Machining UHPC concrete like metals

UHPC is a very unusual material that is still

far too little considered by architects and
designers. It is still viewed and processed
like a normal concrete.
Our view is more that we design and
manufacture UHPC to treat it more and more
like metal. UHPC in the right quality can
already be machined with tools from the metal
industry. Very high accuracies can be achieved
here whether in surface processing or in shape
processing.
The surface treatment can either be carried out
using special UHPC casting molds or by
identical processing steps as for metals, or
combined casting and subsequent processing.
There are no limits to the design options here.
In terms of shape, metalworking tools or machines
can be used with the same objective as metals.

Architects, designers and artists have not even
used a fraction of the technical possibilities.

One example is the use of computer-controlled
water jet cutting machines. For a customer, we
should test the possibilities of making special
bevel cuts as plate slots that cannot be cast in
this way. Additional cutting tests were carried
out to check which geometries can be cut and
what minimum wall thicknesses can be achieved
between the individual cuts. With the right
combination of UHPC binder, unit quality and
setting of the cutting machine, amazing results
can be achieved. The tested UHPC plates had a
plate thickness of 15 - 25 mm, no metallic
reinforcement and were dried for 48 hours in
normal ambient temperature before they were
processed.

With the UHPC binder-aggregate combination
used in the test, cutting distances of 5 mm could
be achieved.
As soon as possible, further cutting tests will be
carried out with UHPC desert sand binders.
Water jet cutting enables complete "images" to be cut in UHPC panels or special construction elements.
With this type of material / machine technology, it is possible to produce a large number of facade panels with an elaborate cut design at low cost in a short time.

WPE DK International

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

UHPC Concrete is an ideal material for tactile design

With UHPC Ultra High Performance Concrete, incredible structures and surface fineness can be achieved in combination with other technical advantages for the tactile design specialists or architects and designer. Since UHPC is a material from nanotechnology, the finest particles are processed here which make it possible to achieve previously unprecedented structures and you can produce these structures in large and small dimensions with a very low and simple effort.

UHPC can push model technology to its limits. Because only the quality of the model construction limits the possibilities of UHPC concrete.

Further advantages of UHPC for tactile designer are

- the extremely high strength, which makes even the finest 
  structures stable.
- the fast curing of the material with high early strength
- the very high resistance to almost all environmental conditions
- the asolute seawater resistance
- the extremely high corrosion resistance
- the very good combinability with almost all metals, minerals 

   and plastics
- desert sand UHPC concrete
- extreme white UHPC concrete

For the processing of UHPC concrete no special tools or special knowledge are required.

 

 

Exclusive hyper white UHPC binder for design

Today, the first hyper white UHPC will be

delivered to a designer. The intention is to
create exclusive design articles out of this
hyper white UHPC.

After intensive discussions with the designer,
it soon became clear to everyone that a color
pigment solution was completely undesirable.
The material should be extremely white in its
own right and at the same time have the
processing properties of our UHPC. Likewise,

the strength should be very high approx 200 MPa

29.000 psi, since it was planned to produce very

thin and very filigree design elements. The

adhesion should also be very high since it is

planned to combine gems and precious metals

with this hyper white UHPC.

We manufacture hyper white UHPC as a one-

component material, as a binder material, as a

castable binder, as a mortar binder and as a

shotcret binder

Due to these very high requirements, we have
had to create a new UHPC recipe. As raw
materials only extremely high quality white
raw materials were used and a separate small
mixing plant was installed, which mixes only
this hyper white UHPC. It took several months
for our customer to be satisfied with the purity
of the whiteness, the workmanship and the
firmness.

We would like to point out that this UHPC
material is extremely expensive compared to
standard concrete.
Even compared to our highest quality UHPCs
this special binder is very expensive. The
delivery time is longer, because the raw material
used has lead times.

This UHPC material is made only on customer
request.

Recycling of UHPC concrete compared to standard concrete

Our UHPC concretes are far superior to standard concretes in all technical properties and actually
make them a competitive material for steel. Also in this comparison, UHPC concretes have advantages such as corrosion resistance and temperature resistance, etc.

UHPC concrete constructions achieve a multiple service life of standard concrete in comparable constructions. This means standard concrete structures are demolished much faster and the debris has to be recycled. The demolition material is used as gravel. It is currently trying to recycle this demolition material as a building material.

In addition to a longer service life compared to standard concrete, UHPC also has many advantages here.

1. UHPC concrete has a very high compressive strength which is similar or better to many standard aggregates of standard concrete.

2. UHPC concrete granules have no to extremely low porosity. Thus, UHPC Granules does not absorb very little water.

4. UHPC concrete granules are corrosion and seawater resistant. UHPC concrete granules can be easily processed with standard concrete or UHPC concrete.

6. At the moment we are working on trying to prepare standard concrete material granulate, so that it can be used as a fine aggregate for some UHPC grades.

7. We also plan to use recycled UHPC high temperature material. It could very well be used as aggregate for UHPC HT or for refractory materials.

UHPC concrete and residential housing construction - infinitely new possibilities

HPC and UHPC materials open up completely new worlds for architects, designers construction companies.

What is the difference between UHPC and standard concrete or natural stone?

The material  

HPC and UHPC binder systems are based on a very low cement content. All HPC and UHPC materials
are fully recyclable and have a service life of 100+ years. It is possible to mix HPC and UHPC binder systems with recycled aggregate. With HPC and UHPC binder systems, up to 50% construction material including reinforcement can be saved due to the high strength values.

The processing
HPC and UHPC materials can be easily processed as mortar, castable or Shotcrete material. The w/c ratio for our HPC and UHPC materials is between 0.22 and 0.17. There are no additives necessary. Pre-cast elements of all sizes and geometries can be produced in exactly the same way as large quantities of elements.

The design
HPC and UHPC surfaces and structures can be made extremely fine. This makes it possible to replicate almost all surfaces that occur in nature exactly. Whether in large or extremely fine size. HPC and UHPC can be combined with all kind of minerals, metals, plastics, pigments, woods, glasses, etc.

The resistance
HPC and UHPC is absolutely waterproof after just less than a 1/2 inch of layer thickness. HPC and UHPC is extremely corrosion-resistant, wear-resistant and easily resists all kind of animal attacks.

The properties
HPC and UHPC has a much higher compressive strength than very good concrete qualities. HPC and UHPC is very flowable and self-compacting in its casting version. HPC and UHPC concrete achieves its maximum strength within less than 48 hours.

The heat resistance
HPC and UHPC in its standard version can withstand temperatures up to 450°C/842°F permanently.
UHPC in its high temperature version can withstand temperatures up to over 1000°C/1832°F permanently. A normal fire, wildfire and bushfire even over a longer period of time can not damage a UHPC construction.

The facade
Vertical and horizontal gardens can be created with HPC and UHPC facades and roof structures. The HPC and UHPC specially produced for these applications is very light, is rot-resistant, waterproof, and plant roots cannot penetrate it. It can be laid seamlessly on a flat roof. For vertical (facade) gardens, combination constructions according to the design of architects or garden designers can easily be made in any size.

The insulation
UHPC can be combined with a variety of modern high performance insulation materials. With these
combinations, it is possible even at extreme outdoor temperatures without great expenditure of
energy to achieve pleasant internal temperatures easily. UHPC in this combination is extremely high energy efficient. 

 

The lightweight HPC and UHPC binder
We have developed lightweight HPC and UHPC mortars, castable and sprayable concretes that offer up to 50% weight savings compared to standard concrete.

The security
UHPC in a certain combination of materials is extremely well burglary resistant.

 Areas where UHPC offers great advantages

• Pool decks

  

• Curbs

• Steps

• Wall 

• Concrete ramps

• Swale

• Drive ways

• Footings, foundation, slabs

• Pads, additions, floors

 

New world of decorative UHPC concrete

With the new UHPC materials of extremely high, consistent quality, architects and designers have created completely new possibilities for elegant, filigree design. In particular, the new extremely temperature-resistant UHPC material qualities can enable new design and construction techniques.

Kitchen

Countertop
 - with UHPC temperature resistant up to 400°C /
    752°F
 - with high temperature UHPC temperature
    resistant up to 1000°C / 1832°F
 - extremely wear-resistant
 - thin plate thickness = low weight
 - all geometries possible
 - extremely good corrosion resistance
 - elegant plate design with wood, mineral and
   metal inserts
 - thin plate design with LED light design
 - extraordinary sink design
Design of wall coverings
Exceptional floor designs
Elegant lamp design

Living room
Design of wall coverings
Exceptional floor designs in geometries, surface structures, color scheme and high wear resistance
Elegant lamp design
New design options for open fireplaces
Exceptional table top combinations and geometries

Bathroom

Complete seamless shower and bathtub systems made entirely of UHPC or in combination with other materials
Design of wall coverings
Exceptional floor designs in geometries, surface structures and color design
Elegant lamp design


Other areas
Elegant, thin-walled, self-supporting staircase constructions
Elegant design of thin-walled balcony constructions
Terrace construction of extraordinary geometries
Pool area design
Outdoor and indoor pool design

Floor and walkway panel design in geometries, surface structures, color scheme and high wear resistance

UHPC - Facades and Balconies

Many facades of public buildings such as
train stations, airports, banks, administrations,
etc. have almost incredible design in addition
to the necessary thermal function.
Then there are the steel and glass facades,
admittedly they fulfill their function perfectly,
but that's pretty much all that can be said
about them. And there are the old facades
that have aged with pride, which are made of
stones with some figures that bear history.

Each of these facades can tell a story, which
one can certainly not say of glass and steel
facades.
UHPC concrete can perfectly combine the
modern with the proud old design. UHPC
concrete is a modern material for the future
with incredible properties. It offers flexibility
in design, security in temperature and wear
resistance, durability in extreme strength and
very high resistance to almost all environmental
influences, detail in design, easy to use
compared to other materials, it can be processed
on site worldwide.

Facades of houses and balconies were almost
always characterized by their marked simplicity.
For some years now, more and more architects
and designers have been dealing with this area
and also because of the climate discussion.
Today you can see more and more interesting
solutions for facades and balconies of residential
buildings. Simple smaller and larger rectangular
balconies are disappearing more and more and
are being replaced by new balcony geometries.
The old idea of ​​greening facades is increasing
in urban centers. Today it is called the vertical
garden. In the course of this development, the
balconies also became gardens and, for some
architects, veritable forests.

Here too, UHPC concrete offer architects and
designers a variety of new technical and design
options. Due to the extremely high strength
values, balcony slabs can be made much thinner
than with a standard concrete or the balcony area
can be increased significantly with the same slab
thickness as with a standard concrete. As with
the facades, in addition to the strength, the

extremely high resistance to environmental
influences and the resistance to fire is a factor
of great interest.

Thermal shock resistant of UHPC material

Container with liquid nitrogen

We wanted to know how good UHPC Ultra
High Performance Concrete is at extreme
fast temperature changes.
We casted ten UHPC concrete plates with a
thickness of 25 mm /1 inch. The plates were
dried for 48 hours at room temperature
(20°C / 68°F).
No reinforcement was used.

The plates were cooled down from about
+20°C/68°F room temperature in a container
with liquid nitrogen (-180°C/-292°F ).
We waited until the plates were completely
cooled. All plates showed no cracking after
removing them from the nitrogen tank.
We immediately heated the plates with a
burner within 5 - 6 minutes to +250°C/482°F.

Even with this alternating load, there were no
cracks visible.
For the test we used a our standard UHPC
Cast material with quarz 1-3 mm sand as
aggregate.

Plate before test

Plate after test

WPE DK International

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

UHPC Concrete for extreme facade design constructions

Today, light and very filigree facade constructions with high strength values and extreme resistance to all types of environmental influences are possible through hightech UHPC materials.

Ultra High Performance Concrete
technology makes it possible to meet almost every customer requirement with regard to the surface structure. By using white cement as one of the basic components and special color pigments, clear fine colors can be achieved. Due to UHPC technology, the surfaces have an extremely low porosity, which requires sealing only in very special cases.

With UHPC an accuracy of 0.1 mm can be achieved from the mold when using appropriate molds.
The accuracy can be increased to 0.005 mm by looping.

Requirements for facade constructions

• Very high resistance under extreme climatic conditions
• Heat resistance
• Leigh weigth construction incl insulation
• Fire proof
• All colors
• Extreme fine surface structures
• Extreme corosion resistance
• Explosion resistance
• Terrorist protection
• Surface quality
• Livetime

All our UHPC products are temperature-resistant from -80°C/-112°F to + 450°C/842°F, very good
corrosion-resistant and extremely wear-resistant.
For special fire proofed construction we can
produce and delivery high temperature resistant
(up to 1200°C/2192°F) UHPC products.


UHPC materials are achieving a very high strength (120 MPa/17400 psi - 250 MPa/36200 psi). Due to these high strength values, it is also possible to produce thin sandwich panels with a
highly efficient insulation.
Insulating panels are used in the industry for
several years. In this case, temperatures of more
than 400°C/752°F are reduced via the sandwich
plates.

Even at very high permanent temperatures,  UHPC materials do not lose their very high strength values. In the high-temperature version, UHPC can be used up to a maximum temperature of max. 1200°C/2192°F.




Due to the special ductile properties of UHPC

and special panel designs, explosive effects
and the action of hand-held firearms can be
significantly reduced.

WPE DK International

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