SPECIALIST
Widely used in the construction sector for the formation of shuttering for casting concrete on site, the shuttering holds the concrete in place whilst it cures. Shuttering is removed once the concrete is able to support itself on its own or when fully cured. The timber mainly used for this type of application is usually lower grade caressing timber with a planned sawn edge.
A joint system also know as leave in place joints are specifically designed to act as a permanent part of the form work. Armoured Joints create a secure boundary during the concrete pour and allow for expansion and contraction in the slab to help prevent random cracks in the finished concrete. they are typically used to hold a days concrete pour and as the concrete cures and contracts the two sides of the joint are gradually pulled apart in a controlled manner.
A process where a powdered element which can consist of pigment , cement, hardening agents or even finely graded aggregate is applied to the concrete surface before it has cured, it is then floated and troweled in.
Dry shake topping can be used to achieve a coloured or reflective effect or to create a hard wearing impervious surfaces. In some applications it can be used to suppress fibres in steel reinforced concrete.
The process of ensuring that adequate moisture and temperature levels are maintained during the curing process, to aid cement hydration in the early stages. Hydration is the chemical reaction between cement and water which results in the proper setting and harding of concrete. In many case a chemical curing agent is applied to the wet concrete and then covered with sheeting.
The compressive strength of concrete is measured by crushing a small concrete cube that is placed into a machine which then applies pressure in a controlled manner to the cube and measures the point at which it deforms or breaks. Concrete cubes are produced by tamping concrete into a standardised mould and cured in a water tank for usually 7 to 28 days.
As concrete floor slabs cure the concrete contracts, saw cuts or contraction joints are specific cuts that are designed to provide controllability to the cracking that will occur in the slab as it contracts. Cuts are usually made with a diamond tipped saw blade to a depth of over 25% of the slab depth, joints are then sealed with an appropriate resin or mastic.