Container Terminal

A container port holding yard typically needs to be sufficiently durable to tolerate a high volume of heavy container cargo, with all the machinery required to achieve that also putting a strain on the concrete surface.

Cracks can occur at any point throughout a concrete structure’s lifetime. In the beginning, during the hardening process, the main concern is early-age shrinkage cracking. With older, hardened concrete, stress cracks can occur from loading.

Without a suitable support structure in place, the lifespan of a new holding yard would likely be short.

A recent specification aimed to solve this issue through a steel fibre framework. Reinforcing concrete in this way ensures cohesion in the fresh concrete, improving load capacity and ductility. Reinforcing concrete in this way improves cohesion in the fresh concrete, increases load capacity, ductility and abrasion resistance in the hardened concrete and ensures the finished flooring system is fully compliant with current fire regulations.

However, due to the specialised nature of these facilities and the stress that constant movement of 20ft cargo containers could place on the concrete, a very high dosage of steel fibres would be required. These types of fibres are more adept for fire and gas protection and crack reduction, compared to standard reinforcing.

Sika worked with ready-mix concrete specialists to produce a cost-effective plan for surfacing these yards, ensuring it was robust enough to handle its freight requirements.

SikaFiber® Novocon HE1060 High Tensile Steel Fibres were suggested by the Engineers, reducing the overall fibre dosage required. This type of fibre is designed to withstand higher stress levels and provide maximum effectiveness when managing heavy loads.