CTS Cement Manufacturing Corp. – manufacturer of Rapid Set professional-grade cement products – is proud to announce the Australasian Concrete Repair Association (ACRA) has presented its Award for Excellence in the Research, Design and Innovation category to Volumetric Concrete Australia Pty Ltd., for the Slab Replacement project on the M1 Motorway Queensland between Reedy Creek and Yatala. The biennial ACRA Awards showcase members’ outstanding work in the repair and protection of concrete structures across a wide range of industries and market sectors. The awards honor the most creative projects in the concrete repair and refurbishment industry and highlight projects that are “setting the standards in concrete repair.”
For this award, Volumetric Concrete Australia (VCA) was invited to investigate the use and adoption of CTS Rapid Set Cement Technology in developing a CTS Rapid Set Concrete Mix produced by Volumetric Mixers.
Queensland Transport and Main Roads (TMR) – Roadtek Division identified defective concrete sections on the M1 Motorway that required immediate replacement to ensure that safety was maintained for the M1 drivers. Additionally, the goal was to extend the service life of the pavement. It was also imperative that a safe work zone was maintained while the slab replacements were being performed.
The Scope of the project involved performing over 200 slab replacements on the M1 Motorway while minimizing lane closures and disruptions to the users of the Motorway. To do so involved a collaborative approach among all parties in adopting the innovative CTS Rapid Set Cement Technology.
For the work, limits were set between six and eight hours per night-time shift, so as not to disrupt the local and interstate drivers, as well as to minimize any negative economic impact upon the local community and business operators.
“We are honored and humbled by this award. The impact of using CTS Rapid Set Concrete on this project was tremendous to the client and Motorway users. The collaborative approach we adopted enabled us to exceed not only the quality parameters required but also maintained a safe work environment for not only the crews on site but for all the Motorway users,” said Ian Hampton, Technical Manager VCA. “I’m confident in saying that no other product or company could produce this level of result.”
The work began with project-specific trials, where VCA produced concrete slabs utilizing various mix designs to meet the specification criteria. The trials not only monitored the finishing time and techniques but included rigorous concrete testing to ensure that the required specification would be met. Additionally, the trials provided extensive training to the concrete crew in working with the CTS Rapid Set cement concrete and the volumetric concrete mixers. VCA was engaged with the responsibility to test, produce and place the concrete to the TMR/Roadtek specification within a 3-hour timeframe.
A maximum of 57 night-shifts were allotted. The project criteria required early age strength of 20MPa at 2 hours to enable the M1 to be re-opened prior to 4.30 a.m. to provide a smooth, uninterrupted flow of traffic.
The results were, that by using CTS Rapid Set Concrete, VCA was able to provide the following:
- Minimal disruption to M1 traffic or operations
- Savings to project program and project cost due to reduced timeframe
- No disruptions to the general public and M1 roadway drivers – particularly during the daily peak traffic periods
- No high-profile delays to operations
- Productivity improvements over traditional slab replacement methods – less closures were required to perform slab replacement
- A safe and expedient method of slab replacements
The final tally was 51 shifts and 207 slabs replaced. Approximately 1,000 cubic meters of CTS Rapid Set Base Mix Concrete and CTS Rapid Set Lean Mix Concrete were supplied and placed. M1 re-opened to traffic with no delays to the drivers, providing a safer M1 Motorway for the future.
For these results, VCA was awarded the 2018 Award for Excellence in the Research, Design and Innovation.
“This was a huge project that required strict attention to detail. Volumetric Concrete Australia and their partners using the CTS Rapid Set Concrete Technology carried it off spectacularly, under budget and in a shorter than expected time frame,” said Robert Piva, General Manager, Antoun Civil Engineering – Major Contractor. “We were happy to be involved in achieving this award and the recognition it carries.”
About CTS Cement Manufacturing Corp.
CTS Cement Manufacturing Corporation manufactures Rapid Set® professional-grade cement products and Komponent® Type K shrinkage-compensating cement for concrete repairs, restoration, and new construction projects. Contractors, owners, engineers and architects choose Rapid Set and Komponent to eliminate problems they have with other concrete repair materials, to save time and money, when superior durability is required, and results need to be structurally sound and aesthetically pleasing. For more information, please visit www.ctscement.com.
About Volumetric Concrete Australia
Volumetric Concrete Australia (VCA) is a leading supplier of products and services to the Australian & New Zealand Concrete and Civil Construction Industries.
Through an innovative consultative approach, they have achieved many years of experience in servicing the construction, civil, and concrete industries with major civil engineering infrastructure works. The VCA model brings together a great mix of experience, resources, systems and knowledge to create value for your projects. All products and services are supported by sound technical advice and on-site support. For more information about VCA, please visit www.volumetric.com.au
