregate. I saw a gutter that looked like this. Followed it from the alley behind a pool supply store, where it ate the cement like this for at least a mile including through a culvert under a freeway.

              [–]alexmunse 48 points49 points  (18 children)

              Pool guy here, I spilled muriatic acid in my driveway and the cement was REALLY clean there for a while. It took me all of two minutes to get the hose to rinse it away.

              [–]Pika256 11 points12 points  (4 children)

              I bet it would have become noticeably rougher if you hadn't cleaned it up so quickly.

              [–]alexmunse 16 points17 points  (3 children)

              It bubbles and smokes like when a cartoon character knocks over a jug marked “ACID”. When it’s diluted. It will dissolve organic matter, so it’s great for keeping algae out of pools. When it’s full strength (or at least as strong as I buy it), it will fuck up anything it touches. Scary stuff, don’t breathe the fumes. Trust me, it hurts.

              [–]thebrassnuckles 12 points13 points  (0 children)

              I used muriatic acid force patina the steel retaining wall I built in my front yard. It looks real nice.

              [–]endloser 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              But how’d it taste?

              [–]nomadic_stalwart 1 point2 points  (1 child)

              I spilled muriatic acid on a client’s pavement my first month on the job. I got water on it within 30 seconds. I cussed myself out for it so much my boss just kinda looked at me weird. Client never said anything and two years later it’s still there though not quite as noticeable.

              [–]alexmunse 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              I ended up getting a breather and a nylon bristled brush and I scrubbed the entire driveway with weakened muriatic acid to get it all to match

              [–]Perm-suspended 0 points1 point  (8 children)

              Muriatic acid? Is that used in making methamphetamine?

              [–]mully_and_sculder 12 points13 points  (4 children)

              Its just hydrochloric acid its used for a million things.

              [–]Rocket_hamster 2 points3 points  (0 children)

              Payday 2 reference for those unaware

              [–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (2 children)

              Would this really be from just one spill? Or would this be like several spills over weeks/months/years?

              Because I used some sort of acid to clean my driveway once and it didn't look like this after just one application. Of course I rinsed it thoroughly but I let it sit on the driveway for several minutes before washing it away.

              I didn't use muriatic acid but when I was researching which acids to use that was one of the recommendations I saw.

              [–]guzzle 6 points7 points  (0 children)

              One sustained or lots of little. Seems like what it would take. Ate some garage concrete once thanks to a vinegar spill.

              [–]Ackackackaaaaaack 41 points42 points  (3 children)

              [–]Synaptic_Productions 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              Alas but one upvote for you. You appease my desires.

              [–]thecultcanburn 9 points10 points  (0 children)

              I'm pretty sure this is concrete. Cement in one of the ingredients.

              [–]abbeyroad13 6 points7 points  (4 children)

              I work as an engineer at a plumbing manufacturer and people RARELY believe me when I say that water quality can erode away at components of a valve. Whether it’s rubber, stainless steel or ductile iron water can be corrosive! Especially due to whatever else may be inside of the water.

              Thank you for this picture - saved it to explain to customers and reps about the importance of water quality.

              [–]JOE619 1 point2 points  (3 children)

              What type of engineering degree did you graduate with? I’m a 3rd year ME and it always interests me to see engineers in random places like reddit

              [–]weltot 7 points8 points  (0 children)

              Water. Not even once.

              [–]NotTheOnlyFU 5 points6 points  (0 children)

              I'm a lab tech at a cement manufacturing company, can confirm acid releases the bond cement has on the aggregates.

              [–]killarneykid 4 points5 points  (0 children)

              If you like that you should check out the Grand Canyon.

              [–]h0nest_Bender 7 points8 points  (7 children)

              Cement is an ingredient. Concrete is the product.

              [–]yearnearn 5 points6 points  (2 children)

              Please someone pour some epoxy on this

              [–]skillphil 1 point2 points  (1 child)

              And put it in the center of my dining table

              [–]rifaccount 2 points3 points  (0 children)

              That's right boys, girls, and everything in between... water does this. To concrete. And we put water in our bodies every day.

              [–]craphter 2 points3 points  (0 children)

              this is exactly the level of interesting i came here for

              [–]lilblindspider 3 points4 points  (0 children)

              FlintMI understands

              [–]fixxlevy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              That’s fucking hardcore!

              [–]asehs123 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              Wtf kind of concrete is this? For sure not 57 lol

              [–]joeynana 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              People pay good money for exposed aggregate.

              [–]ceman_yeumis 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              alliteration is always alluring

              [–]jarago3 2 points3 points  (0 children)

              20 year Admixtures for concrete developer here. Seems erosion by water with high sulphate content. Usual in waters from wells and marine ambients. The sulphate reacts with cement to form expansive ettringyte crystals, that breaks the paste matrix and lets the aggregate attached to the less exposed areas.

              [–]FatherOfTheSevenSeas 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              Good luck saying that sentence ten times fast

              [–]InfiniteBlink 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              The way the water wore away the wet waterway.

              [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

              Saw this whole scrolling pretty quick and thought it was an over done material fade in unity. Life being a little stranger than fiction.

              [–]SiRukitJa 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              Water, the universal solvent.

              [–][deleted] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

              The concrete is very poor quality, the aggregate used is too large and the quality is clearly garbage. This wouldn’t happen with properly mixed concrete if protected from the water while it cures.

              [–]rinnip 2 points3 points  (1 child)

              It's concrete, not cement. Crappy concrete in this case.

              [–]zappa_frank 3 points4 points  (0 children)

              Came here to say the same thing. Cement is an ingredient of concrete.

              [–]Drew- 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              Water is the most stubborn substance. It will always wear you away and win in the long term. Even a gentle trickle like this.

              [–]BowlingShoeSalesman 3 points4 points  (0 children)

              Exposed aggregate, people pay big money for that look.

              [–]specterfox 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              Hiya Georgie 🎈

              [–]SadistAnts 3 points4 points  (0 children)

              Looks to me like it may have rained not long after that concrete was poured and finished. Rainwater from the stormwater pipe washed the top surface of the still setting concrete away.

              [–][deleted]  (1 child)

              [deleted]

                [–]Not_a_pot_cop 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                Huh? Cement doesn’t have aggregate in it. Concrete does tho. This is the exposed aggregate in concrete.

                [–]chadwackerman 1 point2 points  (1 child)

                Mostly likely washed away the top layer before it cured.

                [–]herehavesomegum 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                I wish this was gaining more attention. This is great, it's exactly this kind of thing that this sub was made for.

                [–]TorandoSlayer 1 point2 points  (2 children)

                Is...is that what concrete really looks like "underneath"? I thought it was all a solid mass of similarly-sized particles. I didn't know it had actual rocks and stuff in it.

                [–]yummy_gummies 2 points3 points  (1 child)

                Yes, that's what's inside :)

                Specific sizes of rocks, recycled concrete; Coquina shells and even sand can be used as aggregate. It depends what the application is.

                https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concrete

                [–]lisakudrow 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                This in Flint, MI?

                [–]TRIMSATURN82544 0 points1 point  (1 child)

                nature wins