This article first appeared in the Railway-News magazine, Issue 2 2023.
The innovative and eco-friendly foundation material TECHNO-CRETE® is proving to be a successful and increasingly popular alternative to concrete post mix for rail construction projects…
TECHNO-CRETE® is a hydrophobic polyurethane foam foundation system, offering a green and cost-effective post mix option for railway contractors. Its ease of use and minimal bulk-dispensing qualities also ensure faster installation while reducing health and safety concerns.
Available in two packs, part A of TECHNO-CRETE® consists of a blend of recycled organic mineral oils from the catering trade and sustainably grown rapeseed oil, while part B contains isocyanate.
When the two packs of liquid are mixed together and poured into a hole around the post, the liquid blend expands to 20 times its initial volume to create a lightweight, high-density foam. That foam mixture rises to fill the hole and encapsulates the post, becoming a solid mass able to hold the post within ten minutes. Curing time is 24 hours but the post is hard enough to fix to within one hour.
A huge advantage that TECHNO-CRETE® has over cement-based products is its ability to be used in inclement weather. If the ground or air temperature dips below 0 degrees centigrade, the water required to mix the concrete will freeze, whereas even if temperatures drop below zero the exothermic reaction of TECHNO-CRETE® still takes place, resulting in no delays regardless of weather conditions.
Concrete works by virtue of mass of material. In order to fill a typical 300mm diameter x 600mm deep fence post hole, 3 x 20kg bags of concrete post mix plus 20 litres of water are required. TECHNO-CRETE®, however, uses skin friction to its advantage and that same post would need just one 1.8kg bag of TECHNO-CRETE® — and no water — to support it.
Use the form opposite to get in touch with Complete Composite Systems (CCS) directly to discuss any requirements you might have.