Title:
Pumping and Spraying Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC)
Author(s):
McDonagh
Publication:
Web Session
Volume:
Issue:
Appears on pages(s):
Keywords:
DOI:
Date:
10/23/2022
Abstract:
Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) has been pumped and sprayed in only limited instances to date due to challenges posed by conventional concrete pumps. Conventional concrete pumps heat up the UHPC and make controlling the material workability very difficult. Steelike, Inc. has invented two UHPC mixing, pumping, and spraying machines that solve this problem, expanding the range of applications of UHPC. In addition to solving the problem of overheating, the new systems are portable, easy to clean, include an integrated chiller to eliminate ice, and can be paired with ready-mix trucks for non-stop pumping and spraying. The pumping feature of the two Steelike™ System for UHPC Placement Acceleration (SUPA™) units can be used to eliminate concrete buggies and to get UHPC into hard-to-reach places, such as steel girder end repairs, without having to go through extreme measures to place it by gravity. The spraying feature of the Steelike SUPA™ units makes durable UHPC repairs of vertical and overhead concrete surfaces practical and has unlimited potential for architectural applications. The two Steelike SUPA™ units will be presented as well as early pumping and spraying applications of the machines.