Long construction times are expensive, exceeded deadlines even more. Precast concrete elements are the solution. Given its advantage of accelerating the construction process, precast concrete is being used broadly in commercial and industrial buildings. However, the traditional manufacturing process for precast concrete elements consumes a lot of energy, producers have been challenged to maintain their profitability while facing such issues as increasing utility rates, more expensive and scarce skilled labor, and rising material and equipment costs.
To address these challenges, BASF has introduced a breakthrough innovation –
Zero Energy System, which is able to reduce the energy consumption by accelerating the hydration process without the need for external heat. The Zero Energy System combines Glenium polymer chemical admixtures, Rheodynamic concrete, and technical expertise to enable precast concrete producers to achieve energy savings in the form of productivity, power, and efficient use of resources.
Key Benefits:
Concrete mixing
Consistent quality of produced elements
Less energy to run mixers
Less wear and maintenance of mixing equipment
Concrete placement
Rheodynamic Concrete eliminates or minimizes need of external vibration
which is expensive and can damage the forms
Easy flowability into slender elements (with congested shapes and intricate
surfaces) with congested reinforcement
Production cycle is reduced
Lesser manpower for surface repairs
Employee safety by eliminating hazards and noise through vibration
Curing
Provides opportunities to eliminate or reduce the accelerated heat-curing
requirements in precast production.
With the Zero Energy System the cement hydration kinetics are accelerated
from the very early stages, releasing enough heat during the hydration
process that the mix is able to self-accelerate the crystal formation reaction,
positively impacting early strength development.
Demolding and handling
Specific minimum strengths are required before precast pieces can be
removed from the mold and transported off the production floor.
The sooner forms can be returned to production, the more potentially profitable
the operation. Early strength gain of the precast allows fast turnaround and
reduced cycle times.
Brands under this segment:
GLENIUM ACE
GLENIUM ACE products are part of the innovative second-generation range of polycarboxylate ether polymers. Depending upon the configuration of their structure, their workability time can be enhanced or reduced, but the emphasis is on acceleration of the cement hydration process which helps in early stripping of forms. Rapid adsorption of the molecule onto the cement particles combined with an efficient dispersion, exposes increased surface of the cement grains to react with water thus facilitating hydration. ACE – Admixture Controlled Energy is an essential component of the Zero Energy System.
RHEOBUILD
High Range Water Reducing Concrete admixtures based on synthetic polymers for production of rheoplastic concrete. Rheoplastic Concrete flows easily, maintaining high degree of plasticity for time periods longer than conventional superplasticized concrete. Rheoplastic concrete has the low water-cementitious materials ratio of no-slump concrete, providing excellent engineering (hardened) properties.
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