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Manufacturing of monolithic concrete structures by low-temperature hydrocasing

This post discusses the advantages of using low-temperature hydrocasing to manufacture monolithic concrete structures. The technique involves controlling the curing temperatures of the concrete mix, resulting in improved strength and durability compared to traditional methods. It also produces better results in terms of improved precision, denser integrity and homogeneity of the concrete. The method additionally requires less energy to manufacture, is cost effective, reduces the risk of shrinkage and heat transfer, and is faster than the conventional casting process.

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Progress does not stand still, and new technologies in the construction of houses find their application all over the world. This article will discuss one of them – low-temperature hydroframe. We will tell you what it is about, its pros and cons compared to traditional construction methods..

Manufacturing of monolithic concrete structures by low-temperature hydrocasing

The fox had an ice hut, and I had a bast hut. Spring has come, the fox’s hut has melted. These words of a hare from a Russian folk tale may become irrelevant in the near future. A fairy tale or something else, but most likely the general fashion for the manufacture of ice castles with the arrival of winter prompted Norwegian civil engineers to an interesting idea – to use ordinary ice as a formwork or frame in the construction of monolithic concrete houses. They were prompted to this idea by the simplicity of erecting ice structures and elements of any complexity and the cheapness of the building material itself, in fact, plain water. Translated from Norwegian, the name of this method will sound like “low-temperature hydroframing”. The similarity of climatic conditions in Norway and a number of Russian regions makes it possible to use this technology in our country. Let’s see how the low temperature hydroframing method differs from traditional construction methods..

Manufacturing of frame formwork

Formwork for concrete pouring is traditionally assembled from flat strong sheets, for example, boards made of boards, oriented strand boards – OSB, etc. Hollow frames are formed from them, which are poured with concrete. After the concrete mixture hardens, the frame formwork is disassembled. Sheets can later be reused in some cases, but most often they are production waste, that is, not rational use of resources. At present, fixed formwork made of expanded polystyrene is gaining popularity. It is not removed after use, but is an element of the structure itself. This allows you to save money during construction, however, this method also has a number of disadvantages, among them: increased toxicity, fire hazard, the need to protect the foam cladding, and not everyone wants to live in a foam house.

Manufacturing of monolithic concrete structures by low-temperature hydrocasing

The low-temperature hydro-frame method is devoid of all these disadvantages. The formwork is erected from ice blocks, which are simply poured over with water and freeze tightly. The blocks themselves are either made by cryohydrocrystallization, or, in simple terms, by freezing water, or simply sawed from the available ice. Experience shows that any objects of arbitrary shape and complexity with high-strength spatial and structural characteristics can be erected from ice. For the manufacture of the formwork frame, two walls are made of ice blocks – an internal and an external one. The space between them is filled with concrete. With the arrival of heat, the frame simply melts, leaving no traces behind. The finished building remains at the construction site.

Concrete mixing

When developing the technique, a completely natural question arose – what to do, because if you pour warm concrete into the space between the ice walls, then the frame can simply melt before the concrete rises? The solution turned out to be both very simple, cheap and, at the same time, giving a number of positive side effects. Its essence is to prepare a concrete mixture using not water, but crushed ice or snow. How it’s done? The liquid is poured into the mixer along with the gravel and cooled with continuous stirring. As the water freezes, the resulting ice finely crumbles or grinds between individual pebbles of the gravel component, turning into a homogeneous cooled mass of defibrated ice and gravel. Sand, cement and necessary additives, for example, insulation granules, are added here, and, continuously mixing, they are delivered to the facility under construction. The mass has all the plastic properties of concrete, therefore it does not require compaction after backfilling and does not solidify until defibrated ice begins to defrost.

Manufacturing of monolithic concrete structures by low-temperature hydrocasing

Concrete mix prepared in this way is, in fact, no different from traditional concrete and can even be made independently! The preparation method does not increase the cost of the production process in any way. Moreover, it becomes possible to manufacture a mixture in reserve. The only limitation is that all work must be carried out at a negative temperature. The result is a structure of two-layer ice, forming a frame-formwork with a concrete mass enclosed between the layers. As it warms, it is the concrete mixture that begins to thaw first, since its composition initially, like any other concrete, contains various additives. Melting occurs at a temperature of approximately -5 ° C. Thus, the concrete rises even before the ice formwork begins to melt. As tests have shown, due to prolonged contact with crystal-structured water, the hardened concrete mixture forms a spatial crystal lattice of a special shape, which gives concrete increased strength.

Methodology perspectives. Pros and cons

It is quite obvious that the low-temperature hydrocasing method has a very wide range of applications. Geographically, this technology is applicable wherever there is a period of at least three weeks, and this is how much time is needed to carry out the entire cycle of work on the construction of a building on two floors, with a temperature that does not rise above -5 ° C. Such climatic conditions exist almost throughout the territory of Russia..

Manufacturing of monolithic concrete structures by low-temperature hydrocasing

Let’s summarize the pros and cons of the described method, compared to the traditional.

Pros:

  1. Wall construction speed. There is no need to wait until the first layer of concrete rises to pour the next.
  2. The whole structure begins to gain strength at the same time, the result is a real, not a “layered” monolith.
  3. Thanks to the almost free material for the manufacture of the frame-formwork, the costs of preliminary work are significantly reduced.
  4. Thanks to the acquisition of special strength properties by concrete, it becomes possible to erect walls thinner than with the traditional method, without compromising the strength of the building itself.
  5. There is a possibility of construction from ice, and therefore from concrete, buildings and elements of any spatial complexity.
  6. The erected building does not require additional work to dismantle the formwork. Here it will simply melt in the spring without a trace.

Cons: in fact, only one – the seasonality of construction work. In principle, this is a rather conditional minus, since the construction of buildings using the low-temperature hydro-frame method is carried out exactly at the moment when traditional methods simply cannot be applied, which means we get an increase in the construction season, that is, again, a plus.

Manufacturing of monolithic concrete structures by low-temperature hydrocasing

Whether the low-temperature hydrocasing method will find its application, or, as is usually the case with all promising technologies in our country, will quietly die, stumbling upon a misunderstanding of the essence and various bureaucratic obstacles, we will learn from the results of next winter, and in Norway, when the April drops begin several houses built in this way will already appear from under the ice layer.

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Comments: 3
  1. Clementine

    How does the process of manufacturing monolithic concrete structures using low-temperature hydrocasing ensure the strength and reliability of the final product?

    Reply
  2. Isla

    This sounds interesting! How does the low-temperature hydrocasing process work in manufacturing monolithic concrete structures? Are there any advantages or limitations compared to other manufacturing techniques?

    Reply
  3. Gabriel Clarke

    Can you explain the process of manufacturing monolithic concrete structures using low-temperature hydrocasing? How does this technique differ from traditional methods?

    Reply
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