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PRECISION CAST CONCRETE | FAST | LOW MAINTENANCE  |
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| WARWICK UNIVERSITY PROJECT In 1994 The School of Engineering at Warwick University invited Bendcrete to take part in a joint study of the company methods, material and development for the benefit of Meng. students supervised by the department. We are delighted to have been asked and to participate. Under this arrangement the company opens its operations to the study group and provides materials, drawings, design, management, manufacturing and constructional methods for critical examination. Many of the findings are confidential but some can be made public. 1. Destruction Testing All our ramps have been designed by experienced engineers in the pre cast concrete field of engineering and the ramps are built to calculations to guarantee safety and performance. The object of the destruction test was to examine different methods of re-inforcement in the castings and to verify the calculations. For the first tests we provide four full size transition castings to be installed on the heavy test bed in the university workshops. One casting had no re-inforcement other than the aggregate in the concrete mix. One had steel fibres and two had conventional steel cages. We had some doubts about the safety of moving a casting without re-inforcement so it was allowed to cure to full strength. To our surprise it travelled well without a problem. It was the first to be tested and to universal amazement it fractured at 3 times the designed safe working load.
The casting with steel fibres and the full cage re-inforced castings were tested next with more than satisfactory results. The results have been analysed and are now the basis of a new area of examination to improve our methodology. Further test have been done on cube and cylinder samples to check the mix design performance and to experiment with other mixes. 2. Life Cycle and Energy Conservation Another area of study is the life expectancy of the castings and maintenance implications. The study confirmed that concrete ramps outdoors will out live either wood or steel structures by many years. Additionally it was discovered through enquiry that composite surfaces used as the riding surface often needed replacement every 2 – 3 years. Work has also been done so that the ramps can be modified to reduce the environmental impact of the material used and that is being put into production. These methods also ensure that the materials will be 100% recycled at the end of their life which may be as long as 45 years. Clients interested in the environmental impact of products should now be aware that products sourced in the UK will use less than half the energy of products delivered across Europe. |
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THE CASE FOR PRE CAST RAMPS The argument against pre cast ramps is generally made by people who cant or don't provide them and rarely by the people who skate on them. As with any system strengths and weaknesses exist and provided pre cast ramps are used to their strengths they provide a valuable addition to skating facilities. More specifically you should consider:- 1. Pre cast ramps give a perfect surface and a perfect ride. They are accurate within 2mm and without bumps or hollows. This makes them a great deal safer for the novice skater and gives the advanced and professional skater total confidence in the surface. 2. The ramps are made in a factory where the curing process is controlled and the quality of the concrete guaranteed and consistent. The concrete will generally be harder than site cured concrete and following the study by Warwick University our castings have a life expectancy of over 45 years. 3. The ramps are engineered and produced to designed calculations for strength and durability. The ramps are furthermore the only UK products independently tested to destruction with amazing results. Warwick University carried out tests in 2005 on their hydraulic test bed to discover that the quality of the concrete, without steel reinforcement, exceeded the safe working load safety margin by a factor of 3 before fracture occurred. Ramps with various types of steel reinforcement were also tested to destruction with even more impressive results. 4. Unlike site cast units the ramps can be moved, relocated, extended and in extreme cases are 100% recycled. 5. Installation is faster than site cast ramps which are vulnerable to weather, vandalism and accidents. 6. Pre cast ramps use less concrete and steel than site cast units. Less energy is needed which is good for the environment as fewer materials need delivery to site. 7. The ramps can be used in conjunction with sprayed or hand laid concrete. Disadvantages 1. Pre cast may be more expensive than site cast because a factory in the UK is expensive but that is compensated by higher quality, longer life and greater safety in use. 2. Delivery is made on articulated vehicles and access can be a problem in wet conditions is access is over grassed areas. However smaller loads are delivered than required for site cast units. 3. Units need to be grouted at the surface joints and this needs replacing every 8 -10 years if installed properly.
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READ THE HENGROVE - BRISTOL PARK REVIEW
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| BENDCRETE SKATE RAMPS, 2 BRIDGEVIEW BUSINESS CENTRE, BRIDGE St, ABINGDON, OXFORDSHIRE OX14 3HN TEL: 01235 530278 FAX: 01235 530278 |  |
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©COPYRIGHT BENDCRETE SKATE RAMPS 2006 |