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35 Years of HPC and UHPC toppings for industrial floors

Article · September 2018

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THE MAGAZINE OF THE CONCRETE SOCIETY Volume 52 September 2018 lssu 07

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 35 years of HPC and UHPC
toppings for industrial floors
Figure 1: Hybrid-reinforced HPC topping of 21mm on foam
glass isolation in cold storage flowers. (Photos: Peter Buitelaar.)

Since they were first developed by Hans Henrik Bache, high-performance concrete (compressive strength
110–150MPa) and ultra-high performance concrete (compressive strength 150–180+MPa) have been used to
rehabilitate and strengthen existing industrial floors and to surface new concrete floors in various industries.
One of the first, and most complex, applications for UHPC was (and still is) bonded toppings (8–30mm thickness)
on industrial floors and ultra-thin overlays. UHPC toppings and overlays have an extreme high wear and impact
resistance, are extremely dense and durable and have a very fast and short curing time. Peter Buitelaar of the
Peter Buitelaar Consultancy reports.

I
ndustrial flooring surface damage,
cracks, broken joint edges, dust, etc, can
result in inefficiency, uncomfortable
usage and damage of transportation
equipment. In the refurbishment,
strengthening or renovation of flooring,
time is the most important factor for the end
user. Downtime must be minimised, as every
delay in the complex process of production,
transport and storage will have large financial
consequences.
The choice for resurfacing of industrial
floors will be mainly based on two factors: the
necessary downtime and the expected service
life of the new topping or overlay. Aesthetic
and financial factors are of less importance as
long as the new topping meets the standards
and specifications from the users and the
related industry. Cement-based thin toppings
or overlays have several important advantages
compared with other materials.
Making high-quality industrial floors is
not easy and is dependent on skilled labour,
technical knowledge and experience. The
application of thin toppings and overlays is
equally difficult; success or failure depends on
factors such as quality of the base concrete,
bonding, placing conditions, curing and, last
but not least, the specific properties of the
HPC.
In rehabilitation projects, other factors
are also of importance, especially local
circumstances and the parameters of the base
concrete with regard to strength, quality,
cracks, pollution, etc. On many occasions,
a contractor is confronted with these
problems after demolishing the existing
topping and then, under time pressures, a
good solution must be found. This requires
a lot of technical and practical experience, as
the consequences can be significant. Good
collaboration between the contractor and
the other parties involved – the client, the
consultant and suppliers – must be in place
to solve these flooring problems in a short
time frame.
Initial difficulties
To use UHPC as a thin topping on existing
and new concrete is not easy. The first-
generation UHPC was a concrete with a very
low water:binder (w/b) ratio of 0.20–0.25 and
difficult to handle compared with traditional
cement-based toppings.
Due to the very low w/b ratio, the materials
are very sensitive to evaporation of mixing
water, especially when placed in a thin
layer on a large surface. Due to the specific
consistence, hand-floating and mechanical
finishing is different and more difficult
compared with a normal concrete topping.
Furthermore, UHPC reaches
approximately 45% of its final strength in
24 hours at 20°C, which indicates that a
large part of the shrinkage, especially the
autogenous shrinkage, will take place in
that period, resulting in high stresses in the
interface/bonding zone. A lot of lessons were
learned in the first ten years, mostly related
to shrinkage, bonding and quality of the base

26 concrete www.concrete.org.uk SǜǧǫǜǤǙǜǩ ǻǹǺȁ


concrete; some of the lessons were expensive
due to necessary replacing and/or repair. Due
to the very low w/b ratio, the material applied
needs to be protected against evaporation as
fast as possible.
Later generations of UHPC used a slightly
higher w/b ratio of 0.25–0.30 for the semi
self-levelling and granolithic toppings, and
also contained less silica fume. This results in
a much better consistence and ‘finishability’
so that a very smooth surface can also be
obtained. Despite the slightly higher w/b
ratio during mixing, a much lower ratio is
reached after placing, compacting and curing
– a process that takes several hours.
Topping systems
The necessary materials are preblended and
prepacked in 25kg bags or ‘Big Bags’. For
larger projects, bulk supply of the components
is possible.
Self-levelling
This is a self-levelling mortar applied in a
thickness of 4–8mm. The viscosity of the
concrete makes application with a mixer
and pump possible; in general, less labour is
required to place and finish the mortar. After
spreading, the surface can be finished with a
spike roller or saturated with sand or bauxite
for a skid-resistant surface.
Semi self-levelling
This is a self-levelling mortar applied in a
thickness of 8–12mm. The viscosity of the
concrete makes application with a mixer and
Figure 3: Hybrid-reinforced HPC topping in the food
processing industry in Venezuela.
www.concrete.org.uk SǜǧǫǜǤǙǜǩ ǻǹǺȁ
FLOORS AND SCREEDS
pump still possible; in general, less labour is
required to place and finish the mortar. After
spreading and levelling the mortar, the surface
can be finished with a spike roller or saturated
with sand or bauxite for a skid-resistant
surface. Since larger aggregates are used, a
higher wear resistance will be obtained. Small
steel fibres can be added to the mortar for a
higher impact resistance. A primer is used to
obtain a good bonding.
Granolithic
The composition of the mortar with a large
volume of aggregates makes it necessary to use
a double vibration screed or a special screed-
placing machine to spread, compact and
finish the mortar. Hereafter, the mortar can Figure 2: HPC granolithic topping
be hand- or power-floated with a closed disc in the food processing industry
and/or with blades. A very smooth surface can in Venezuela.
be obtained. Since much larger aggregates are
used, a higher wear resistance will be obtained.
Small steel fibres can be added to the mortar
for a higher impact resistance. A primer is overlay or need a new topping very fast.
used to obtain a good bonding. Due to the unique properties of the
HPC/UHPC, a solution exists for this type
Hybrid-reinforced ultra-thin overlay of problem. A flooring system can be laid
Many floors are not sound – they have cracks without joints in places where the quality of
or are contaminated with oil, chemicals, the existing base is unsatisfactory. A hybrid-
etc, have a topping made from polymer or reinforced HPC/UHPC topping or overlay
bitumen, or are even underspecified for the consists of a special preblended silica fume
actual loads. The only good way is to clean containing HPC/UHPC, acrylic fibres,
the base concrete, remove weak areas and steel fibres and one or more layers of welded
repair or place new concrete. This can be a fabric reinforcement that is anchored and/or
huge problem for companies that are working bonded to the base concrete.
24 hours a day and don’t want to have dust, The composition of the mortar with a
noise etc, and that cannot accept a thick large volume of aggregates makes it necessary
Figure 4: UHPC granolithic topping at a waste
recycling sorting plant.
concrete 27
 FLOORS AND SCREEDS

Table 1 – Properties of HPC and UHPC toppings

Properties Standard Self-levelling Semi self-levelling Granolithic Hybrid reinforced
topping
Classification of concrete HPC UHPC HPC HPC HPC UHPC HPC/UHPC
Consistency flow table EN 12350-5 F5 F5 F4 F4 F1–F2 F1–F2 F3
test
Layer thickness 4–8mm 4–8mm 8–12mm 8–12mm 15–25mm 15–25mm 25–50+mm
Aggregates Quartz Bauxite Quartz Quartz/bauxite Quartz/ Bauxite Quartz/granite
granite bauxite
Application method Pump/spike Pump/spike Single vibration Single vibration Vibration Vibration Vibration screed/
roller roller screed/spike screed/spike screed/ screed/ power-float
roller roller power-float power-float
Compressive strength
in MPa EN 12190 45/70/90/110 80/110/140/ 40/50/90/110 60/85/110/140 45/70/90/110 80/110/140/ 60/70/100/120
24 hours/2 days/ 180 180 80/110/140/180
7 days/28 days
Flexural strength in MPa
24 hours/2 days/ EN 196 8/13/16/21 12/17/22/28 8/11/13/18 8/11/15/20 7/8/10/13 12/17/22/28 22/28/40/50*
7 days/28 days 28 days >100**
Wear resistance EN 13892-3 7–8 5–5.5 5.5–6 4.2–4.7 6–7 3.7–4.2 6–7
(cm3/50cm2)
Freeze–thaw resistance CEN TS < 0.07 < 0.07 < 0.07 < 0.07 < 0.07 < 0.07 < 0.07
(kg/m2) 12390-9
Impermeability (water) DIN 1048 < 1mm < 1mm < 1mm < 1mm < 1mm < 1mm < 1mm
Slip resistance DIN 51130 R 10/R 13 R 10/R 13 R 10/R 13 R 10/R 13 R 10 R 10 R 10
Setting time (hours) EN 196-3 7–10 7–10 7–10 7–10 7–10 7–10 7–10
Density (kg/m3) EN 12190 2400 2500 2400 2500 2500 2700 2600–2900

* Reinforcement per 25mm: >2 vol % main reinforcement and >1.3 vol % steel fibres.
** Reinforcement per 50mm: >5.5 vol % main reinforcement and >2 vol % steel fibres.
These are typical average values and may not be regarded as minimum or characteristic values due to material differences of various suppliers.

to use a double vibration screed, a special
screed-placing machine or a slipform paver
to compact and finish the mortar. Thereafter
the mortar can be hand-floated or floated
using a power-float with a closed disc and/
or blades.
A very smooth surface can be obtained.
Since much larger aggregates are used, a
higher wear resistance will be obtained and
due to the large amount of reinforcement and
steel fibres a very high impact resistance is
obtained.
This system also has been used to
strengthen large orthotropic bridge decks in
The Netherlands and Germany, and concrete
viaducts in many countries.
Heat-resistant toppings
With the use of a special binder (aluminium
cement), heat-resistant aggregates and
steel fibres, a heat-resistant concrete can be
produced to apply as a granolithic topping of
18–30mm on existing or new base concrete
or to manufacture as precast panels.
Properties
The concrete properties are dependent on
binder composition, aggregates and fibres
used, as shown in Table 1.
Base preparations
While for bonded screeds the preparation
of the base concrete is important, for HPC
and UHPC toppings it is of paramount
importance because of the often larger
autogenous shrinkage and fast curing of the
concrete, which will result in relatively high
stresses at the bonding interface.
Therefore the structural concrete base
should be at least a C28/35 strength-
class concrete with a good surface quality,
adequately roughened, sound and
contaminant-free. Cracks, micro-cracks,
blisters, scaling, spalling or delamination
are symptoms of unsound concrete that
must be repaired or removed and then, if
necessary, patched before surface preparation
can proceed. Dirt, dust and other loose
contaminants will inhibit bond formation
and can be removed first by sweeping,
vacuuming, air blasting or water spraying.
Hydrophobic materials, such as oil, grease
and form-removal lubricants will also inhibit
bonding and should be spot-removed. Curing
compounds, adhesive layers and previous
coatings must be removed. When there
are large areas with cracks, pollution and/
or previous coatings and they are difficult
or expensive to remove, a hybrid reinforced
ultra-thin topping is a good alternative to
demolition.
Where a screed is required over in-situ
concrete, a higher design compressive
strength can be necessary to reach a C28/35
strength class when the HPC/UHPC
topping is placed.
All contamination and laitance on the
base concrete should be entirely removed by
suitable mechanised equipment to expose
the coarse aggregate cleanly. The selected
methods should minimise the risk of micro-
cracking in the base concrete, since this will
weaken the top layer.

28 concrete www.concrete.org.uk SǜǧǫǜǤǙǜǩ ǻǹǺȁ


Figure 5: Placing UHPC granolithic topping at a
waste recycling sorting plant. (Photo: Ruys Vloeren BV.)
When a method such as rotomilling or
scarifying is chosen to remove a thicker layer
and to level the base concrete within the
tolerances of the selected UHPC topping,
a second method should be used to remove
the top layer with possible micro-cracking.
The surface profile should be 20–30% of the
layer thickness of the UHPC topping to be
applied. All loose debris and dirt should be
removed, preferably by vacuuming and/or
high-pressure water cleaning.
A minimum bonding strength of 1.5MPa
is required for toppings but often a higher
bonding strength can be necessary since
many of the locations where UHPC toppings
are used are subjected to high mechanical
(workshops, waste plants, heavy industry, etc)
and/or temperature loads far under and above
zero degrees (cold store, freezing carousels,
steam cleaning in food industry, in front of
ovens).
Before casting, the substrate should be in a
saturated surface dry (SSD) condition. This
entails spraying it but removing free water just
before casting, so that the pores are saturated
but no free water remains on the surface.
The demands for the application of a
hybrid-reinforced ultra-thin topping or
overlay are less critical but here also a good
– or partial – bonding is preferred to no
bonding.
New base concrete
When a new base concrete needs to be
poured for a UHPC topping, the base
demands and preparations are similar. The
new concrete should be designed for the
www.concrete.org.uk SǜǧǫǜǤǙǜǩ ǻǹǺȁ
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FLOORS AND SCREEDS
Figure 6: Hybrid-reinforced HPC topping at a
metal recycling plant. (Photo: Peter Buitelaar.)
future loads and as minimum a C28/35
strength-class concrete poured on a
compacted and stable foundation. Details
such as joints, flatness and/or slopes are very
important, as well as a sufficient percentage
of reinforcement (steel fibres, traditional or
hybrid) to avoid cracks.
After casting and finishing the surface
to remove unevenness, the fresh laitance
can be removed directly or after curing.
Thereafter the concrete needs to be protected
against evaporation of the mixing water by
effective covering with plastic sheets. The
base concrete needs a minimum compressive
strength of 20MPa before the UHPC
topping can be applied. Any laitance on the
base concrete should be entirely removed by
suitable mechanised equipment to expose the
coarse aggregate cleanly. However, on some
occasions the granolithic topping can be
placed ‘wet on wet’ directly on the new base Figure 7: HPC granolithic
concrete. topping in a food processing
plant. (Photo: Peter Buitelaar.)
Applications
In most applications, the UHPC topping is
a wearing screed to protect the underlaying
construction against heavy wear and tear
and/or an aggressive environment.
The first applications in the past century
were large production and test areas for
Caterpillar in Belgium and abattoirs. Several Health and safety
million square metres of HPC/UHPC Please note: Health and safety requirements differ from
toppings and overlays have been placed in country to country; an image(s) in this article may not
conform to standards that some readers are familiar
the food and food processing industry, heavy with, but it should be borne in mind that the
industry, waste recycling plants, chemical requirements of the region where the image was taken
industry, etc. Many of the toppings are still have been considered.
functioning after 30 years’ usage. ■
concrete 31