Sure, replacing a concrete foundation or other structure with concrete makes perfect sense. It was, after all, designed for concrete. In a vacuum, replacing it makes sense. However, construction and maintenance projects in today’s industrial environments are subject to a wide range of constraints and obstacles that make what sounds simple complex. Clients have market and economic pressures that are driving them to require you meet a schedule that doesn’t’ seem realistic using conventional construction materials and techniques. And you’re right.
There are options available today that, in the past, had been considered “patching” or “repair” products. The old “patches” have become widely varied in working time, redesigned for larger pours and accelerated for faster strength gain. These products are now considered a
When placing concrete and cementitious concrete repair mortars, especially in hot and dry weather, evaporation rate is one of the most critical factors to take into consideration. The evaporation rate is the rate at which moisture is being lost from the concrete or mortar surface, which affects a few elements of a concrete or repair mortar placement. If the evaporation rate is too high, water is leaving the surface too rapidly, and creates difficulty during finishing operations. Equally important is that a high evaporation rate during placement and initial curing greatly increases the likelihood of plastic shrinkage cracking in the concrete surface. Plastic shrinkage cracks leave a concrete surface vulnerable to the future intrusion of water and chlorides and leave the surface with an overall unpleasant appearance.
Evaporation
Concrete is widely available, customizable to each application and affordable. These traits make it ideal for equipment foundations. It is also the most widely used method for adding mass to a critical piece of equipment or process skid. But, for all its positive traits, there are a few characteristics it’s lacking that would make it better. The truth is there are alternatives to concrete with most of the traits already discussed and other very desirable ones.
Below are five unique benefits to fast-setting concrete:
There are products and additives that can produce a concrete or concrete-like material that can attain an initial set much faster than convention mixes. Some as fast as just minutes. This is to allow for other work on the foundation to begin much faster.