Concrete roads
The use of concrete roads in the world for a long time has been an economically viable and widely used phenomenon.
Photo 1. Fragment of the joint of two concrete pavement sections at the loading section of a large elevator complex. To the left of the joint — a section of concrete without basalt fiber. To the right of the joint is the area of the floor reinforced by Technobasalt® FIBER. Age of construction: 2 years.
Ukraine has widely used asphalt roads, arguing that it is not possible to invest more financial resources in the road industry, hoping to get results in the future. The durability of cement concrete roads is 20-30 years, while the durability of asphalt pavement is only 8-12 years. The fact that fuel consumption of cars moving on a cement-concrete road is lower than in the same case with asphalt-concrete road have not set off to innovation for a long time. Besides, it’s a significant advantage for society. The Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington has published a special report of the Transportation Research Council that fuel consumption is a key factor in the road economy. Resistance to rolling wheels is an important factor in fuel consumption and CO2 production.
Resistance to rolling can be partly explained by the lack of rigidity of the road surface. In the case of a heavy-duty truck, energy is expended on deflecting the non-rigid coating and the bottom layer of the coating. The use of hard concrete pavement will lead to lower fuel consumption and reduced emissions.
In 2020, Ukraine also started the construction of concrete roads under the “Large Construction” program, initiated by the State and “Ukravtodor”. However, experts continue to claim that concrete roads are much more expensive and when they are destroyed the technology of dismantling and replacement is much more complicated because this type of road does not involve pit repairs.
Photo 2. Fragment of a section of road concrete pavement without basalt fiber. The surface is chipped, there are large cracks and chips all over the area. Age of construction: 2 years.
Our company has a proven way to prevent premature destruction of the road by using basalt fiber. The photo clearly shows the result of the use of concrete reinforced with basalt fiber and concrete that is not reinforced. Note that sections of the road were made at the same time and operated under the same conditions.
Basalt fiber in concrete products not only prevents the formation of microcracks, but also increases the bending strength of concrete, increases the resistance of concrete to impact loads, increases the abrasion resistance of concrete structures and the frost resistance of concrete.
Photo 3. Fragment of a section of road concrete pavement with basalt fiber. It not only strengthened the concrete layer of the base, but also effectively prevented the surface from chipping. Age of construction: 2 years.
Our technical specialists provide full advisory service on both design issues and application technology. We will help not only to improve the physical and technical qualities of concrete, but also to achieve economic benefits. You can learn more about basalt products by visiting our website, or leave your contact details, and we will reach out to you.
Photo 4. Fragment of industrial floor without topping. Basalt fiber, which is added to the concrete base gave the concrete floor greater impact resistance, prevented cracks, and most importantly, performs full reinforcement of the entire concrete layer and screed. The photo does not show any protruding elements characteristic of the ceiling and polypropylene fiber.