Use of UHPC HT construction material in extreme fire temperatures

20 years ago we started as the only one in the world to use high temperature resistant HT UHPC in areas
up to 1200°C / 2192°F. We use this material under the most extreme wear and temperature conditions in industry. High temperature resistant UHPC HT can be used as construction material, radiation insulation, floor material, wear protection and corrosion protection.

We produce this material in several qualities as mortar, castable and shotcreate.

Constructions made from our UHPC HT material can withstand very high temperatures for a very long
time. Steel and concrete structures are protected in steel plants, power plants, offshore platforms, civil construtions, refinery, chemical plants etc. with UHPC HT material.

A few years ago we started to develop UHPC HT materials for architectural applications. Today residental housing constructions can be built for example to withstand wild fires and fire storms for long period of time. There are already the first companies that want to manufacture doors and window security systems from UHPC HT. If windows and doors were to be secured against high temperatures, a fire from outside would have no way of penetrating the house.

These high-temperature UHPC HT are also available with mixed thermal insulation.

In public buildings, escape routes, stairwells and supporting structures can be secured against fire and destruction. UHPC HT can be processed in the same way as normal concrete.

UHPC HT is not only extreme fire-resistant and thus protects life, UHPC HT has a very high load-bearing capacity, no water can penetrate UHPC HT constructions at flooding
situation, UHPC HT can be perfectly processed as a tilt-up and precast construction and is absolutely resistant to all types of fungi and termite infestation. UHPC HT has also been used in the military and in security technology for many years.

 

WPE DK International

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

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

HPC and UHPC test material and samples

Very often we are asked for standard HPC and UHPC test material or HPC and UHPC standard samples by our customers. But we don't have any standard patterns. An example will explain why this is so.

The HPC and UHPC materials developed and produced by us are used in architectural fields such as

• Facades
• Building structure
• Waterproof basement structures
• Roof structures
• Balcony constructions
• Garage constructions including floor coverings
• Bathroom interior
• Bedroom interior
• Kitchen interior
  
• Office interior
• Stair construction
• Tiles for walls, floors and ceilings
• Pools
• Open fireplaces
• Lamp design
• Furniture design
• Safety constructions
• Fire protection
• Wall plaster
• Floor coverings
• Earthquake protection
• Flood protection
• Walk-in safes
• Panic rooms
• Water term
• House boats
• Sewage systems
• Concretes made from recycled building materials
• Concretes with Co2 neutral aggregates
• Concretes for floating and subsea constructions
• Materials for the renovation of historic buildings
• Bridge constructions
• Floating constructions

There are 216 standard colors + probably just as many structure
variations + probably even more aggregate combinations.

Each user of our materials such as precast concrete plants, designers, construction companies, etc. have their own standards and standard samples.

However, if you cannot find what you would like for your project from the processors, we are very happy to help you. You just have to give us very specific details about what you want. With your specification we will make a sample for you.

I have to give you the same answer for the HPC and UHPC material samples for technical tests. We don't have any standard materials. We have HPC and UHPC materials that our customers around the world like to use, but customers just as often come and give us a technical specification for a material based on HPC or UHPC technology and then we develop this specified material. If the customer is satisfied, the material goes into production.

 

WPE DK International

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

 

 

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

 

UHPC for maximum safety and performance

Today, UHPC concrete is used as a construction
material all over the world for maximum safety
and performance. One example of this are the
transport tubes for the Hyperloop system.
Tubular elements made of UHPC concrete have
already been manufactured here for test purposes. 

UHPC concrete is constantly evolving in terms
of its technical material properties and application.
We expect further big changes in our UHPC
material development in the next few years,
which go far beyond what we have so far. Many
materials such as standard concrete or standard
steel will no longer be able to follow this.

WPE DK International

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

UHPC and color in architecture and design

We are repeatedly asked in which standard colors

we offer our UHPC material qualities and our
answer has always been the same for years:
We do not have any standard UHPC colors.

Why? There are millions of different colors
and color materials so why pick a few and ignore
the others.

Conversely, we would like to ask our customers:
What color or color effect do you want? Based
on the color specification of our customers, we
then develop a UHPC with this color specification.
 

UHPC can be used to create an infinite number

of surfaces or color structures that influence
natural or artificial light or paint. In the end, a
unique, special construction or design is created.

UHPC binders with their nanoparticles can also
have an interesting influence on the color particles
and their effects. There are also a wide variety of
pigment materials.

So why standard when you can have so much more?

 

 

WPE DK International

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

Luxury high end HiFi loudspeaker cabinet made of UHPC concrete

During the development and production of UHPC
material for a special machine foundation, the
extremely good damping qualities of UHPC were
discussed.
This feature is also highly appreciated by developers
and producers of high end Hi-Fi speakers.

We sat down with some of these sound aesthetes
and talked about the use of UHPC concrete in the
speaker cabinet. The discussion ended with the fact
that we started the next day with the development
of an optimal UHPC concrete for high-end 
loudspeaker cabinets.

The first achieved damping values ​​were measured
with 0.027. UHPC concrete has a high density
(up to 2900 kg/m3). The water / cement value is
sometimes less than 0.2.

The compressive strength can be chosen between 

140 and 240 MPa. The modulus of elasticity is

for the most of our UHPC products 70-80 GPa.
With UHPC Cast Binder you can cast extremely 

accurate. Only the quality of the form here limits.

With UHPC Cast we were able to offer the Hi-Fi 
and housing designer the possibility to choose any
structure and geometry. In addition, UHPC concrete
loudspeaker cabinets are shockproof and waterproof.

The UHPC showed in tests as far as we heard have
no resonance. We hope for more interests, because this
work was a lot of fun for us.

As we have heard, some Hi-Fi enthusiasts have now
made the first vinyl player for venyl records from
UHPC and are thrilled with the end results in design
and in the audio / sound result.

 

 

WPE DK International

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

UHPC - Concrete - Steel Dimensional comparison

Measurements on the standard concrete structure are in
centimeters, meters, inches, feet and yards. 

Measurements in steel construction are made in
millimeters, inches, feet and yards.

Measurements in mechanical engineering are
made in millimeters, tenths and hundredths of
a millimeter.

Today UHPC construction and mechanical elements can be manufacture and polished so precisely that they can be measured with a tolerance of tenths or sometimes hundreds of a millimeter.

In the near future we will leave standard concrete behind and
make steel competition in a many industrial application
areas for machinery and construction parts. 

As a construction material, UHPC has an enormous number of advantages when compared to standard steel grades and their often complex processing. UHPC as we understand and produce it can be used as a construction material, sealing material and adhesive of high quality.

.

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 Doors and gate constructions

Doors and gates to buildings have been constructed
of wood all over the world for hundreds of years. A
material that was available everywhere. There were
simple doors and gates and there were incredibly
beautiful, filigree doors and gates. There were also
doors and gates that were used exclusively for
military security and where design was absolutely
irrelevant.

Today, doors and gates in architecture are made of
light metal or plastic. In industry and in security
areas, for example, doors and gates must be fireproof,
watertight, burglar-proof, explosion-proof, etc.

The list of requirements is long

Up to now, concrete as a material for doors and gates
was only possible for safe constructions, as concrete
constructions are very heavy.
With UHPC Ultra High Performance Concrete, the
possible uses changed completely.

UHPC material
 - achieves very high strengths
 - can be produced in relatively thin layers

 - is absolutely waterproof
 - is salt water resistant
 - is highly wear-resistant
 - can reach temperatures up to max. Withstand 1200°C
 - can withstand high blast pressures
 - is used in ballistics
 - can be shaped very precisely
 - can be easily combined with wood, metal, minerals and glass
 - is nanotechnology, the finest surface structures can be produced

 - enables the production of very small, fine concrete elements
 - enables large door geometries weighing several tons can be colored easily
 - is processed in a similar way to standard concrete

 

 

WPE DK International

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

UHPC Residential house construction and wooden residential house construction in case of a fire

I see the forest fires on the news and mourn the
destruction of nature and houses. We are
repeatedly asked whether it is not possible to
build fireproof houses with our UHPC.

Concrete and UHPC are non-flammable, so
basically you can say yes we can build fire-proof
houses.
Fireproof houses are not the whole solution to
this problem.

But let's start with the houses.

Most houses are made of wood, making them
a feast for any fire. The houses are set up at a
distance from the ground. In the event of a fire,
the fire is happy to attack from anywhere.
The roofs also often have rear ventilation,
which is like a Christmas present for the fire
and life-threatening for the fire brigade. The
roof still looks good, but underneath it is
burning, whoever goes on such a roof is, in
my opinion, tired of life. Of course you have
large glass surfaces or glass doors to the terrace in the living room, which is of course also made of wood, after all you want to enjoy the wonderful panorama. The fire loves such glass fronts, they are like open barn doors to the fire. The same applies of course to the large entrance area with a wonderful large wooden door.

So there is nothing in this type of house construction that can stop a fire. The photos taken after a fire confirm that there is nothing left.
It is possible to construct a house with UHPC, which keeps fire out for an extremely long time.

Houses can be constructed from precast concrete,
which increases quality, reduces assembly time
and reduces the total cost of a house. Compared
to standard concrete, the prefabricated parts can
be made much thinner. UHPC finished parts can
be removed from the mold very quickly. Due to
the thin UHPC panel construction, the elements
are lighter than those made of standard concrete
and can also be transported and installed more
quickly and easily.

It is also possible to mix thermal insulation into the UHPC material, which significantly reduces
the weight of the material construction. UHPC concrete is permanently heat-resistant up to 842°F.
We also produce high temperature resistant UHPC materials that are permanently temperature resistant up to 2192°F.

UHPC materials are naturally resistant to all types of insects and fungi.

Problem spot: Doors
UHPC can be used to produce doors that are similar in weight to wooden doors but are fire-proof and highly burglar-proof. With UHPC, door manufacturers can meet every design requirement in terms of surface structure, color and construction.

Problem spot: Windows, Glass Fassade
We can only help indirectly here. We are currently working with a window manufacturer to produce window frames from UHPC. Because window frames made of plastic or wood are flammable.
We are also currently developing window protection made of UHPC that closes the window in the event of a fire.

Problem spot: Roof

We can easily make a pitched roof or flat roof
from UHPC. A pitched roof can have any
desired surface design and color.

A wonderful fire protection is a flat roof with
greenery. Because of the soil that is required
for planting and which should always be kept
moist as possible, fire does not have the
slightest chance. The same can be done with facade surfaces. Today designers call it horizontal and vertical gardens. In many large cities, high-rise buildings with a green facade are now being built.

So we can easily provide fire-resistant house structures in the shortest possible time in cooperation with a locally available precast concrete plant and a locally available assembly company. Architects and designers have to take care of the development of the construction and the design.

Should the fire brigade use water, this is no
problem for a UHPC construction. Since water
does not penetrate the UHPC construction, the
interior can be cleaned and re-used quickly and
easily. A complete interior renovation as with
wood and plaster constructions is not necessary.

Annotation:
The best fire protection doesn't help if you build
houses right next to trees. When houses are far
from something flammable like trees, the fire has enormous problems jumping over these areas without fire fodder. That is also the reason why firebreaks are laid in forests when there is a fire. Landscape architects can offer many ideas for this.

 

 

WPE DK International

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

Combination of UHPC and Nanotubes

We are being asked more and more often by
customers in Asia about the use of Nanotubes
in our UHPC products.
It is always the same question, can nanotubes
improve the technical properties of our UHPC
products? 

Our answer to that is:

Yes, Nanotubes with a certain geometry and size
can do that.  

BUT that's like trying to install an additional
carburetor / turbo system in a Bugatti Viron to
get 10% more engine power, with a standard
engine power of over 1000 hp. The Bugatti Viron
is a perfect car system, making it better with a
possible slight increase in performance only rarely
makes sense.

In other words:
A really good UHPC is a perfect, extremely
powerful system, which in today's industry
hardly ever reaches its performance limit.
The UHPC we make is made by creating a
perfect physical packing of specific particles
in order to achieve perfect chemical reactions.

We have been developing and testing the use
of Nanotubes in our UHPC products for more
than two years.
So far, these UHPC special products have only
been used in very special areas of application
that required very special technical solutions
in the areas of mechanics, electrical engineering
and thermal conductivity.
We have been developing and producing UHPC
systems for more than 25 years. We develop
UHPC products for the future. The processing
of Nanotubes and desert sand with our UHPC
products is part of our ideas for the future.

Sustainability and the use of natural materials
such as bamboo or natural fibers is another
development we are taking. The use of sustainable

raw materials in combination with our UHPC
materials, some of which will also be made from
sustainable raw materials in the future, is one of
our goals.

WPE DK International

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