In July 2023, Specialty Metals Company used EdenCrete® in their new recycling transfer station in Englewood, CO to reinforce the slab on grade floor and protect against severe abrasion and cracking. The concrete was provided by Burnco and placed by Blue Ribbon Construction.
Waste and recycling transfer stations are very harsh environments for concrete. Typically, concrete floors in these businesses are abused, being subjected to high load rates from heavy vehicle traffic as well as high impact rates from scrap metal being dropped or dumped onto the floor by delivery trucks. In addition, extensive and constant abrasion forces are being exerted by the scraping of solid rubber tire front end loaders. Periodically, the concrete is subjected to a variety of chemicals leaching from products to be recycled. In order to combat the issues mentioned above, a concrete mix that would be durable over time was designed using 7.5 lbs. per cubic yard of structural fiber and EdenCrete® in combination as a system to create a highly crack resistant and tough concrete product. The high fiber load rate, created challenges such as “bird nesting” and fiber packing during pumping. EdenCrete created a smoother, more lubricating paste that greatly eased pumping issues and allowed for easy fiber embedding during finishing. The contractor commented on how quickly the placement went without segregation or clogged lines slowing down the operation.
660 cy with EdenCrete® at 1 gal/yd3
EdenCrete® provided increased strength and abrasion resistance and improved rheology to enable contractors to easily place and finish this high performance structural concrete floor. To date, the concrete is performing well against abrasion from heavy solid tire front end loaders and bucket scraping with no noted cracking and minimal surface wear.
