Tough new flooring finishes salt store in a couple of shakes

A new flooring concrete from CEMEX UK, building materials supplier, has enabled one customer to reduce preparation time by a week, while achieving a highly durable slab with structural reinforcement, all without the use of steel mesh.

CEMEX Advanced Flooring combines micro and macro-synthetic fibres to increase resistance to cracking and improve impact and abrasion qualities. Fibre reinforcement is distributed evenly throughout the mix, increasing load bearing capacity and enabling slab depth to be reduced in some applications.

CEMEX Advanced Flooring solution was recommended for a salt store in the Midlands, where a durable surface was required, capable of withstanding heavy plant, equipped with buckets to load the salt. This was one of the first contracts using Advanced Flooring and laid by Alun Griffiths (Contractors), Abergavenny working for client, Amey.

The original design for the floor was based on two layers of mesh with a long bay construction but the new flooring mix offered the benefits of faster construction and alleviated concerns about potential long term corrosion of the steel mesh.

In practice, the entire slab requiring 240m3 of concrete was laid in just a day.

Julian Davies of contractors Alun Griffiths said "By using CEMEX Advanced Flooring we did not have to store or handle steel mesh which saved a lot of time and effort. This new mix handled well and the whole pour went smoothly. We are pleased with the result and we anticipate that the finished floor will have a trouble-free and long lifespan."

Steve Crompton, Technical Director CEMEX UK said "CEMEX Advanced Flooring with its leading edge fibre technology combined with high quality concrete offers many benefits for a wide range of flooring and paving applications. Also, savings in project costs make it an economic alternative to traditional steel mesh solutions."

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

• For further information and photographs contact Elizabeth Young t. 01932 583214 e. Elizabeth.young@cemex.com For photographs look at CEMEX UK on Flickr
• CEMEX Advanced Flooring combines the benefits of micro polypropylene fibres which reduce thermal cracking with the structural strength supplied by deformed macro fibres. The fibres are added to each mix at the plant.
• CEMEX is a global building solutions company and leading supplier of cement, ready-mixed concrete and aggregates. In the UK, CEMEX also produces asphalt, and has a significant share of the roof tile, concrete-block paving, and concrete block sectors. Additionally, the company is the leading supplier of concrete sleepers to the rail industry and a supplier of PFA cement additives. CEMEX has a national supply network in the UK with over 450 locations, to ensure that quality building materials are available to customers locally. For more information, see www.CEMEX.co.uk, www.CEMEX.com
• Amey is a leading UK public services provider with more than 11,000 staff. The company works across three main markets - Inter Urban, Local Government and Built Environment, which are supported by our award-winning in house consultancy.
• Amey delivers services in the highways, roads, schools, waste, rail, fleet solutions, workspace, street lighting, housing and aviation sectors. By offering a complete life-cycle solution for services, we maximise efficiencies for our customers.
• Alun Griffiths Limited is a leading regional civil engineering company directly employing 400 staff and operatives. Based in Abergavenny in Wales, the company operates throughout Wales and the Midlands. For more information see www.alungriffiths.co.uk