When it comes to harsh operating environments for floors, there’s few tougher than he demolition bay in an aluminium smelter. This is the area where the spent lining of he crucibles for the molten aluminium is broken out and sent away for recycling or dsposal. Together with the constant impacts by the waste metal, the floors must lso withstand the punishment metered out by the massive ‘tracked’ dozers that ork in the area – harsh punishment by any measure!
Needless to say, when it came time to repair the floor in the demolition bay at Alcoa’s Portland Aluminium Smelter in Victoria, the company needed to be sure that the selected flooring solution was capable of withstanding this daily ‘heavy metal’ onslaught. Greg Strada, Engineer with AHEA ( Alcoa Hatch Engineering Alliance) explained:
“In harsh operating environments such as the smelter demolition room, selecting an appropriate flooring solution is of paramount importance. In the case of the Portland smelter, constant exposure to impacts, wear and abrasion from both the waste metal and materials, and the heavy equipment had resulted in significant damage to the existing floor. Indeed, in some areas the damage was up to 65mm deep.”
With that in mind, engineers specified Mastertop ® 230, a heavy-duty, high strength, iron aggregate topping from BASF Construction Chemicals for the floor repairs.
Specifically developed to provide industrial floors with extra heavy-duty protection against abrasion and impact, Mastertop® 230 can be applied over correctly prepared existing hardened concrete to provide a significantly longer service life when compared to either normal high-strength concrete or natural aggregate toppings. In fact, Mastertop® 230 delivers eight times the wear resistance and four times the impact resistance of plain concrete.
Encompassing an area of some 200m2, the demolition bay floor was first prepared and then topped with the Mastertop® 230 topping at an average thickness of 50mm, however, in some areas, the damage was so severe that it required an application thickness of up to 100mm.
Importantly, Mastertop® 230’s unique formulation provides an extended working life at a screedable consistency (130-180mm slump), thereby allowing ample time to place, float and finish the floor. Once cured, the result is a high quality, heavy-duty floor that combines outstanding toughness and durability, with a high-density surface that is easy to clean and resists oil and grease penetration.
“Mastertop® 230 has provided us with the ideal solution for the Portland smelter. Not only have we been able to deliver a first class repaired floor, we’ve also provided the client with a floor that is able to better withstand the harsh conditions and daily punishment of having thousands of tonnes of metal and machinery on it,” Greg Strada said.
“Everyone is extremely happy with the results. In fact, the client is so pleased, that we were also recently commissioned to repair a second floor in an adjacent area of the smelter with Mastertop® 230,” he concluded.
About BASF Construction Chemicals
BASF’s Construction Chemicals division is the leading supplier of chemical systems and formulations for the construction industry. Continuous innovation and tailor-made solutions ensure its customers are more successful. Its Admixture Systems business unit specifically helps customers in the ready-mix, precast and manufactured concrete industries. The Construction Systems unit offers a wide range of products for sports and industrial flooring, external renders and wall insulation, expansion joints, wood preservatives as well as specialist repair mortars, tile adhesives and waterproofing membranes. The division operates production sites and sales centers in more than 50 countries and achieved sales of €2.2 billion with approximately 7,500 employees in 2006.
About BASF
BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural products and fine chemicals to crude oil and natural gas. As a reliable partner to virtually all industries, BASF’s high-value products and intelligent system solutions help its customers to be more successful. BASF develops new technologies and uses them to meet the challenges of the future and open up additional market opportunities. It combines economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility, thus contributing to a better future. BASF has approximately 95,000 employees and posted sales of €52.6 billion (approximately $66.1 billion) in 2006. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com