Construction World April 2015

CEMENT AND CONCRETE TECHNOLOGY

UNLOCKING VALUE AfriSam is unlocking value for its customers by partnering with innovative companies that specialise in the application of its products and service. Through its partnership with Concrete

of concrete but using less finite resources,” Peter Norton, managing director of CLF, says. With its main focus on new solutions and innova- tion, AfriSam is also joining forces with CLF in producing low-shrinkage concretes for floors. “Through this speci- ality design mix, less shrinkage occurs which significantly reduces cracking in floors. We are currently in the process of researching, designing and testing this product. “The goal is to get the best performing product, with the lowest shrinkage at the best value for our customers,” says Dawneerangen. Tilt-up construction is another method the two compa- nies have successfully collaborated on in projects such as a 10 000 m 2 building in Pomona. The method utilises the floor of a building as a casting bed for wall panels, which are then simply lifted into position by a crane. Another option is for the wall panels to be cast at a precast yard and then trans- ported to site. According to Norton, this was a very successful project. “After we cast the floor, we were then requested to cast the walls as well. Such a project would traditionally have used 2 000 m 3 of concrete only, but in this instance that figure doubled to 4 000 m 3 .” The cost of the additional concrete used is offset by not only the speed of building, but by a marked improvement in the quality of the finished structure and a dramatic decrease in construction time, which results in significant labour savings and other input costs. CLF has successfully used the tilt-up method on 42 t columns, a record in South Africa, while wall panels can be as large as 50 m 2 . The entire sides of buildings can be cast and lifted in this manner, with the only constraints being having sufficient cranage and good spatial planning. Tilt-up construction is equally applicable to the residential sector. “The application here is not so much for once-off, large-sized homes, but rather for townhouse complexes and multi-storey build- ings, as tilt-up construction is based on panel repeti- tion. It can definitely be applied to low-cost housing as well,” Norton says.

These include the development of an environmentally friendly concrete flooring solution, low-shrinkage floors and tilt-up construction methods. In addition to its own research and development initiatives, the latest innovations have also been made possible by AfriSam’s recent acquisition of an equity stake in CLF. “AfriSam and CLF have collaborated successfully in introducing an industry first environmentally friendly floor concrete. The environ- mentally friendly concrete for floors is achieved by replacing cement in the mix design with using more fly-ash, activated slag and admixtures. In typical concrete mix designs, 20% to 30% of the cement is replaced with extenders. In this new concrete, up to 70% can be replaced with the activated slag and fly ash with the addition of admixtures to achieve superior quality and strength. “This development process is put through a rigorous research, design and testing process to ensure that our customers can have the benefit of a superior performing concrete that are also kinder to the environment, Amit Dawneerangen, national multi-product solutions manager at AfriSam, says. “A larger trend within the industry is the move towards ‘greener’ concrete, based on the understanding that cement is a finite resource and that we need to make concrete that uses less cement. “There is a growing demand for this from environmentally aware property developers that are driving the trend for ‘green’ buildings. Some of the work we are conducting with AfriSam in this regard relates to activated slag mixes, and how we can extrapolate more value out Laser Flooring (CLF), AfriSam is pioneering some of the latest trends and developments in concrete technology in the South African construction industry. >

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OPPOSITE, TOP TO BOTTOM: With its main focus on the industrial and commercial market, CLF has introduced new technology such as a patented seamless concrete flooring system. Another concrete trend is thermal concrete, which comprises cement infused with expanded polystyrene (EPS) balls. Thermal concrete is lightweight, with a high insulation factor, and is therefore ideal for roofs. AfriSam is a total solutions provider for its customers. The partnership with CLF is a perfect example of this, driving both the demand for and application of concrete and promoting the latest collaborated successfully on tilt-up construction projects, such as this 10 000 m 2 building. The floor of a building can be used as a casting bed for the wall panels, which are then simply lifted into position with a crane. advances and technologies. LEFT: AfriSam and CLF have

CONSTRUCTION WORLD APRIL 2015 I I