UHPC - Construction material for floating homes, cities and sailing boats

In times when the living space in all major cities is

becoming ever more limited, architects, designers

and municipalities are discovering the living space

on the water whether it is a river or a coast. Yes, at

sea there are also plots and designs for floating

giant leisure facilities and living space.

These floating homes, hotels or leisure facilities are

designed to be sustainable and environmentally

friendly in terms of energy, water and waste

management.

Traditionally, floating homes are based on hulls of

various designs and materials as well as on existing

pontoon constructions.

Most metal or plastic hulls are used.

It has almost completely forgotten a very old and

proven technology in ship hull construction, the

Ferrocement.

Unfortunately, modern boat designers and designers

have not realized that concrete technology has

changed dramatically in the last twenty years.

UHPC Ultra High Performance Concrete materials

have long replaced industry standard concrete,

plastics and metals with success.

concrete hulls. Concrete hulls had advantages in the

past but also a lot of disadvantages. Older boat

builders may remember that they have made sleek

sailing yacht and motorboat hulls out of concrete

and still some of these yachts are sailing the seas

today.

UHPC products have been used in the offshore and

many other industries for decades, under the

toughest temperature, wear and corrosion conditions.

In architecture, UHPC is used for high-strength and

extremely thin structures. UHPC is already much

more environmentally friendly in processing than

previous plastic, glass fiber and metal processing.

Houseboats can be constructed entirely from

prefabricated UHPC hull and structures. Prefabricated

elements made of UHPC can be manufactured precisely

down to a fraction of a milimeter.

The advantage during processing is

• Low to no dust
• No hazardous raw materials
• No filtering or suction systems are necessary
• No odor nuisance
• No hazardous waste

Installation methodes

• Casting
• Spraying 

Most of the time it is possible to use glassfiber or

ceramic fiber reinforcement also as a construction

structure it is possible to use glassfiber or ceramic

fiber mesh.

Here UHPC offers ship builder and ship designer new

opportunities in the future. 

The advantages of UHPC ship structures are:

 - No porosity

  - Absolutely sea water resistance 
 - Over 70% of the nominal strength is reached 
    48 hours after spraying or casting 

 - Very smooth surfaces can be achieved without complex

    grinding work 

 - Anti-fouling painting is not necessary 

 - The life time surpasses that of all other marine materials

     several times 

 - Wall thicknesses of 10 mm or more are possible

     depending on the crosstalk and load 

 - An extremely high compressive and tensile strength

    compared to standard concrete

 - Extremely corrosion resistant
 - Extremely temperature resistant
 - Easy to work with 

 - Use of fiberglass and ceramic fiber reinforcement.

 - Metallic reinforcement is not necessary

 - Any body geometry and size can be made

 - We can combine UHPC concrete with special thermic

     insulation products

 - Resistant to environmental pollution

 - High mechanical load capacity

 - Shortly we will introduce a UHPC material that is

    unsinkable. We poured a big cube without a cavity

    and it floated. We knocked out parts of the cube and

    all parts swam.

At the moment we are also testing whether it is possible

to produce complete hull and superstructure constructions

in a special 3D printing process.

 

 

 

WPE DK International

Phone: 0049 176 601 73146
E-mail: info@wpe-dk.dk
Homepage: www.wpe-dk.com

UHPC Concrete for windturbine floating systems

UHPC Ultra High Performance concrete has over twenty years of experience in the offshore industry. It is used as a construction material and as a corrosion protection material.
For floating windturbine constructions, UHPC offers
many advantages over steel constructions and
concrete constructions.

UHPC is absolutely seawater resistant and does not corrode. Most of the extremely expensive and maintenance-intensive corrosion protection systems are no longer necessary.
UHPC achieves extremely high strength values    (max.240 MPa / 34800 psi) even without steel, fiber or ceramic reinforcement. 

UHPC can be used as a cast material, spray material and as a mortar material.
UHPC reaches approx. 70% of its maximum nomina strength after 48 hours.
UHPC is self-compacting in casting. During casting,
UHPC develops significantly less heat than standard concrete. Problems like corrosion in weld seams do  not exist with UHPC.

A corrosion protection coating of the UHPC construction is not necessary.  

Due to the high strength values, the entire construction can be optimized for the required wall thickness and thus weight. There is also the option of using low weight UHPC. These UHPC are half the density of our standard construction UHPC. There is also a UHPC that swims with a density below 1. UHPC concrete can be manufactured and mixed locally on site. Costly transports can be omitted. For assembly stations in Arab, African and Indian countries, we could offer a binder that can be manufactured and mixed with desert sand. This would eliminate the need for additional, costly transports.

 

 

WPE DK International

Phone: 0049 176 601 73146
E-mail: info@wpe-dk.dk
Homepage: www.wpe-dk.com

UHPC Liquid-tight constructions

Liquid-tight constructions are becoming increasingly important for the economy and insurance companies worldwide. 

In the past, industries such as refineries, seawater desalination plants, sewage treatment plants,
hydroelectric power plants, offshore industries, etc. were particularly interested. There is a huge range of sealing systems for concrete structures. Most systems are expensive, complex to install and do not have the same life expectancy as you would expect from the structure. So the sealants have to be applied several times, which in turn leads to problems and enormous
costs. For a few years now, there has been an increasing demand for coastal protection and especially flood protection structures that have to withstand the constant attack of moving seawater caused by high and low tides, but also by enormous wave movements.

Another growing problem is the rapid change in the climate and the ever-increasing amounts of rainfall that lead to inland flooding and, among other things, also flood residential buildings worldwide, which then have to be repaired in a time-consuming and costly manner. Concrete sealants are of limited or no help here.

One solution is concrete structures made of HPC or UHPC concrete. Here, waterproofing can already be achieved with a wall thickness of 10 - 15 mm. This concrete layer can be subsequently applied to any substrate in industry as well as in residential buildings. This is also possible in countries with predominantly natural material constructions.  
If the ground floor is completely built of HPC or UHPC or provided with a protective layer, no flood water, which is usually also dirty water, can penetrate into the building structure. 

After the floodwater has disappeared, the walls and floor can be cleaned with locally available cleaning machines such as high-pressure water jets, after which this area is immediately habitable again.

In industry, a UHPC layer can completely prevent or hold back breakthroughs for a very long time in the event of liquid attack from the outside, i.e. from floodwater masses, or from the inside in the event of ruptures or leaks in liquid tanks.

Sewage treatment plants can be constructed directly from HPC or UHPC, or they can be retrofitted after prior inspection of the building structure. The same applies to biotank systems for the production of biogas.

WPE DK International

Phone: 0049 176 601 73146
E-mail: info@wpe-dk.dk
Homepage: www.wpe-dk.com

UHPC flooring for the most extreme loads

UHPC Phalt and UHPC TopLayer are floor coverings for the toughest environmental, temperature, corrosion, load, wear and tear, extreme loads from special vehicles and their movements and the combination of all these loads.

UHPC Phalt is a semi-flexible overlay, a combination of UHPC mortar and asphalt.
The pavement is laid without joints, similar to an asphalt pavement, using the same machines.

 

 

 UHPC TopLayer systems are UHPC grout concrete floor coverings for extreme loads, wear and corrosion. As a special UHPC TopLayer system, we produce high-temperature resistant floor coverings for industry. Which can be subjected to continuous temperatures far above 800°C.

WPE DK International

Phone: 0049 176 601 73146
E-mail: info@wpe-dk.dk
Homepage: www.wpe-dk.com

UHPC Special Binder System for a Flood Gate

For our customer FDN we have developed a special high performance UHPC binder. With this binder, FDN has developed the first flood gates made entirely of UHPC concrete. These flood gates will replace many old flood gates in the future. Floodgates made of UHPC are absolutely corrosion resistant and have an enormous strength. To prove this strength, the local authorities required a load test in addition to many material tests. In the attached video you can see the UHPC slab which has a similar wall thickness as the future gate constructions. 

 

 

Both load tests with a cast iron ball from different heights were passed without any damage.
We assume a life expectancy of at least 100 years for the UHPC concrete without the need for regular maintenance work.

 

WPE DK International

Phone: 0049 176 601 73146
E-mail: ber@wpe-dk.dk
Homepage: www.wpe-dk.com

UHPC Ultra High Performance Concrete in local Asian architecture

UHPC Ultra High Performance Concrete is barely considered in modern Asian architecture, although this material is over 25 years old. 

HPC and UHPC concrete is not just a concrete, it is something special. In the beginning, 25 years ago, we broke one strength record after another. We have done extreme constructions and linings and cold and heat.
For the last 15 years, we have been focusing on sustainability in the Asian market with our HPC and UHPC materials, using local materials. We can perfectly combine our materials with local construction materials such as bamboo. The result is a unique, sustainable, cost effective material or construction. With our HPC and UHPC binder systems, we can incorporate almost any local material. We can work with local architects and contractors to create buildings and structures that can withstand floods, fires, storms, earthquakes and insect attacks. We also want to learn with local

builders how we can work together to create permanent floating platforms for living on the water or on the coast.

 

Yet this extraordinary material offers a large number of answers to the requirements of modern Asian architecture.

Corrosion
HPC/UHPC materials are very good corrosion resistant. Old concrete, wood or steel structures can be easily and inexpensively repaired and made usable for many decades.

Waterproof
HPC/UHPC materials are waterproof from a layer thickness of 10 mm. Houses can be made resistant to

flooding so that they can be quickly cleaned and used again after a flood.

Seawater
UHPC materials are absolutely seawater resistant. HPC/UHPC can be processed underwater. This means that jetties can be repaired easily and quickly. they can then be used again for the next 50 years.

Rotting
UHPC do not rot. Wooden structures that are already starting to rot or are damaged can be quickly and permanently repaired with HPC/UHPC.

Material Strength

HPC/UHPC materials reach strengths from 20 MPa to 240 MPa

Steel structures
HPC/UHPC materials can permanently replace steel structures and require no maintenance

Earthquake
HPC/UHPC materials offer solutions to increase the seismic safety of existing buildings

Temperatures
HPC/UHPC materials are extremely temperature resistant from -90° to +1200°C. An ideal material for facades

Design
With HPC/UHPC materials it is possible to achieve extremely fine surface structures

Processing
HPC/UHPC can usually be processed like standard concrete. We produce HPC and UHPC castable,

mortar and shotcrete versions.
HPC and UHPC materials help to drastically reduce the concrete requirement / weight.
HPC and UHPC sheathing of steel or wooden structures standing on or in the water, will permanently protect the construction against rotting.
Of course, UHPC can also be used to repair buildings and floors easily, quickly and effectively.

There are many other arguments for the use of UHPC in Asian architecture.
We are happy to be of service to every designer, architectand contractor with our decades of experience.

At the moment we are producing our HPC and UHPC materials in Europe. However, we plan to build one or two production locations in Asia in the near future.

 

WPE DK International

Phone: 0049 176 601 73146
E-mail: info@wpe-dk.dk
Homepage: www.wpe-dk.com

 

Local UHPC offshore binder production through our new UHPC binder production modules.

 

We have been supplying UHPC grouting material to the offshore industry worldwide for many years. Our UHPC offshore programme consists of UHPC binder systems for wind turbines, offshore foundations, offshore repair material for oil and gas platforms, offshore corrosion protection and UHPC Oilwell cements.
With the new mobile HPC and UHPC binder production plants, we are able to produce HPC and UHPC binders locally with local raw materials worldwide after prior suitability testing. The mobile plants are modular in design and can be easily expanded.

 

 

WPE DK International

Phone: 0049 176 601 73146
E-mail: info@wpe-dk.dk
Homepage: www.wpe-dk.com

 

 

Offshore hydrogen storage system made of UHPC

 

Since the beginning of this year, we have been working with several companies on an offshore project to
store hydrogen.
The hydrogen is to be produced and stored on a floating platform off the coast. Several storage units are planned that can be exchanged. The storage units are planned to be made of UHPC concrete.
For the construction, it is currently planned to use UHPC concrete with a compressive strength of over 200 MPa. Currently, the static and constructive calculations are being worked on. The first drafts are expected in two months.

UHPC Floating platforms

The future will take place more and more on the water of the oceans, whether on the coast or in the open sea. UHPC Ultra high Performance Concrete will play a crucial role in this. The two main construction materials in the offshore sector so far are steel and concrete. However, both have significant disadvantages compared to UHPC.
On the one hand, there is resistance to salt water. Steel is very difficult to protect against corrosion and even then the construction still has to be serviced regularly and very time-consuming and expensive. Floating structures should have a lifespan of at least 100+ years in the future.
With normal concrete structures the problems are similar, if not more serious. Once extremely corrosive seawater has penetrated the steel reinforcement unnoticed, the repair effort is enormous. In addition, for this very reason, the construction must be extremely thick-walled. An anti-corrosion coating makes the entire construction additionally expensive and here too the entire construction must be checked regularly in short periods of time.
Special UHPC concretes have extremely high strength values ​​compared to normal concretes, they are waterproof after a wall thickness of a few millimeters and are absolutely salt water resistant. Some of our UHPC binders are also extremely temperature-resistant (up to max. 1200°C) and they are very good wear-resistant (resistant to wear and tear caused by moving ice floes). Due to the high strength values, structural elements can be optimized or minimized in terms of size and weight.
UHPC concrete will be the much cheaper material for the required service life.

As developers and producers of high-quality UHPC binder materials, we want to focus on three future projects:

1st project
Floating work platforms for energy generation and storage.
All the major offshore wind farm operators worldwide are currently planning not only to generate energy with wind turbines, but also to use this energy to produce hydrogen on site in the wind farm. Solar systems on the platforms should contribute to additional energy generation. The platforms can be manufactured in several standard segments and connected to form a network at sea. These platforms can be made from very lightweight UHPC. This UHPC material can be self-floating.

2nd project
Floating living and working platforms, artificial islands for the coastal area and for the open sea. Platforms
for residential buildings, hotels, schools, hospitals, office buildings and production facilities.
Please see the corresponding article below.

3rd project
Offshore missile launch sites
There are various ideas for implementing this. In Germany, launch sites on ships for small and medium-sized rocket systems for satellite transport are being considered and are already being planned. Elon Musk is planning rocket launch sites for converted former oil production platforms. In all of these plans, UHPC could contribute to intelligent, lasting solutions. Ships were built from UHPC more than 20 years ago and
offshore platforms with UHPC were significantly improved structurally and statically.
Please see the corresponding article below.

 

WPE DK International

Phone: 0049 176 601 73146
E-mail: ber@wpe-dk.dk
Homepage: www.wpe-dk.com

Living and working on water and under water with UHPC as construction material

Since than 30 years, UHPC Ultra High
Performance Concrete has been used
worldwide in the offshore sector as
a foundation, repair and construction material.
In offshore wind power technology, UHPC
is used as a floating foundation construction.

Deep sea constructions with UHPC have
also been successfully tested down to a
depth of 3500 m / 11480ft. Together with a  
German university, we tested dome 
constructions with different concrete 
qualities and UHPC. Only UHPC was able 
to withstand the enormous water pressure.

Likewise, energy storage systems for

offshore wind turbines are currently being
developed, which consist of hollow concrete
balls measuring over 30 m in diameter,
which are sunk to a depth of 300 m. These
energy storage systems would also be ideal
for supplying energy to floating cities.

Living and working on water and under water
can be realized sustainably and without an
problems with UHPC Ultra High Performance
Concrete materials.

The first serious projects are already planned
and are about to be realized. International
architect groups are already working on
self-sufficient cities above and under water.
UHPC is an important building construction
material for the designs, which are designed for
extreme longevity with very little to no
maintenance.

The advantages are

• Absolute seawater resistance
• Extreme corrosion resistance
• Extreme compressive strength
• Extreme tensile strengths
• Almost any design geometry can be made
• Material combinations of all kinds are easily possible
• Installation methode same as standard concrete

UHPC Pavements in Multi-storey car parks impermeable and strong

In multi-storey car parks, paricular attention must be paid
to the following

• Constant vehicular traffic
• Chemical attack from oil, petrol and salt
• Rutting from continual driving along the same routes
• Braking
• Wear and tear from concerning traffic
• Spiked tyres
• Repeated freeze-thaw cycles
  

Floors in multi-storey car parks must therefore be able to withstand 

these stresses. Equally important, they must be impereable, preventing 

penetration of fluids or salt.

In designing a multi-storey car park, it is preferable to use a light but strong material to achive the most economical construction possible.

During construction, speed of installation and early trafficking are also important.

The key words for multi-storey car park projects are strength, impermeability and lightness.

 

UHPC TopLayer R (with reinforcement)
UHPC TopLayer R is recommended for particularly poor floor surfaces or for floors subject to high traffic loads.

UHPC TopLayer R is a combination of a special fiber-reinforced UHPC concrete and reinforcement mats.

UHPC Phalt
UHPC Phalt is a semi-flexible floor covering consisting of an asphalt supporting structure and UHPC Phalt binder as a filler. This combines the flexibility of asphalt with the strength and resilience of UHPC concrete.

 

 

 

Advantages of UHPC TopLayer and UHPC Phalt

• Very high bearing capacity
• Reistant to point loads
• Very high wear resistance.
• Minimal requrements for joints
• Impermeable
• Very good chemical resistance
• Slip resistance
• Level and smooth
• Rapid installation 

 

WPE DK International

Phone: 0049 176 601 73146
E-mail: info@wpe-dk.dk
Homepage: www.wpe-dk.com

 

Final storage of radioactive substances in special UHPC concrete container or strong rooms

One way to encapsulate such substances more

safely and cost-effectively than is currently

practiced is to pour into UHPC Ultra High

Performance Concrete blocks. UHPC has a

large number of advantages over the previous

storage in barrels of different material quality

and pouring into glass.

The advantages of new designs are:

 - UHPC is very easy to process as a casting

    and spraying compound.

 - UHPC has an extremely high pressure

    resistance compared to all standard concretes

 - UHPC is completely waterproof

 - What is poured into UHPC can not corrode

    anymore

 - UHPC is saltwater resistant
 - UHPC also hardens under water

 - UHPC in its high temperature version can

   be used at continuous temperatures up to

   1200°C/ 2192°F. This means that the

   UHPC HT (High Temperature) block is

   stable with internal temperature increase

   as well as with external fire.

   A secure above-ground storage against

   theft is possible because the blocks are heavy,

   large and therefore unwieldy for a quick

   removal. Getting the radioactive material out

   of the block is only possible with extreme

   effort and tools and time.

 - UHPC is based on nanotechnology, the material 

   particles are extremely fine. Almost allother

   particles are surrounded by this glue from

   extremely fine particles. Even with a break of a 

   UHPC block, the foreign matter is firmly trapped

   in the debris.

- It is easy to mix radiation-reducing materials into

   the block

-  UHPC concretes can be very good heat-insulating 

   or very good heat-conducting. It's just a question 

   of the UHPC concrete mixture

The advantages of sealing existing deposits are

• UHPC casting compounds can have a very high                       flowability and easily penetrate into cracks and                          joints and seal them.
• UHPC casting compounds are self-compacting.
• All casting compounds are pumpable and sprayable
• All casting compounds reach more than 70%                            after 48 hours

 

 

WPE DK International

Phone: 0049 176 601 73146
E-mail: info@wpe-dk.dk
Homepage: www.wpe-dk.com

 

UHPC lined hydraulic conveyor pipelines for brine in salt mines

More than 14 years ago, a high-pressure-safe

(loadable up to max. 100 bar / 1450 psi) brine

hydraulic transport pipeline with UHPC wear

protection was installed as a test for other lines.

The pipe installation took place underground. In

addition to the extreme pressure, the line

should be highly wear-resistant and highly

corrosion-resistant.

After all these years, we had the opportunity

to check this line together with the customer

on site.

A pipe element was also removed from the

line and cut open to inspect the UHPC lining.

Neither the customer nor we expected such an

extremely good result after all these years of

operation.

The UHPC lining has only lost a few

millimeters from its 30 mm lining.

Thanks to the seamless, waterproof UHPC

lining, no expensive corrosion protection was

necessary during wear protection assembly.

Which made assembly much faster and less

expensive than the linings previously used.

 

WPE DK International

Phone: 0049 176 601 73146
E-mail: info@wpe-dk.dk
Homepage: www.wpe-dk.com

Pipeline repair in a potash mine

When I visited a potash mine, I noticed this "cemetery"

of used pipe parts for the hydraulic potash extraction.

There are around 200 pipe parts of different diameters,

lengths, angles and radius. All parts that were specially

manufactured for this production. The pipe parts are all

lined with cast basalt and have a 3-component

anti-corrosion coating. On average, these new pipe parts

cost EUR 700.00 / piece. So there is a value of at least

EUR 140,000.00. Since the pipe parts show more or less

wear damage, all should be disposed of. The disposal

costs amount to at least EUR 12,000.00. The new price

for the pipe is approx. 156,000.00 EUR and the delivery

time is at least 3-4 months.

I explained to the plant management that we can repair

all the pipe parts. We would remove the existing and

partially worn cast basalt lining and replace it with a

new UHPC wear protection lining. I calculated the

budget costs for this at EUR 66,000.00. The repair work

takes approximately 2 months. Here, however, we could

orient ourselves according to the wishes regarding the

installation sequence to the customer and always repair

the pipe parts that he needs at short notice.

Our customer decided on a new lining instead of a new

production and saved 90,000.00 EUR and at least 1-2

months delivery time.

Today there are no more "cemeteries" for used pipeline

parts in his plants.

www.hhbc-consulting.de

info@hhbc-consulting.de

UHPC Wear protection lining in a titan ore grinding system

After more than 15 years of grinding operations,

the first repair on the UHPC wear protection lining

are now necessary.

More than 15 years ago, the classifier housing and

the fine material discharge of the vertical roller

grinding system were lined with a UHPC wear

protection lining. The grinding system grinds a

special titanium ore for prigment production.

Originally, very little wear was expected and no

wear protection system was planned. However,

the regrind was extremely wear-resistant and after

a very short time after the vertical roller grinding

system was put into operation, the sheet metal 

construction showed considerable wear.

For fluidic reasons, only a layer thickness of 15 mm

for wear protection could be permitted.  The

UHPC wear protection work was started quickly

and was completed within a few days. The

grinding plant was put back into operation after

six days of inactivity.

WPE DK International

Phone: 0049 176 601 73146
E-mail: ber@wpe-dk.dk
Homepage: www.wpe-dk.com

Repair of dams and hydroelectric power plant constructions with UHPC concrete

Hydroelectric power plant

UHPC Concrete has been used as a construction or

repair material in offshore, port construction and

coastal protection worldwide for more than 25

years. UHPC concretes are far superior to standard

concretes in their application and service life

expectations.

Typical areas for UHPC concrete repairs

 - Core walls
 - Deflection tunnel
 - Spillways
 - Stilling basins
 - Slope protection

Advantages of UHPC compared to standard concrete

 - Extremely high compressive strength
 - Very good adhesion
 - Waterproof from a layer thickness of 15 mm
 - Very high wear resistance
 - Very high corrosion resistance
 - Very high resistance to frost and ice
 - Very good impact resistance
 - Quick and easy installation, even of large areas
 - Thanks to the extremely fine UHPC binder, even the

   smallest joints and cracks can be closed well and permanently
 - UHPC can be processed as shotcrete, castable or as mortar.
 - UHPC reaches more than 70% of its maximum nominal

   strength after 48 hours.

Dams
Especially the slides of a dam are subjected to high amount

of wear as a very high volume of water is running over

these. UHPC can easily withstand this water. UHPC is the

ideal material for dam reinforcement and repair/maintenance.

UHPC materials can be quickly and extensively processed

as mortar, cast or shotcrete.

The rapid and high strength development favors a quick

restart of the system.
In the lake in front of the dam, the dam will be subjected

to impact by debris, which can deteriorate concrete. Placing

a layer of UHPC will end the deterioration.