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Inditherm plc has been awarded a contract worth £74,000
from C.R. Longley & Co Ltd in Dewsbury after the Company obtained positive
results from a trial using Inditherm's innovative concrete curing
blankets.
The aim of the trial was to reduce the
curing time and increase manufacturing throughput of pre-cast, pre-stressed
T-beams that are used in the construction of building floors.
For the trial to be successful, the concrete
needed to be warmed during the curing cycle to a temperature of up to 40°C, so
as to accelerate the hydration reaction of the cement. Inditherm supplied a
reusable, 20 metre, low voltage heated curing blanket for the trial. Not only
did this enable Longley's to achieve the desired strength within the target time
of 16 hours, they were also able to use self-compacting concrete and to reduce
the cement content of their concrete from 400kg/m3 to
350kg/m3.
Because the net result of the trial
demonstrated a very rapid payback period, Longley's have now decided to use the
Inditherm system for its entire T-beam production unit, which will use several 60m
long Inditherm re-usable curing blankets running off a 50 Volt power supply.
Managing Director of the Longley Concrete Group, Michael
Longley, said, "We had looked at various options to enhance our concrete curing.
However, the Inditherm curing blankets proved to be the most simple and economic
option. We were delighted with the results of the trials, the payback for the
investment will be rapid, and it will guarantee production for 12 months of the
year, even through the most extreme weather conditions."
Inditherm has worked with Sheffield Hallam University
for the last 4 years to develop its concrete curing technology based upon
Inditherm's patented, conductive polymer technology. Last year, they were
awarded a contract to supply re-usable concrete curing blankets for use in the
construction of part of London Heathrow's new Terminal 5. In addition, Inditherm
is part of a pan-European consortium called "LOVACS" comprising a number of
companies and research institutes that have received a European grant worth €1
million specifically aimed at commercialising low voltage heating for concrete
curing. This Longley contract is a spin-off from that development work and
proves that Inditherm provides a superior solution to current practices, as well
as helping the environment by reducing carbon emissions (cement production is
carbon intensive).
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