UHPC enters a new era
For 25 years, UHPC formulas (Ultra-High Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concretes) have improved to push the limits and to provide innovative solutions to construction contractors. UHPCs make it possible to perform architectural feats and to face civil engineering challenges (facades of the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, renovation of the Viaducs de Chillon in Switzerland, etc.). An UHPC expert for more than 25 years and inventor of a Ductal® UHPC applicable on slopes inclined up to 18%, LafargeHolcim has developed the first UHPC Ductal® Shotcrete. This is a major innovation that expands the use of UHPCs to vaults and vertical walls. This solution makes it possible to be free from expensive casings and complicated installation.
Aesthetic, durable, resistant
In its “spray” form, Ductal® retains the known characteristics of UHPCs: high mechanical characteristics and very high durability. As for performance, Ductal® Shotcrete has exceptional resistance to chemical and mechanical damage (abrasion, freezing/thawing, collisions, etc.) and high durability (100 times higher than the durability of conventional concrete). These qualities make it possible to reduce the volumes of product necessary to reinforce structures.
Easier work sites
In the field of civil engineering, Ductal® Shotcrete is a very competitive alternative solution for vault and wall coverings. Directly applied in thin layers onto the existing structure, Ductal® Shotcrete does not require casing or installation of connectors as required by the conventional poured or sprayed concrete techniques. In the renovation of metal culverts, the UHPC Shotcrete solution makes it possible to reduce work time on site while following the geometry of the existing infrastructure (adding of a thin layer of material) and to preserve the circulation dimensions. Due its ease of use, Ductal® Shotcrete therefore provides a global response to a certain number of constraints (technical, cost control, etc.) with which construction contractors are generally faced. This offers real technological and economic progress for any type of modern work site.
