Housing in Southern Africa March 2015

weiler’s slip former plant for prestressed foundation piles Khmelnizkzalisobeton (KHM), a Ukrainian construction company, produces hollow core slabs using a Finnish extruder production line and reinforced foundation piles made of wet-cast concrete in molds. To meet the increased demand for 4 000 foundation piles required for each project, the existing production method could no longer meet the requirements for high capacity production while respecting design tolerances.

T he Ukrainian company opted for a customised tailor made solution fromweiler. A team of engineers from weiler designed and installed the new weiler Multi-caster line into a 24 x 100 m of floor space. The production line consists of six steel casting beds, each 96 m long, foundation piles and lintels are being slip-formed continuously, using the new weiler Multi-caster with three quick-exchange cartridges. After only eight hours curing time the products are cut to the required lengths with a high performingweiler concrete saw. After lifting of the cut elements, the production beds are cleaned with an LPG motor driven weiler ‘weasel’ – this machine also sprays demoulding oil and pulls pre- stressing wire.

KHM required a daily capacity of 1 000 linear metres of foundations with cross sections of 30 x 30 and 35 x 35 cm lengths of up to 18m. Produc- tion targets surpassed expectations and KHM took over the plant, ready for operation. Today, with only eight operators up to 1 700 linear metres of founda- tion piles are being produced in a single shift operation. Shorter curing times, significant material savings, substantially higher performing final product, reduced steel content, minimised the quantity of cement – approximately 200 kg ce- ment less per m³ of concrete, which meant a saving of €2 500 per day. “The newproduction line is paying off,” said KHM’s Production Chief. ■

March 2015