Displaying items by tag: mortar

Austria/Germany: Austria-based Porr says it has used a new annular gap mortar bound with granulated slag, instead of cement, on the Filder Tunnel stage of a project for Deutsche Bahn near Stuttgart. The engineering company reports that the pilot project was a success and the ‘practically cement-free construction material’ has already been patented. Porr is now looking for further cooperation partners.

“The nature of the soil means that a cement-based construction material would not have been suitable,” said Porr’s chief executive officer Karl-Heinz Strauss. “This gave us the opportunity to use this brand new construction material”. He added, “Apart from allowing us to contribute to reducing CO², this construction material has two fundamental advantages. It is less sensitive to environmental factors than concrete containing cement. And it can be transported for long periods without any problems before it is processed as it needs an activator to fully harden”.

Image copyright: Arnim Kilgus

Ireland: Ecocem has launched Superfine, a ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) for use in specialist applications in the European market. The product is a GGBS that has been ground to a very fine particle size. It is intended to be added to other products to improve their strengths in applications such as high performance and ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC). It can also be used to improve the finish of concrete and reduce the amount of pigment required.

Superfine will be launched across Europe, with the product already being trialled in Abu Dhabi and specified in projects across Ireland. It is designed to be used as a specialist additive in binders, industrial mortars, ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) and precast concrete.

Susan McGarry, the managing director of Ecocem Ireland, said “After extensive time in research and development, launching Superfine onto the Irish market is testament to our global range of innovative and sustainable concrete solutions.”