Brighter and cooler city centers and brighter in tunnels with UHPC

An article reported on the increasing warming of

inner cities and possible future measures to reduce
heating.

City roads

In a test, some asphalt road with a specially
developed soil color was colored white as much
as possible and the temperature differences in
this road were measured over a summer period.
It turned out that the light road surfaces reflect
significantly more solar radiation and were
therefore "cooler" than the traditional asphalt
pavements.

Of course the pavement painting, the traffic and
thus exposed to wear and it would be necessary
to renew the floor paint at regular intervals.

A simpler and much more durable method is
the combination of asphalt and UHPC Ultra
High Performance Concrete binder. This
combination is used in many areas such as
industrial flooring, aircraft hangars, runways
and roads. This combination has a variety of
technical and cost advantages over standard
asphalt. Its main advantages are its extreme

resilience at any temperature and the much

higher compressive strength than Asphalt

alone.

The lifetime of this material combination is
several times higher than standard asphalt.
Likewise, this coating can easily withstand
the future traffic through its significantly
higher pressure resistance

The UHPC binder content can also be produced
on a white cement base. As you can see in the
photo, the binder would stain over the entire
layer thickness without the need for special
"coloring" measures.

Tunnel

In addition to reflecting solar radiation, very

light asphalt / UHPC surface has many other

advantages over traditional asphalt surfaces.
When used in tunnels, the light-colored road

surface reduces the energy costs for lighting,

the floor areas are evenly light, which increases

safety, and the surface is considerably less

flammable than standard asphalt surface. The

surface has a much longer service life with high

traffic loads than standard asphalt, which

drastically reduces repair times and repair costs

and increases traffic safety.

It can become very bright on the streets

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UHPC 3D printing

It is interesting to see today what printing results universities and printer manufacturers achieve.

The results are an interplay between printer technology and material technology. In my opinion today, very good results are achieved in the design areas with the printers, but many problems still have to be solved in professional architectural building construction.

There are

Compressive strength

The standard concrete reaches its maximum compressive strength after 28 days. For the printing technology unacceptable, here must be helped with accelerator. Printing speed and strength development must be matched and optimized without loss of strength.
UHPC Ultra High Performance Concrete can be a solution. Strengths of over 200 MPa can be achieved here. Already during the UHPC binder production, we can adjust the strength development, as well as the flow characteristic. The addition of commercially available additives is no longer necessary.

Print speed

Of course you want an optimum speed, you want to process a large amount / weight of concrete in a very short time. The concrete should be able to support itself after a very short time and be load-bearing for ceiling elements.
With UHPC materials, large amounts of material are already processed in a short time using the wet and dry spraying process. The consistency of the UHPC print material can be adapted to the printer characteristic. UHPC materials already develop high strength values in short time in the standard qualities. However, this time can be extremely reduced by changing material production.

Statics

The print heads are usually small in diameter and the applied wall thicknesses compared to a masonry or a finished concrete wall are very thin. Static load-bearing walls can be printed for several floors, or double-skin walls must be printed in order to achieve a structurally stable construction. Do I have to print double-shelled?

Heat / cold insulation

If I print with a standard concrete I do not achieve any insulating properties. So I have to print double-shelled and fill the cavity with insulation material or retrofit an insulating layer from the inside.
At the moment we are the only ones who are able to combine a high pressure resistant material with an insulating material. This combination material is also pumpable.

Steel girders, reinforcements

Even with 3D printing, you can not ignore reinforcements and support structures, or you can remain eternally restricted to small, simple and low-rise building constructions. How can I optimally combine carrier structures, steel reinforcements with a single printing process?

Last but not least interesting design

So far I have seen the obligatory pressure bulges on all prints. For the beginning, this may be fine but soon you should have printing technologies that ensures a sharp-edged pressure even on the wall corners. A rework of the walls in the flat areas to get is cost and time consuming. Of course, when I use the printing technology, I also want to print exceptional geometry and thin-walled constructions.

I have a note at the end

If all my misgivings can be wiped out the question remains if I want to print a large building, I need a fairly large printer technology which is not even built and dismantled and I need a very fast continuous flow of material to the printer when the printer should work quickly.

I do not want to know misunderstood. I think 3D printer technology is very interesting for the future and I know that some engineering companies are working on technical solutions. As part of our material development, we also work on a flexible, extreme fast-curing, high-compressive strength material for the printer producer. In close technical agreement with the respective printer manufacturer, we can adapt our UHPC materials to the requirements and provide test material to the printer manufacturer.

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.

UHPC/Asphalt system versus concrete for pavement, industrial flooring and roads

What is UHPC Phalt?

UHPC Phalt is a grouted macadam comprising 
an open graded asphalt that is flooded with high 
strength microsilica based mortars. The open 
graded asphalt is mixed to a design mix at a 
local asphalt plant and delivered to site in tipper 
trucks. It is placed via traditional paving techniques.

The UHPC Phalt mortars are delivered in 
1 tonne bags and mixed via a continuous flow 
pump machine. The mortar is mixed for a certain 
amount of time to achieve correct viscosity then 
flooded via a large hose onto the asphalt matrix.

How does the whole construction 
thickness fit together?

UHPC Phalt can be laid at depths of 30 mm / 
1,18 in upwards (typically maximum depth used 
is 40 mm / 1,57 in). UHPC Phalt is the top layer 
of the pavement that is supported by a basecourse 
layer. The basecourse layer can vary dependent 
on environment and loadings, internal or external 
applications. Preferred basecourse materials to 
support the UHPC Phalt topping are high modulus 
macadam basecourse or Foamix recycled binder 
course. CBM bases are ideal for use for large 
internal areas. 
The UHPC Phalt pavement structure (DPH + 
Basecourse) is laid onto varying depths of Type 1 stone/capping dependent on the CBR value of 
the sub-grade. 

Advantages of UHPC  Phalt

• Very high load carrying capacity

• Frost and rew resistant

• Jointless laying

• Quick installation

• High early strength

• Temperature resistant from - 60°C/-76°F - 90°C/194°F

Where is UHPC Phalt used?

• Airports
• Ports
• Lorry marshalling areas
• Service yards
• Acces roads
• Bus stations / depots
• Waste management facilities
• Car parks
• Indoors for warehouse floors
• Anywhere that concrete is conventionally used 
  
  
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Corrosion problems at offshore wind turbines solved with UHPC concrete

You have the solution already built in your
wind turbine system UHPC Ultra High
Performance concrete material was already
used in the first wind turbines and has been
stable to date and not replaced.

UHPC is absolut seawater resistant and you
can cast it into the seawater if necessary. No
elaborate preparation is necessary and the
corrosion protection will last for at least 100
years without having to be repaired.
Most system suppliers for offshore wind
turbines have known this for a long time.
 
The UHPC material would have to be
modified a bit, that's all.
We modifed it and it work together
with a simple installation system perfect.

The assembly costs and the operating costs
for a complex anode/cathode system is
several times higher and this electrical
system must be monitored regularly.

Well, there are several ways to tackle the
corrosion problem
- You let it rust because the system is already

   so old
- You can apply an extremely complex anti-
   corrosion paint system. Very expensive and
   the durability is extremely limited.
- UHPC is applied to the steel structure as a
   protective layer.
   A relatively simple and safe installation with
   a durability of more than 50 years
- UHPC is used as a constructive measure to
   improve or stabilize the load-bearing capacity
   of the foundation
- UHPC is brought up as a constructive measure
   in connection with the design of an artificial
   reef around the foundation in order to improve
   the situation of the marine fauna.

Concrete of very high quality cement and desert sand, it works

It is possible to use desert sand as a building sand. Many will cry out and say that will not work. There are so many ancient arguments that are not and of course the international building standards. 

But what can we say, we took a new developed UHPC cement binder into the desert including a few bottles of water and a commercial mixer. We mixed our cement binder with nature desert sand (not cleanded not sieved) and water and after 24 hours we had a strength of 40 MPa and after 28 days more than 70 MPa. We are sorry dear experts and standards. Now we are working on the second generation of desert sand binders, which will become even more effective in terms of technical quaility and flexibility of handling.

Desert sand concrete could be used in many areas such as harbor construction, road construction,

airport construction, architectur and design.

In the construction of the Burji Khalifa approximately 257,500 qqm of sand were used, which corresponds to a weight of 396,000 tons.
This amount of sand could have been taken from the desert and it would have cost - nothing.

Some Arab states are showing great interest in this special UHPC cement binder. It can be very beneficial in helping to rebuild some Arab states or provide new architectural solutions.

If we find the right partners, the UHPC desert sand binders should be producible in every state with desert. Especially in states that have problems with the procurement of river sand but have a desert connection should be the desert sand binder an advantage. The local nature would thus be protected from considerable damage.

See also our UHPC desert concrete presentation

Heat problems with concrete and asphalt highways

Problem asphalt roads
Asphalt streets lose their strength very quickly
as the temperature rises. Many highways, for
example, lead through desert areas in the USA
and Australia.
Driving heavy trucks in such areas push the
soft asphalt ahead or aside. The result is that
the trucks have to drive slower because of the
uneven road, which can certainly lead to
logisticalproblems and motorists who have to
drive in truck asphalt trails do not feel this as
a rest and drive slower. In residential areas,
out-of-the-way asphalt tracks cause noise
pollution as cars literally jump over these
tracks. If buses or trucks pass through these
streets, you can hold your cupboards in the
living room.

Depending on the quality of the asphalt, it is
tacky even at slightly higher temperatures and
at very high temperatures these surfaces can
neither be entered nor driven on without causing
damage.
A UHPC®-Asphalt combination can be thought
of as an asphalt matrix filled with UHPC®Ultra
High Performance Concrete. Thus, a large
proportion of this lining is UHPC® concrete,
which does not stick and temperature resistant
is well over 200°C/392°F. This combination is
still very stable even in extreme temperatures
up to 90°C/194°F in desert areas.

Problem heating asphalt roads and 
adjacent houses
There is an interesting article from a company
that measured the heating of an asphalt road
andadjacent house walls in a residential area.
Then they have provided the black asphalt
pavement with a white topcoat. The road
temperatures and house wall temperatures
were measured again. The result of this
temperature measurement was much lower
than the first measurement without coating.
If the walls of houses also get a light coat the
sunshine reflection is even better. We see this
idea as a solution but not a lasting, economical
solution.


Solution heating of the asphalt surface 
and adjoining houses
As for the heating of the road surface we work
with a UHPC® binder with a very high degree of
whiteness, which makes the road seem much
brighter than the standard asphalt surface. It is
used in tunnels or production halls to save energy
for lighting. Compared to the two-layer solution
standard asphalt and white coating layer, everything
is in one system and the UHPC® Phalt system is much
more durable and more economical than the
two-layer model.


Solution concrete highway
Many kilometers of roads have already been laid
with fiber-reinforced UHPC® concrete in Europe. In
addition to the extremely high strength values, which
are far above that of standard concrete, they also
achieve extremely low abrasion and are absolutely
frost and salt-resistant. The thermal stability in both
the minus and in the plus range is a lot better
compared to standard concrete. During processing,
of course, the same machines can be used as in a
standard concrete processing. Such lining is used
today on airports, highways, harbor area etc.

Solution asphalt roads

About 15 years old asphalt roads or asphalted
areas are lined with a combination system made
of asphalt and UHPC® binder. This ideal
combination of an asphalt matrix that is cast
with UHPC® Binder achieves a significantly
higher load resistance even at ground
temperatures of up to +90°C / 194°F compared
to a standard asphalt. Abrasion resistance is
much higher than standard asphalt. Such
lining is used today on airports, highways,
harbor area etc.

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info@hhbc-consulting.de

UHPC® Architecture on the sea coast

The big cities on the coasts and rivers have

big problems for the future. A problem is the 
lack of natural space for the permanent 
expansion of cities. Building ever higher 
skyscrapers is not a solution in the long run. 
One solution is to expand the construction 
site by adding fillings in the coastal area, 
as we see in Dubai and Singapore, among 
others. Another solution to the problem is 
the very old traditional construction of pile 
dwellings and houseboats, as they have 
always done in Asia.

Modern architecture has been thinking 
about its designs for a long time with interesting 
designs and projects about future life in coastal 
and river areas. Here, the old living concepts 
are reinterpreted. New materials such as 
UHPC® concretes can easily incorporate 
existing local living concepts and constructions 
and implement them in permanent concepts. 
UHPC® offers absolute seawater resistance with 
extremely high strength. Light, thin but 
high-strength constructions can be combined 
with local traditional materials such as bamboo.

Floating residential and industrial concepts can 
also be realized with UHPC®, and not just above 
water. The first underwater concepts have 
already been implemented worldwide with new 
hotel concepts. Recent plans also include 
entire artificial islands on which hospitals, 
workshops, hotels, kindergartens, residential 
complexes including leisure facilities are built.
Some international architecture firms are 
interested in using UHPC® Ultra High 
Performance Concrete in their living concepts, 
because the advantages of this material are 
unique in their variety and quality.

UHPC® offshore constructions are already in 
use in areas with extreme environmental 
conditions. UHPC® is very wear-resistant, 
among other things, moving ice masses is 
not a real problem for a UHPC® construction. 
UHPC® materials have no pores, are therefore 
extremely corrosion-resistant and offer an 
extremely long repair-free service life.


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Design with UHPC Ultra High Performance Concrete

UHPC is a very flexible and extremely easy
to combine material. It can be easily molded
as a mortar and very easy to pour as a casting
compound.
Processing times can be set during material
production. Depending on which aggregate
has been mixed in, UHPC can be very well
retrofitted or polished.
UHPC can also be very hard and machining
would only be possible with diamond tools.
With UHPC it is possible to cast extremely
fine structures. The reason for this is the
processing of nanomaterials in the binder
system. Thus copies of historical originals
can be cast, which are almost 99.9%
identical to the original, all cracks, pores,
cracks, etc. of the original are shown in
the copy.
UHPC with very high compressive strengths
of more than 240 MPa enable design designs
that are exceptionally large but are light in
weight.
UHPC materials are resistant to almost all
environmental impacts.

Concrete breakwater as a coastal defense

In recent weeks, I have met people from the Coast Guard in
some European countries. I wanted to learn more about the
current protection of coastal areas, because I think we can
work together with our experience in the application of
UHPC® (Ultra High Performance Concrete) in the offshore
industry to develop some new solutions to make our shores
safer against soil erosion, beach erosion, eroding cliffs and
shoreline erosion.

 

Hard costal protection structures are

• Sea dykes
• Sea walls
• Revetments
• Groynes
• Offshore breakwater

For all these structures, UHPC® can be used, directly casted or sprayed, as precast concrete elements or as a combination with asphalt as UHPC®Phalt.
Many of these solutions come from the experience and applications
of our mining, road construction and offshore operations.

We use UHPC® in port areas, jetty constructions, underwater 
foundations for wind turbines, tide power plants, canal locks,
sheet piling and hydroelectric power plants.

UHPC® is beneficial for these applications because

UHPC® is absolutely seawater resistant, lifetimes of 100
   years are quite possible
UHPC® is already watertight compared to standard concrete
   in low layer thicknesses
UHPC® achieves extreme strength
UHPC® is extremely corrosion resistant
UHPC® is extrem wear resistant
UHPC® can be shaped in any geometry and any natural
   stone surface can be replicated
UHPC® does not require a repair service
UHPC® including reinforcement can withstand enormous
   loads.

What I particularly noticed here are these particularly
ugly breakwaters, that make the whole coastal area safe
but also make the nature of the coast less attractive.
Some of these constructions give me the impression
that coast is protected for the next war.

Dear architects and designers, it must be possible to
develop according to the nature of the coast correspond
to breakwaters and tsunami fuses.
Already for years we supply UHPC® material for
artificial rock landscapes. They are so integrated in
nature that they can hardly be distinguished from the
real rocks.


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Renovation of buildings and monuments whether new or antique with UHPC®

UHPC® materials have many advantages over
other materials in the rehabilitation of buildings
whether new or antique, historic or monuments.
The biggest advantage is probably its enormous
adaptability to the existing building fabric.

- UHPC® materials can improve the load
   bearing capacity or decide on a structural
   design that is under attack.

- UHPC® material can be applied thinly to
   protect the existing construction against all
   kinds of environmental influences over a
   very long period of time.

- Since UHPC® materials can be mixed very well
   with a variety of materials, whether new or
   antique, replicas can be created which have a
   higher resistance and bearing capacity than the
   original ones.

- Most natural stones and their structure could be
   copied with UHPC®. The copies can be given the
   structure by the casting mold or subsequently
   processed or polished like a natural stone.

- UHPC® materials that can achieve
   extremely fine and accurate structures can
   achieve absolutely identical replicas with a
   correspondingly high mold quality.

- Similarly, old facades can be repaired and
   completely replaced as a copy of the original 
   catch, but in a much thinner plate thickness
   than the originals so that there is still enough
   space for modern insulation in the most cases.

- Due to the very good flow properties, joints
   and cracks can be filled without extensive
   preparatory work.

- There is no need for special tools to use UHPC®
   material.

- UHPC® can use as mortar, cast or spray
   material.

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UHPC - Environmental and Sustainability

The hhbc-consulting and WPE DK Team feel responsible for
working in close cooperation with architects,
designers, engineers, urban planners and
construction companies for a more sustainable
future.

Development of UHPC

Already during the development of UHPC Binder,
our goal is to use raw materials that are as
environmentally friendly and energy-efficient
as possible in production. At the suppliers of
cementitious binder systems, we pay attention to

their activities regarding environmental protection
and sustainability. Microsilica as well as fly ash
are waste products that we reuse but they come
from processes that consume enormous amounts
of energy. That is why we use these products in
very controlled quantities. In some of our UHPC
products we have been able to do without
microsilica or fly ash.
We plan to set up production facilities in Asia,
North America, South America and Africa in
order to use local resources and to limit
transport routes to a minimum.

Processing of UHPC

Our UHPC products can be mixed with 50% less
water than standard concretes. The water cement
value in our products is 0.2 to 1.8. In some
countries of the world there is a permanent lack
of water, which is only balanced with seawater
treatment plants that consume considerable
amounts of energy. If less water is needed for the
inforastructure, there is more drinking water for
the people.
Only sand is required for processing our UHPC
binders to concretes with a compressive strength
above 100 MPa and no gravel.
Due to the low precast weights the energy
consumption to the transport of production to site
is much lower.
As a substitute for the admixture of sand, a wide
variety of recycled materials can be used. Our
UHPC binder systems are ideal combination partners.

We have developed a new UHPC binder system that

can completely dispense with the previously
required sand and gravel qualities. Which will
drastically reduce the depletion of sands in the river
and coastal areas and the high-energy international
export.
In the future, we plan to drastically reduce the
production of UHPC materials in accordance with
our quality guidelines to various countries with
local raw materials in order to reduce the
high-energy material transports.

Application of UHPC

Due to the high compressive strength, the component
geometries can be selected smaller compared to
standard concretes, which leads to lower material
consumption and thus to lower component weights.
Our UHPC materials are many times more resistant to
all environmental influences than standard concretes.
Thus, the expected lifetime is several times higher than
standard concrete with almost no repair.
Even today, UHPC materials can completely replace
steel constructions in many areas and achieve a multiple
service life without corrosion protection and repair work.

From our high-density, buoyant UHPC concretes, ships
or islands with high load-bearing capacity and service
life can already be produced today. UHPC materials
are absolutely resistant to seawater.

The better the concrete quality is and with UHPC concrete
it is many times better than with standard concrete, the
longer the usage phase.

UHPC concrete for precast production

UHPC concrete has many commercial as well as technical

advantages over standard concrete for the production of 

precast concrete elements.

More and more architects are specifying UHPC concrete 

as a standard material for their façade design. There are 

no design limits for façade constructions.
In recent years, we have developed UHPC binder systems 

that can be processed into lightweight concretes or 

insulating concretes, especially for façade construction.

- We produce UHPC materials with a strength of

   40 MPa to 240 MPa.
- Our UHPC materials reach 70% of their maximum

   nominal strength within 48 hours. Faster strength

   developments are possible on customer request.
- We only need sand, not gravel, to process UHPC

   concrete.
- With our UHPC Desert Sand Binder, desert sand

   can also be processed without any problems.
- All of our UHPC materials are self-compacting

   and need no or very little vibration.
- Our UHPC materials have extremely little to no pore

   development.
- The nanotechnology development of our UHPC

   binders enables extremely fine surface structures to

   be created.
- With the use of fibre reinforcement it is possible

   to create very thin structures of high strength.

- For prestressed elements, the pre-tensioning force
   of UHPC material can be chosen to be much higher
   due to their very high strength than standard concrete.

- Very good flow properties for casting complicated

   geometry and filigree surface structures.

Processing of UHPC binders
Only a shaft or pan pot mixer is required for

processing.
The UHPC binder is mixed with sand or desert

sand and a very small amount of water.
It is not necessary to add additives.

Applications

• Double walls 
• Pre stressed elements 
• Tubes
• Bridgedeck elements
• Stairs
• Piles
• Supports
• Tunnel segments
  
• Facade elements
  
• Balconies
• Sea defence units
  
• Floor tiles in large geometries                
  
• Security
  
• Vertical garden (facade) elements
• Sewage pipes and box culverts
• Floating elements