Trade Journals for the Concrete Industry

In the last issue of CPI, Lafarge provided an introduction to “Working with Ductal Ultra-High Performance Concrete” (UHPC). The following is the second part of a series of related articles on this topic. In this installment – Lafarge will provide details covering the various batching, forming, placing and curing techniques that are required for successful manufacturing of precast elements using UHPC. Ductal is a family of Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) products. The appropriate formulation is selected based on the application and performance requirements by its end use and by the customer. When selecting a Ductal product, determining factors include strength, ductility, exposure to corrosive agents, desired aesthetics and exposure to human contact. Two different types of fibers are typically used to manufacture end products using Ductal; high carbon metallic or poly-vinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers. The fiber and UHPC formulation are customized to best fit the application requirements. Various rheologies (from dry cast to self-leveling) and curing techniques facilitate different product capabilities which are suitable for a range of precast applications.