Right before the holidays we posted our first ever Hi-Con Christmas Quiz. The interest of the quiz was huge and therefore, we have decided to write a follow-up post to sum up all the right answers that you could find in earlier posts.
So, here it goes …
Question 1
Hi-Con is specialized in making slender, minimalistic and customized solutions within balconies, staircases and facade panels. But in what other business areas is CRC i2® suitable?
Actually, CRC i2® is suitable for all of the mentioned business areas: Housing, Infrastructure, Safe, Urban and Environment. CRC i2® is a strong and shapeable material that has a high durability, is fire resistant and has a maintenance-free surface. We have explored the potentials within several of the business areas and as you are probably already aware of, housing is – by far – our biggest business area with staircases, balconies and facade panels for both renovation and new build. Furthermore, we have created solutions within both infrastructure and urban environments with different bridge projects in The Netherlands and tables, benches, scene covering etc. in urban projects in Denmark and abroad.
You should think of everything as being possible with CRC i2® high performance concrete and the material still has many unexplored potentials within the above-mentioned business areas.
Question 2+3
At Hi-Con we use our own and special type of UHPFRC called CRC i2®. But what is CRC an acronym for? And what material is Hi-Con specialized in working with?
CRC is an acronym for Compact Reinforced Composite and is a special type of UHPFRC that we use at Hi-Con. CRC i2® is a new and well-documented generation of high performance concrete and was originally developed at Aalborg Portland and further developed by Hi-Con. The mix contains both steel fibers and closely spaced rebars to achieve a behavior similar to that of steel, but with the advantages of concrete. Therefore, we are able to create unique precast products that combine the shapeability of concrete and the strength of steel and makes the products superior in extreme environments.
Question 4
Can concrete bend?
Several years ago, the alignment of two element plates on a specially designed staircase was not possible by a simple adjustment of the elements. Therefore, 1,5 ton weight was placed on one element, and a support placed under the other, and after waiting 4 days before removing the weight, the element plates were aligned.
Years later we were discussing bridges, and the necessity to make curved elements to match the curvature of smaller bridges with Hi-Cons cooperation partner Pieters Bouwtekniek (NL) and the idea to perform this bending with CRC i2® as more than a problem solving measure was conceived.
Now, several years and a lot of testing later in Delft (NL) and later with full scale documentation trials at Hi-Cons plant in Hjallerup (DK), we have the data necessary to execute controlled cold bending of pre-cast CRC i2® elements.
Not everybody is aware of the innovation culture at Hi-Con, but 30% of our internal resources are dedicated to develop our company and the material. Bending concrete is a result of this culture and we hope to continue to be innovative. If you have any idea for a use of high performance concrete that could make a difference in your next building project, don’t hesitate to contact us 🙂
Question 5
Since 2012 we have been working together with the Aarhus School of Architecture to develop an eight meters wide and three meters high piece of artwork. But how much will the sculpture weigh?
As the sculpture is completed and installed in the beginning of 2018 it will weigh 19 ton and consist of 6 unique elements in CRC i2® bolted and glued together and erected on two cast-in-place line foundations.
Question 6
As a precast producer it is very important for us to have a great way of connecting elements – preferably so that we can count on full transfer of moments, torsional stresses etc. But what are our way of connecting elements called?
We call our method of connecting elements “CRC JointCast®”. CRC JointCast® is a dry-mortar similar to the CRC i2®, which we mix on site with only fibers and water added. The joints are compact, simple and have a strength at least equivalent to the elements that are joined together. This allows us to divide the structure into smaller parts in the manner, which makes the most sense with regard to transport, installation, handling on site and in the factory as well as with regard to reducing the cost of molds.
Question 7
Is fire resistance a problem for UHPC?
Concerns are often raised regarding the fire resistance of UHPC. Fire resistance is one of the attributes that distinguishes concrete compared to other materials such as steel or aluminum and it is quite possible to design a UHPC solution with a fire resistance that is at least equal to that of conventional concrete. Read the full story about fire resistance in the post Fire Resistance – is it a problem for UHPC?.
Question 8
What is the durability of structures in high performance concrete?
The right UHPC mixture with the right fiber content can outperform anything, even under very high strains, and with very low covers, structures can last for 100+ years.
Thank you for reading the blog and participating in the quiz. As always, you can leave a comment below or visit our website to learn more about Hi-Con.