Citi-Con, an expert provider of cutting-edge renovation solutions to the industrial industry, has been appointed to undertake repairs to a ship factory deck at the Port of Cape Town, Western Cape.
The repairs will be completed on behalf of a leading fishing company and producer of high-quality chilled and frozen foods. Citi-Con was entrusted with the repairs considering the company’s excellent track record significantly prolonging the useable lifecycle of industrial structural assets.
“We designed a state-of-the-art repair solution for our client. It includes the use of among the best repair materials available on the market for which Citi-Con is an approved applicator. Combined with our renowned high workmanship standard, this will enable us to guarantee the repairs to the maximum available term. In this way, we will save our client in the costs of having to undertake major repairs further down the line,” Andre Vermeulen, Managing Director of Citi-Con, says.
Citi-Con designed a cutting-edge repair solution for this infrastructure, considering that it is located in a very aggressive environment. The high salinity content of the seawater has led to extensive corrosion of reinforcing bar inside the concrete deck. This is evident by significant concrete spalling.
The company’s team will start repairing the 320m2 deck by opening the spalled areas of concrete to expose the rebar inside and then clearing the substrate of loose material and debris. Thereafter, rust will be removed via hydro-blasting and the reinforcing steel pushed back by 15mm wherever possible. The steel reinforcing will then be treated with a corrosion-resistant primer before reinstating the areas with a 10mm to 20mm-thick repair mortar.
Subsequently, the Citi-Con team will treat the repaired areas with SCP P3 Industrial using a high-pressure airless sprayer. This unique colloidal silica post-placement pozzolan penetrates the concrete deeply via the capillary pore structures that are formed when bleed water exits. SCP P3 Industrial then reacts with available alkalis to form more calcium-silicate hydrate inside the voids. This action permanently waterproofs concrete, enabling it to withstand significant hydrostatic pressure, after a single treatment.
Stoncor Stonclad UT high-impact, abrasion, thermal-shock cycling and chemical resistant mortar will then be applied to the substrate. This will be followed by the application of a build-up system.
To complete the repairs, Flowcrete Deckshield will be applied using a sheepskin roller. This system provides excellent UV, chemical and slip resistance, making it ideal for this application.
“By using a reputable contractor, we ensure that our repairs last and are not simply a short-term measure. Structural concrete repair is a complex process that requires very careful planning, execution and monitoring and, therefore, best left to an expert in the field,” Vermeulen concludes.