Today’s harsh industrial environments wreak havoc on concrete floors and other structures that can spell trouble for safety and performance. Loctite® Fixmaster® Magna-Crete flooring products are specialty repair materials for rebuilding, repairing and resurfacing concrete floors.

Cracked surface, rusted steel, crumbling concrete are some of the more commons signs that indicate structural problems in a structure. Consequence of letting these signs go unnoticed could be disastrous. This type of damage may is usually seen on industrial floors, chimney superstructure, slurry pit wall or roads & floorings, since these structures are subjected to heavy wear and tear.

Some of the common causes of concrete failure are:

• Freezing and thawing
• Aggressive chemical exposure
• Mechanical abrasion
• Corrosion of steel and other embedded metals
• Chemical reactions of aggregates
• Non-uniform volume change
• Unsound cement with excessive amounts of unhydrated CaO or MgO
• Plastic shrinkage, due to lack of moisture content during concrete setting

Henkel has now introduced Loctite« Fixmaster« Magna-Crete as a superior repair solution for such problems. It is a rapid setting, non cementatious, non-epoxy formulation, which is designed to match the thermal coefficient of expansion. It is a high performance, magnesium polyphosphate based system that helps in building High compressive strength.

This two-component system sets rapidly and has a very high early strength. It is ideal for road and aircraft runway repairs, which can typically be driven over after 45 minutes. It also bonds to new and old concrete, as well as most other construction materials including wood, glass and steel. It is a ready to use product with no water addition required and can be applied at temperatures as low as -15¦F (-26¦C).

Typical applications include the repair of floors, ramps, loading areas, support beams, bridge decking and concrete walls (including those in waste-water treatment plants). Magna-Crete has been proved to be effective for the repair of cold store floors, where heavy use can make surfaces unserviceable. For grouting purposes, Magna-Crete can be employed for precast panels, anchor bolts, crane and track rails, roadway dowel rods, columns, foundations, baseplates and similar applications.

APPLICATION EXAMPLES

Manufacturer of aircraft and turbine parts avoids the multi-day shutdown

Situation

A manufacturer of investment-casted aircraft and turbine parts was operating on a high-volume capacity of three shifts a day, seven days a week. When the concrete ramp leading to a supply warehouse began to break down and re-bar became exposed, maintenance engineers were concerned. Not only was this a hazard to personnel, but fork truck operators who brought in loads of high-quality metal alloy ingots actually lost loads due to the deteriorated condition of the ramp. Because of the high standards in the aircraft industry, if an ingot is damaged, contaminated or looses weight, it has to be scrapped. With each ingot costing hundreds of dollars, this was unacceptable.

Scheduling time for repair would be costly, as well. Typically, this type of floor repair would involve 2-3 days to remove the 5 x 15 foot concrete flooring with a jackhammer, pour the new concrete floor, and wait for it to dry. A shutdown for that length of time would cost the company tens of thousands of dollars, not including the actual cost of the repair.

Solution

The area was prepared using a rotary hammer, a circular saw with a diamond blade, and a vacuum. Loctite Magna-Crete was installed using a screed and a steel trowel.

Result

Instead of a three day shut down Magna-Crete allowed the company to reopen the ramp to traffic in less than three hours.

Rapid repairs of flooring in food processing plant

Situation

A major meat processing company had been experiencing degradation of its concrete floors due to a combination of high production volumes, forklift traffic, process waste and daily chemical wash downs. The eroded floors in every area of the plant were creating major problems for personnel safety, forklift equipment and overall process cleanliness. Cracked flooring in a food processing facility presents opportunities for bacteria growth, and makes it more difficult for effective daily cleanings.

Prior attempts to repair the concrete floors using epoxy and water-based products had repeatedly failed to provide a reliable or lasting repair. In refrigerated areas, water-based systems do not work, because the water in the system would freeze and be ineffective. Also, epoxy-based systems take too long to cure in refrigerators. These failures only added to the erosion that was already occurring. That’s when they called in Henkel and the local industrial distributor of Loctite® brand products to recommend a solution.

Solution

Unlike conventional cement, latex and acrylic-modified quick-set mixes, Magna-Crete« does not use water. Consequently, repairs can be made in temperatures from -15¦ F to 130¦ F (-9¦ C to 54¦ C). The set time of 10 to 90 minutes, depending on air temperature, means you can build on it, walk on it and even drive over it in less than an hour. Within two hours, Magna-Crete« reaches the strength of concrete (3,000 psi) and at full cure Magna-Crete« has strength of more than 13,000 psi.

The local Henkel Adhesives & Sealants Specialist performed a free on-site workshop for the plant’s maintenance personnel on the use of Loctite® Fixmaster« Magna-Crete« and other product solutions.

Results

Henkel was able to provide field expertise in both the selection of the suitable product and correct application. This level of support helped to facilitate successful repairs in all areas of the plant.

The versatility of this product provided several benefits to this facility. Unlike the prior repairs, Loctite® Fixmaster« Magna-Crete« adhered securely to the concrete and did not opop outö when put under forklift traffic.

As a result of the overall improvements in the facility’s floors, the mean time between forklift repairs was extended; thus saving maintenance costs and downtime.

Flooring repairs were made quickly and easily. With no mix ratio requirements, Magna-Crete« was able to be varied for a thinner self-leveling mixture for horizontal Applications, or a thicker mixture for vertical applications.

In addition to providing a high adhesion and high strength repair, Magna-Crete« also exhibits excellent environmental resistance to process waste and cleaning chemicals.

The anti-microbial nature of the cured Magna-Crete« was an added benefit for the facility as well.

HENKEL

Henkel operates worldwide with leading brands and technologies in three business areas: Laundry & Home Care, Beauty Care and Adhesive Technologies. Founded in 1876, Henkel holds globally leading market positions both in the consumer and industrial businesses with well-known brands such as Persil, Schwarzkopf and Loctite.

Henkel, headquartered in Dnsseldorf / Germany, has some 47,000 employees worldwide and counts among the most internationally aligned German-based companies in the global marketplace.

Henkel is a supplier of complete systems solutions. The services offered range from design and consultancy, product development and dispensing equipment through to process control expertise.