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CONSTRUCTION WORLD
FEBRUARY
2017
48
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
According to AfriSam national sales
manager, Amit Dawneerangen, being in the
52.5R strength class gives Afrisam’s Rapid
Hard Cement a substantially higher early
strength at the same age as competitors’
products which fall into the 52.5N class and
only needs to achieve 20 MPa within that
time span.
“This allows the manufactured concrete
product to be released from the mould
sooner, speeding up the production cycle
and allowing the CPM factory more
efficiency,” says Dawneerangen. “It is also
vital that the strength performance is
completely consistent, so that customers
can time their processes with precision, and
without danger of breakage due to products
not having achieved the required early
strengths when removing from moulds.”
AfriSam Rapid Hard Cement is the result
of significant research and development to
ensure that it met the demands of the CPM
segment, the makers of concrete products
such as bricks, blocks, roof tiles and hollow
core slabs. In addition to precast concrete,
the high early strength also makes this
cement brand ideal for post-tensioned and
pre-stressed members, and allows for earlier
stripping of formwork to speed up projects.
The product is much finer than other
cements, resulting in an increased rate of
hydration which produces higher early-
strength. For more durability, it can be further
blended with mineral components such as
ground granulated blast furnace slag, fly ash
or condensed silica fume.
Dawneerangen says this higher rate
This multi-use high performance coloured mortar grouting may be
used on widths from 1 – 15 mm. It is suited to ceramic, porcelain,
marble, glass, mosaic and high absorption tiles for use both indoors
in bathrooms, kitchens, living rooms and outdoors on patios, in
pools, on balconies and on facades. It is available in three colour
options, is flexible and waterproof and quick setting.
The product’s Pure-Clean technology makes it very easy to clean
and has high resistance to stains, in addition it shows no colour
shading or carbonation commonly seen in grouting. Its Protect3
technology, the Ionic silver treatment incorporated into the product
protects against microbiological growth, making it mould-resistant,
bacteria-resistant and algae-resistant, all of which typically cause
discoloration in current grouts available in the SA market.
Saint-Gobain Weber recently put the new Premium Grout to the
test, when they conducted product performance tests across the
country. The objective was to test the workability, colour
stability, stain resistance and waterproof properties of the product.
The product was tested in a hotel kitchen, a
moisture-ridden bathroom, in a plant warehouse,
and in a swimming pool in Cape Town & Durban,
and in a corporate office environment in
Johannesburg. In all tests the product performed
as expected and showed colour consistency
through-out, with superior stain resistance
and no absorption of liquids when coffee was
poured onto the dry grout.
Premium Grout lives up to its name and
offers a range of benefits that no other
product available on the South African
market currently does.
Condition monitoring experts
increase capacity
WearCheck’s oil analysis and reliability solutions services
received a boost with the recent appointment of several
professionals:
Jacoba Schwartz
is WearCheck’s new
agent in Kathu, covering the areas from
Kuruman to Upington and surrounds,
and develops sales, processes
quotations and collects filled sample
bottles to dispatch to the laboratory.
Paul Nhlapo
has been promoted to
handle business development and
technical support for WearCheck
Middelburg and the surrounding areas.
Jacques Blignaut
is the new chemist
in WearCheck’s Pinetown laboratory.
The capacity for this position has
developed as the laboratory becomes
busier due to the company’s expansion
around Africa. Blignaut, who holds
a Masters Degree in Chemistry, will
also be assisting with research and
development for WearCheck.
This is the very first stain resistant grout, which has
anti-fungal properties, available in South Africa. Weber’s
Premium Grout incorporates both Protect3 and Pure-
Clean technology. This is another innovative and easy-to-
use tile grout, introduced by Saint-Gobain Weber.
Rapid hard for faster turnaround
Giving a minimum strength of 30 MPa
in just two days is the key advantage
of AfriSam’s Rapid Hard Cement
product, allowing concrete product
manufacturers (CPMs) quicker turn-
around times and confidence from
one batch to the next.
of hydration also makes AfriSam Rapid
Hard Cement suitable for use in cold
weather conditions, as the high levels of
heat generated by hydration can offset the
retardation effect that low temperatures
usually have on concrete. This characteristic
also delivers a cost saving to CPMs, by
reducing the time that products must be
subject to heat curing; most of these precast
products are heat treated for a number of
hours to facilitate the hardening process.
“In some applications, the performance of
this cement reduces or even eliminates the
heat curing stage, which could represent a
substantial energy saving to the CPM,”
he concludes.
New grout technology