Construction World April 2015

CONSTRUCTION WORLD

APRIL

2015

CEMENT AND CONCRETE TECHNOLOGY

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

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

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

of concrete only, but in this instance that figure

doubled to 4 000 m

.” 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

. 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.

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

Laser Flooring (CLF), AfriSam is pioneering

some of the latest trends and developments

in concrete technology in the South African

construction industry.

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

advances and technologies.

LEFT:

AfriSam and CLF have

collaborated successfully on tilt-up

construction projects, such as this

10 000 m

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.