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a.b.e. – established 91 years ago – is part of Saint-Gobain Africa.
a.b.e. Construction Chemicals, major supplier of specialised construction products, has for many decades supplied a wide range of products for the construction and maintenance of essential civil engineering infrastructural facilities throughout South Africa.
Warren Trew, a.b.e.’s Regional Sales Manager General Construction Inland, says a.b.e. supply a wide range of products – as well as professional advice – on many aspects of infrastructural maintenance and construction, covering aspects such as concrete crack injection, fairing, reprofiling, priming, mortar repair, and the rehabilitation of spalled concrete surfaces all of which could save the owners and municipalities millions of rands.
Among a.b.e. products widely used for civil engineering projects are:
* epidermix 389 and 395 for concrete crack repairs;
* durarep ZR for the treatment of steel reinforcement bars;
* epidermix 344 as an epoxy primer;
* durabond GP and duralatex for acrylic priming/bonding; and
* durarep FMC, durarep FR and durarep FC for cementitious repairs.
“epidermix 389 is a solvent-free, low-viscosity modified epoxy injection compound to fill cracks, while epidermix 395 is the ideal product for fixing starter bars, or bolts, vertically down into concrete or rock. The fast-setting product is also suitable as a flowable grout or bedding for areas with awkward access,” Trew says.
durarep ZR (zinc rich) is a single-component liquid epoxy resin, enriched with metallic zinc, that offers excellent corrosion protection properties, particularly for the rebar in concrete infrastructure. epidermix 344 is a solvent-free, polysulphide modified epoxy adhesive, particularly suitable for bonding fresh (plastic) concrete to existing concrete, and cementitious repairs to concrete structures where structural integrity is critical.
durabond GP (general purpose) is used as a primer/bonding medium for repairs to concrete elements while duralatex is a synthetic resin polymer designed to improve qualities of site-batched cementitious mortars and slurries.
Trew says the a.b.e. durarep high strength mortar range is widely used for structural cementitious repairs. “durarep FMC (fluid micro concrete) is a non-shrink concrete reinstatement grout with a migrating corrosion inhibitor; and durarep FR (fibre reinforced) is used for vertical, overhead and honeycomb repairs. durarep FC (fairing compound) is a thin film coating to aesthetically enhance and smooth concrete and masonry surface imperfections and blowholes which are not trafficked.”
a.b.e. also supplies protective coatings such as duracote WB, a flexible aliphatic acrylic polymer coating with high crack-bridging properties which acts as a contaminant barrier; and durasil SH, a highly effective water repellent with hydrophobic properties to protect concrete against chlorides and carbon dioxide ingress.
“The company’s wide range of duracure products have also nationally been specified for concrete pavings and external concrete handstands. All these products – individually or in combination – effectively ensure proper curing by reducing the water evaporation rate from concrete surfaces. The presence and retention of water in concrete are essential to ensure adequate strength development and minimise initial plastic shrinkage cracking.”
He says a.b.e. distributes Dowsil sealants – imported from Europe and renowned globally – and have been applied in many parts of South Africa for the sealing of concrete joints. Among the popular Dowsil sealant systems are self-levelling Dowsil 890SL for roadways, gun-grade Dowsil 888 for vertical and gradient surfaces, and Dowsil 902, a fast-setting gun-grade sealant, particularly used for bridge joint sealing.
“Where applicable, these specialized sealants supplied for infrastructural projects, comply with the global Standard Test Method for Adhesion and Cohesion of Elastomeric Joint Sealants Under Cyclic Movement (ASTM) and have highly impressive expansion/contraction features of plus 100% expansion, and minus 50% contraction. For example, if a Dowsil joint is 25mm wide, it can expand 25mm (12.5mm on either side) and contract 12.5mm (6.25mm on either side),” Trew explains.
Major projects for which a.b.e. has already supplied concrete repair and protection products and consultation include:
- Grasmere N1 toll road
- Umdloti main road
- N14 Bridges between Hartbeespoort and Lanseria
- OR Tambo airport concrete aprons and hardstand areas
- Gqeberha airport runway
- Gautrain viaducts
- Fish Water Flats sewage works, Gqeberha
- Kanengo Silo Project, Malawi
- Mondi Chipper plant, Richards Bay
- Omnia fertiliser tank bases, Sasolburg
- Savana City reservoir, Sebokeng, Gauteng
- Northam Plats Mine cooling towers, and
- Coal Tippler Project concrete repair, Richards Bay harbour
