Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1187732
DECEMBER 2019 | 13 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY ALTUSGROUP INC.; EUCLID CANADA Concrete John Carson, executive director of the U.S.-based AltusGroup Inc., says, "We see solid signs of mar- ket growth both here and in Canada as well as that growth continuing, even though Canada, being a foremost leader in energy efficiency, challenges manufacturers to deliver cladding products with exceptional thermal performance to live up to its stringent code standards." That's why AltusGroup has tested its CarbonCast High Performance Insulated Wall Systems with a wide variety of insu- lation options including EPS, GPS, XPS, polyiso and Kooltherm from Kingspan. It gives architects the ability to select the ideal insulation for each applica- tion. The insulated sandwich wall technology uses a carbon fibre grid to create precast elements that are more energy-efficient, resilient, and sustainable than conventional precast. Of the precast sector overall, Carson says, "It remains the system of choice for a huge variety of con- struction projects due to speed and minimization of labour, which is in tight supply. There's lots of pressure these days for stick and frame buildings from wood advocates, but precast's advantages are self evident, and with advances such as Graphic Concrete the sector continues to grow – and demonstrate its versatility." Brian Salazar, national business development man- ager for Euclid Canada, reports that fibre-reinforced concrete "is still gaining momentum with its ability to replace steel on many slab-on-grade applications." He adds that while steel fibres have been in use to reinforce concrete for about 30 years, macro syn- thetic fibres have been used in similar applications for about 20 years, "and one of their advantages is that while steel fibres near the surface can rust within a few months, synthetics don't corrode." Euclid provides synthetic micro and macro fibres under the PSI Fiberstrand and Tuf-Strand trade names, which meet or exceed the requirements of ASTM C1116 defining the use of synthetic fibre rein- forced concrete or shotcrete. Tuf-Strand SF is a patented polypropylene/poly- ethylene macro synthetic fibre successfully used to replace steel fibres, welded wire mesh, and con- ventional reinforcing bars in a wide variety of applications. Concrete reinforced with Tuf-Strand SF will have 3D reinforcing with enhanced flexural toughness, impact and abrasion resistance, and will also help mitigate the formation of plastic shrinkage cracking in concrete. Primary applications are slab- on-grade and elevated construction as well as thin walled precast (walls, vaults). Tuf-Strand PX54 is a macro synthetic fibre engi- neered for use as an alternate to steel fibres and welded wire mesh for precast concrete and shotcrete reinforcement applications. The fibres are specifi- cally used to improve impact, shatter and abrasion resistance, to increase fatigue resistance, to increase toughness of concrete, and provide long-term durability of concrete and cement based building products (precast concrete is the primary applica- tion, as well as shotcrete). CarbonCast High Performance Insulated Wall Panels, Shakopee High School,Shakopee, MN. Tuf-Strand PX54 macro synthetic fibre. Tri-Con.indd 1 2019-03-26 9:08 AM