A package of StoCretec
concrete repair products recently introduced into the UK market have provided
the perfect solution for the refurbishment of a major road bridge in Wales.
The project has seen
the completion of the first of three piers of Brandy Bridge at Merthyr Tydfil, fully restored using StoCrete
TV 308 flowable mortar, TG 203 repair mortar, TF 204 fairing coat, StoCryl GQ
Primer and StoCryl V700 protective coating.
“We specified the
StoCrete TV 308 on this project for a number of reasons,” explains Jim Cooper,
of Nottingham-based Churchill Specialist Contracting who undertook the
refurbishment work.
“This is a very high
bridge that spans a railway line, a river and a gorge, so to assess the extent
of the repair work required was challenging. To adhere to the project schedule,
we needed a repair mortar which would cure and achieve a high strength as quickly
as possible. StoCrete TV 308 could achieve that, while also offering the
extremely low degree of shrinkage which was another major requirement for us.”
The
StoCrete TV 308 polymer-modified, flowable repair mortar was used to reinstate
various parts of the cross-head beams and columns supporting the longitudinal
bridge deck. Pumping the StoCrete TV 308 allowed the material to be applied at
a rate of one and half tonnes per hour. As the damage to the 50-year old bridge
had largely been caused by corrosive salts and carbonation, the fact that
StoCrete TV 308 is resistant to frost and de-icing salts was another advantage.
StoCrete TV 308
reaches a compressive strength in excess of 40N/mm2 within just 24 hours, yet also exhibits incredibly low
shrinkage. Its low E-modulus means it’s flexible and very strong, making it
ideal for fast repairs to civil engineering structures such as bridges and
viaducts. The rapid strength gain shortens project times significantly,
creating massive cost-savings and reducing disruption to road users. This
project also demonstrates StoCrete TV 308’s suitability for use with a cathodic
protection system, which was also installed as part of the works.
Using the StoCrete TV
308 alongside other StoCretec products allowed Churchill’s to source all the
concrete repair and protection products they required directly from a single
specialist manufacturer. After other works were completed using StoCrete TG 203
polymer-modified repair mortar and StoCrete TF 204 cementitious protective
fairing coat, the concrete areas were treated with the quartz-filled StoCryl GQ
Primer. This provided a reliable surface onto which the StoCryl V 700
protective coating was applied. StoCryl V 700’s innovative formulation creates
a surface coating which repels water very efficiently, allowing the surface to
dry far more rapidly than with traditional finishes, thus reducing the
likelihood of algae, fungal growth and unsightly staining.
As the European market
leader in concrete repair and protection products and systems, StoCretec offers
wide range of solutions that can be tailored to suit the specific needs of any
application, including buildings, bridges and tunnels, power stations, wastewater
plants and other critical infrastructure. The range allows specifiers and
contractors to create high-quality concrete renovation and protection
solutions, with all the warranty-backed components sourced from a single
specialist supplier. All StoCretec concrete renovation products conform to
EN1504 and so can be specified with full confidence.
