
Waynesville, North Carolina - May 22, 2017 - PREVent-C® technology, a proven shrinkage-reducing,
and crack-control concrete admixture, was used in the accelerated construction
techniques by the Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT) to repair the
Interstate 85 bridge, which burned down on March 30, 2017.
Thomas Concrete, one of the leading suppliers of high-quality ready-mixed concrete in the
Southeast, added PREVent-C® technology to its concrete mix to ensure an
efficient construction timeline and a strong, effective bridge repair that
would not require extensive and costly maintenance in the near future. C.W.
Matthews Contracting Co., Inc., is the contractor leading the project.
John Cook, Director
of Technical Services for Thomas Concrete commented he was pleased to be
using a product that had no adverse effect on their process while providing
such a positive result for the owner. Adam Grist, Vice President of Structures for
C.W. Matthews, said his crews noticed no difference working with the product
during the placement and commended Georgia DOT for embracing innovative
technologies that improve the end product.
PREVent-C® technology was selected for the project because it blends expansive components with pore water surface
tension reduction to successfully defend against cracks and increase the
expected life of a bridge deck. It has been proven to reduce shrinkage by more
than 90 percent, depending on the mix design and amount of PREVent-C utilized.
“Bridge decks are constructed from concrete for strength and
durability. However, the durability of bridge decks are severely compromised by
shrinkage cracks, which occur due to volume change caused by the drying process
as well as other mechanisms,” said Jim Preskenis, Vice President of Sales for
Premier Construction Products Group, makers of PREVent-C. “PREVent-C is used on
any crack-critical structure or whenever there are shrinkage concerns.”
Shrinkage cracks provide water and deicing chemicals immediate access directly
to the steel reinforcement and internal concrete of a bridge deck. Long-term,
this leads to significant repairs and maintenance, and a need for a replacement well before the expected lifecycle
of the structure.
The I-85 project required a very fast construction schedule due to the economic
impact of the detour. Georgia DOT selected an accelerated mix and a 3-day
curing period versus a more standard 7-day curing period. The selected mix
design allowed for a shorter construction schedule leading to the much earlier
than anticipated opening of the interstate.
“In a typical scenario when accelerated strength and minimal curing are
used, cracking would be visible immediately following the end of curing,” said
Preskenis. “On I-85 when the curing was removed, no cracking was observed.”
Prior to the repair of the I-85 bridge, the Georgia DOT used PREVent-C®
as an admixture in three other bridge repair and maintenance projects. The
result of using the technology in the concrete mix designs provided dramatic
improvement versus the traditional concrete mix designs.
About PREVent-C
PREVent-C was developed by Premier Construction Products Group, a
fully-owned division of Premier Magnesia LLC. Premier Magnesia is a global
market leader in magnesia-based products and solutions for dozens of
applications from agricultural to industrial and environmental markets. Premier
Magnesia is one of the world’s principal manufacturers and suppliers of high
purity calcined magnesium oxide and magnesium hydroxide products. Learn more at
www.premiermagnesia.com/cpg.