Project: High quality and competitive concrete spacers for major civil engineering constructions

Background_x000D_According to the European Construction Technology Platform (ECTP), the total turnover of the European construction sector in 2009 was about € 1173 billion of which 22% went into infrastructure networks (ECTP, 2009). Europe possesses one of the densest and most developed infrastructure networks in the world, comprising over 60,000 km of motorways in a total road network of about 5 million km in the EU 27. Railways total over 215,000 km and waterways another 41,000 km. These are expected to grow significantly by 2020. COtaining such a huge network while meeting the needs of a growing population is a major challenge currently facing European policy makers. Thus, the ECTP has recommended a series of research initiatives towards addressing the future infrastructure needs of Europe (ECTP, 2009: reFINE - Research for Future Infrastructure Networks in Europe - Initiative of the European Construction Sector). The current proposal will contribute to these research initiatives. _x000D__x000D_Goal_x000D_The goal of the proposal is to develop a new generation of high quality concrete spacers for major civil engineering works thereby prolonging their service life and reducing COtenance and repair costs. The European Union annually spends billions of Euros in the COtenance and repair of its infrastructural network including bridges, tunnels, harbours, airports, and offshore structures. Such structures are often faced with hostile environments that lead to corrosion of the reinforcement. In order to reduce corrosion and the deterioration in such structures and prolong durability, the spacers used in supporting the reinforcement need to be of high quality. In order to minimize the great variation in the quality of spacers on the European market, there is a need for a common standard, which currently does not exist. Another goal of this proposal is to work towards developing such a standard. _x000D__x000D_Technical objective_x000D_The project is aimed at improving the properties of the joint between spacer and concrete by developing an active functional surface on the spacer that reacts with components of the surrounding concrete during the hardening process resulting in a much denser and less permeable joint. A number of technical routes exist for achieving this objective. Three of the most promising ones will be investigated in this project including 1) Encapsulating a hydraulic material such as cement in a moisture protective film, which will be dissolved in contact with an alkaline environment creating a dense casting joint between the spacer and the surroundings 2) Coating and impregnating the spacers with a waterglass that will react with the alkaline concrete pore liquid leading to the formation of a calcium-alkali-silcate that will enhance the bonding between spacer and concrete 3) Producing spacers using compression under vibration moulding._x000D__x000D_Market objective_x000D_The CO marketing objective is to develop a spacer type that meets the multiple and changing needs of the end-user. The current spacers on the market are of variable quality as there are no common standards governing materials, shape, dimensions and strength properties. As a result products have to be tailored to the requirements of each individual project. Hence, production becomes expensive and time-consuming. This in turn leads to considerable development costs in each major civil engineering project. This variation in spacer type from project to project makes it difficult to accumulate enough long-term experience to properly assess the performance and durability of each type and make improvements. It is expected to bring the spacer to the market in time to meet the requirements of upcoming major civil engineering projects such as the Fehmern Belt Fixed Link project, the Metrocityringen in Copenhagen, and similar projects planned towards Europe 2020._x000D__x000D_Consortium_x000D_The consortium comprises HauCon A/S (Denmark) as CO applicant and Betonex (Poland) and the Danish Technological Institute (DTI). HauCon was founded in 1988 and has currently 15 employees in Denmark. Totally in its 5 departments in Scandinavia HauCon has 58 employees. HauCon is a leading supplier of special products and technical solutions for the construction industry with 70-80% of the Scandinavian market in concrete spacers. Other related products include seals for waterstop in construction joints, bridge bearings, etc. Betonex is a major supplier of spacers and related products to the European market through outlets in Germany and Poland. DTI is one of the largest technological service institutions in Europe and has well-established capabilities in concrete technology._x000D_

Acronym ConSPACERS (Reference Number: 5903)
Duration 01/02/2011 - 15/10/2014
Project Topic The project will develop a cement-based reinforcement spacer with improved bonding to the surrounding concrete, minimising penetration of chloride ions along the interface. This will reduce corrosion on concrete structures thereby prolonging service life and reducing COtenance and repair costs
Project Results
(after finalisation)
We have gained knowledge about how different physical and chemical modifications to the spacer surface affect the interface between spacer and concrete. We have demonstrated that a rough spacer surface results in improved bonding and a dense interface with respect to chloride penetration. Furthermore we have gained insight into how heat curing of mortar affects the durability properties (resistance to chloride penetration and freeze/thaw action).
Network Eurostars
Call Eurostars Cut-Off 5

Project partner

Number Name Role Country
3 Betonex Partner Poland
3 Danish Technological Institute Partner Denmark
3 HAUCON A/S Coordinator Denmark