Blogs and Technical Articles from Sika Concrete

Learn more on concrete industry updates, standards, how to guides and much more from Sika.

Self-Compacting Concrete – Why Use It?

The areas in which self-compacting concrete is used have increased considerably since it was developed in earthquake zones throughout Asia where structural columns attached to tall buildings were heavily congested with steel reinforcement. Self-compacting concrete was designed to flow around this type of reinforcement and provide a fully-compacted, durable concrete to work in conjunction with steel.
Concrete

Slipform process leaves concrete buildings standing tall

Slipform construction is a construction method in which concrete is poured into a continuously moving form. It is a method for vertically extruding a reinforced concrete section and is suitable for the construction of core walls in high-rise structures: lift shafts, stair shafts, towers, etc. Requiring little crane-time during construction, Slipform is a self-contained formwork system that can also apply to horizontal structures such as central reservations in road construction.
Concrete

Pigmentation adding flexibility to the use and design of concrete

It took about 50 years for television to transform from black and white to glorious technicolour; the availability of pigmentation to give concrete shades other than grey took infinitely longer. The wait was worth it, however, as the colourisation of this otherwise drab-looking material has given it a new lease of life in terms of its usage; brightening our commercial and domestic worlds in the process.
Concrete

Hot Weather Concrete

Concreting in hot weather provides a set of unique challenges for contractors and is only possible at high temperatures if special protective measures are provided.
Concrete
SikaFiber fibers for concrete reinforcement

A mixing guide for SikaFiber Reinforced Concrete

Fibres are an ideal ingredient for improving the performance and durability of concrete. However, it is important the materials are batched correctly as failure to do so can lead to poor quality concrete.
Concrete
Synthetic macro fibers used for concrete production to prevent cracks development

Fibre Reinforced Concrete Video

Watch our overview video on fibre reinforced concrete.
Concrete
Butterfly on textured concrete wall

How to Make Concrete More Sustainable

Concrete is in many ways an ideal building material – locally available, cheap, perfect composite material when combined with steel and highly durable and easy-to-work-with when used with Sika products. However, it is not so perfect ecologically - it is the second most used substance on earth after water consuming many resources, its most important ingredient is responsible for 7% of global CO₂ emissions, whereby production is an energy intensive process.

Sika® Watertight Concrete delivers technologically advanced solutions

First used in the UK more than 60 years ago, the Sika® Watertight Concrete system is as flexible as it ever was. Not only does the system allow for the use of cement replacements (GGBS, PFA), but also a wide range of aggregate types can be used with the system. Due to Sika® Watertight Concrete system’s impressive benefits, it is now the most widely used system of its type in the UK.
Concrete

Day in the life of Steven Davie – The importance of Compressive Strength Testing

My job is to represent Sika in the validation / design implementation of concrete for some of the UK’s major and independent ready-mix concrete suppliers.
Concrete

Is Watertight Concrete the best option for your project?

FACT: Kaspar Winkler first used watertight concrete in the Gotthard Tunnel under the Swiss Alps.
Concrete

Introducing SikaFiber®-1050 B&BA HF for beam and block floors

SikaFiber®-1050 B&BA HF is a new steel fibre solution launched by Sika in order to provide a cost-effective, ‘no fuss’ alternative to steel mesh-reinforced structural topping installations.
Concrete

Sika® Stabilizer-500 VCC: Problem sands, problem solved

Almost every batch of aggregate will come with some level of contaminant, the key to improving their performance in concrete is understanding the type, quantity and variability of the contamination.
Concrete

Fibres: the not-so-secret ingredient of Sika concrete

Following the successful acquisition and integration of the global Concrete Fibres business from Propex Holding LLC, Sika now has one of the widest ranges of fibres available on the market. The perfect addition to Sika’s concrete systems, required predominantly for the construction of structural concrete slabs, composite metal decks and precast concrete, the acquired business included a 12,000 sqm production facility, enabling the firm to significantly increase capacity for both micro and macro synthetic fibres.
Concrete

Introducing SikaFume® -50S - Microsilica Admixture

A Microsilica admixture for ultra-high performing concrete.
Concrete
Concrete Slab Pour

Everything you need to know about Sikament®-700

A liquid admixture for high-range water reducer and superplasticiser.
Concrete
Butterfly on textured concrete wall
  • Concrete Admixture
  • Concrete

How to Make Concrete More Sustainable

Concrete is in many ways an ideal building material – locally available, cheap, perfect composite material when combined with steel and highly durable and easy-to-work-with when used with Sika products. However, it is not so perfect ecologically - it is the second most used substance on earth after water consuming many resources. Its most important ingredient, cement, is responsible for roughly 8% of global CO₂ emissions, whereby production is an energy intensive process.
The evaporation of cement additives dosed on hot clinker
  • Concrete
  • Cement Additive

Addressing the Unwanted Impacts of Grinding Aids

Grinding aids and strength enhancers are well known for their ability to increase cement mill productivity, and the mechanical strength of mortar and concrete. However, little information is available on the potential drawbacks of their usage. To close the gap, Sika Services addresses the possible impacts on health and safety and the environment, and on cement properties in production and use.
Concrete
  • Concrete
  • Concrete Admixture

Progress with Grinding Aids for Vertical Roller Mills

The effect of grinding aids on the comminution of cement is based on the dispersion of fine particles. It is a misunderstanding that grinding aids for vertical roller mills (VRMs) should stabilise the material bed between the rollers and the table by adhesive forces between the particles. Grinding aids reduce the polarity of the cleaved surface and the attraction forces between particles.
Concrete

Performance Enhancer for Portland Limestone Cement (PLC)

The motives to replace clinker with supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) are well known. However, granulated blast furnace slag, natural pozzolanes, qualified fly ash and further SCM have a limited availability; the total potential replacement of the global clinker production is less than 30%. Limestone is increasingly being used as a component in Portland-Limestone cements: Sika offers an additive to enhance grinding and performance.
Concularity infographic showing circular economy of concrete circle loop
  • Concrete
  • Concrete Admixture

Enable Circularity - Make Concrete More Resource Efficient

The linear economy, or one-time use, of concrete in construction leads to a scarcity of resources and more waste at every step in the journey of that concrete material. Whereas the circular economy allows for many benefits. Explore the Sika Sustainability Circle to learn how Sika enables circularity in the concrete lifecycle.
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