Tag Archives: concrete repair

Bridge crack repair in the Philippines.

Make Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender part of your bridge preventative maintenance program. Repair cracks as they develop when they are small. Don’t let small cracks turn into big problems. Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ is extremely tough and will withstand even the harshest punishment. Use all year long… may be applied at temperatures as low as -20° F with excellent results.

The Gilbert Bridge in the Philippines.

Crack repairs on the Gilbert bridge in the Philippines with Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender.

Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender is great repairing surface cracks in a bridge deck. The flow-and-go application along with the 10 minute cure time allow repair crews to get on and off the bridge quickly. Traffic can be returned to the bridge in just 10 minutes after application.  In the Philippines, crews often work at night when traffic is low and working conditions are cooler.

Crack repairs on the Gilbert bridge in the Philippines with Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender.

Crews work in teams. One person shoots the Concrete Mender from 600ml cartridges, one person applies filler sand, and one person trowels the repair smooth.

Sunset photo of the Bantum Bridge in the Philippines.

Workers repairing cracks in the Bantum Bridge in the Philippines using Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender.

Workers repairing cracks in the Bantum Bridge in the Philippines using Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender.

What are the reasons DOT’s Roadware?

1) “Safety for the driving public.” Roadware repairs are ready for traffic in 10 minutes. Lane closure time is dramatically reduced.

2) “Safety for my crew.” The interstate is a dangerous work environment, the quicker repairs are made, the less exposure to the hazards of working on a heavily traveled interstate.

3) “Saves a lot of money.” Quick cure times, easy mixing, straight forward application, and good long term performance makes Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender a good value. After a few days of training, the crew was able to repair a bridge in half a day. One district in Wisconsin saved about $1500 per bridge over conventional repair methods. No overnight lane closures are needed and crews are more productive with less equipment requirements.

Full Depth Crack Injection with Concrete Mender.

A 24″ deep core sample shows 100% injection repair with Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender.

For many years, engineers have looked for ways to fully inject repair polymers into cracked concrete structures. The general consensus is to seal off the crack with a sacrificial epoxy and install injection ports every few inches. Then thick epoxy is injected under high pressure into the crack with expensive resin injection pumps. The process is time-consuming, the epoxy is brittle, the equipment is expensive and the skill level is highly specialized. This makes epoxy injection slow, expensive and not really effective in the field.

At Roadware, we look for ways to make concrete repair fast, effective and easy.  

Fast is better. When injecting Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender into concrete, the fast gel and cure time allows you to make a full depth repair from the bottom of the crack up to the top. If the crack you are injecting has a large hidden void, Concrete Mender repairs will start to gel and plug up the void in several minutes. Injection epoxy that takes several hours to cure will sink to the bottom of your crack and pool in the base before it has a chance to cure.

Effective. Concrete Mender is a Structural Polyurethane**.  It is about as hard as typical concrete with much greater tensile and bonding strength. It is super thin at 8cps with a surface tension 1/3 of water. It can to penetrate concrete cracks and surfaces. Concrete Mender does not need to be forced into cracks with high pressure pumps and extraordinary methods.  Concrete Mender can easily flow into cracks and fissures with just simple manual tools and a specially designed application mixer. You can repair more cracks in less time with less waste then ever before. Repairs are structural in nature and will move with the concrete, not against it like very hard epoxies.

Easy Application. For a repair to be effective in the field, it has to be simple enough for crews to apply efficiently. Installation productivity saves money.

Diagram showing Concrete Mender Soft-tip mixer injection into a concrete slab.
  1. To start, simply drill a 3/8″ diameter hole about one inch deep into the crack at several points along the crack. Clean the crack and holes with a vacuum.* (Click here to learn how to work safely around silica dust).
  2. Tape off the top of the crack and around the holes you just drilled with clear duct tape or Gorilla Clear Repair Tape. These tapes have a good adhesive that will stick to the surrounding concrete. Do not use packing tape or other tapes without testing them first.
  3. Assemble a cartridge of Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender using out specially designed Soft-tip static mixer. Purge the cartridge of air as directed and insert nozzle into the first hole you drilled earlier.
  4. Gently squeeze the handle of the gun and slowly inject Concrete Mender into the crack. Work product into several holes at a time, moving the cartridge back and forth among them. Allow time for  the Concrete Mender to start gelling in the bottom of the crack.  As the crack starts to fill completely, you will see Concrete Mender flow under the clear tape from one drilled hole to the other. You may see air bubbling up from one hole as you inject Concrete Mender into adjacent holes.
  5. Once the crack is filled to refusal, move on to the next few drilled holes until the whole crack is filled.
  6. After 10 minutes at 70 degrees or 23 C, pull the tape. You can use a razor scraper, grinder or polishing device to remove and excess material and blend in the repair.
Drilling a pilot hole into a crack to prepare for injection with Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender.
Drilling a pilot hole into a crack to prepare for injection with Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender.
A pilot hole drilled into a concrete crack and ready for injection with Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender.
A pilot hole drilled into a concrete crack and ready for injection with Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender. Clear repair tape temporarily seals the crack while being repaired.
Concrete Mender crack injection with speed inject mixer.
Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender is slowly injected into the crack using a Soft-tip sealing mixer.
Inject Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender into the crack until the product appears under the tape. This fills the crack from the bottom up.
Inject Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender into the crack until the product appears under the tape. This repairs the crack from the bottom up. Work several holes at a time allowing the product to gel and seal the bottom as you go.
Concrete Mender crack injection into 24 inches of concrete.
Slowly injecting Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender into 24″ of concrete using 600ml cartridge and soft-tip injection mixers.
Core drilling of Concrete Mender repair shows full depth repair down 24 inches using this method.
Core drilling of the repair shows full depth repair down 24 inches using this method.
The core sample shows full depth repair down 24 inches.
The core sample shows full depth repair down 24 inches.
Concrete Mender repair shown under UV light. See how the Concrete Mender flows into the smallest cracks and brings the concrete back to a pre-cracked condition.
Concrete Mender repair shown under UV light. See how the Concrete Mender flows into the smallest cracks and brings the concrete back to a pre-cracked condition.

Using Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender and Soft-tip injection mixers, you can structurally repair concrete cracks and delaminations with simple tools and methods. This unique system saves time and money and allow for a high production rate for installers. The drill hole/inject method is much less invasive than traditional cut and fill methods and creates a lot less silica dust on the jobsite. The Microdoweling properties of Concrete Mender and Soft-tip Injection promises to be a winning combination for tough concrete repair challenges.

80300 Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender 600ml Cartridge
80300 Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender 600ml Cartridge

80300 Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender 600ml Cartridge

1006-STR 24-element static mixer with Easy Injection Tip
1006-STR 24-element static mixer with Easy Injection Tip

1006-STR 24-element static mixer with Easy Injection Tip

*“Workers may be exposed to dangerous levels of silica dust when cutting, drilling, grinding, or otherwise disturbing materials that contain silica. These materials and tasks are common on construction jobs. Breathing that dust can lead to serious, often fatal illnesses.” The Center for Construction Research and Training. Click here to learn how to work safely with silica.

** Structural Polyurethane: A polyurethane based material that restores structural integrity and aggregate interlock to distressed concrete by using low surface tension and low viscosity to penetrate concrete surfaces and cross-linking polymer chains to bond directly to the concrete-aggregate matrix.  This bonding action utilizes capillary forces to self-inject polymer chains into the surrounding concrete. This material should have a modulus of elasticity less than the surrounding concrete and should not become brittle over time. This material may be combined with manufactured sand to form a PCC compatible polymer concrete that can structurally repair concrete cracks  and spalls.

Emergency Repair at Service Station with Concrete Mender

Bill Neal of Neals Design recently repaired spalled and cracked concrete on the fly at a service station in Washington.  A customer had broken an ankle stepping out of a truck into the badly spalled concrete. Bill was able to make the repair in minutes, eliminating the safety hazard without major disruption to the service station.

Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender is your go to product for making long-lasting repairs with minimal downtime.  At 70 degrees F  or 21C, A Concrete Mender repair can be ready for heavy truck traffic in about 10 minutes.

Finished Concrete Mender repairs at a truck fuel station.
Finished Concrete Mender repairs ready for traffic.

The ultra low viscosity Concrete Mender mixes very easily with manufactured sand or quartz.  A tough and durable polymer concrete mortar can be mixed in a bucket by hand with simple tools. No expensive pumps or power mixers needed. See how it is done here. Concrete Mender™ Bulk Application Instructions

Product used:

Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ Two-gallon Kit #80020

Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ two gallon kit. Item #80020
Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ two gallon kit. Item #80020

How to buy.

Find out more.

Swimming Pool Repair with Concrete Mender

Pool spalls are cleaned and prepared for repair with Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender.
Pool spalls are cleaned and prepared for repair with Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender.

What do you do when your pool has cracks and spalls and it has to be open is three days? Back in 2001, the City of South Saint Paul, Minnesota had a problem with their new splash pool. Just before opening the pool for its second season, cracks and spalls were discovered in the concrete pool bottom and along corner where the floor meets the wall. The damaged was probably caused by the first Minnesota winter for this neighborhood splash pool facility. The repairs needed to be done fast. The pool was scheduled to be open in just three days. Any delay would be a disappointment for local families and political problem for the City who spent a lot of money to build this water recreation facility.

The call went out to see if anyone could come up with a solution. Roadware Incorporated, also located in the City of South Saint Paul, received a call from the Parks and Recreation Maintenance Department to see if we had any ideas. It turns out, Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ is a great product for repairing concrete pools. The cross-linked polyurethanes in Concrete Mender and very resistant to water, chlorine and other pool chemicals.

Roadware personnel were at the pool within a few hours and repairs were made using a mixture of Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender and manufactured sand.

Mixing 10 Minute Concrete Mender with sand in a bucket prior to repairing a spall in the concrete pool floor.
Mixing 10 Minute Concrete Mender with sand in a bucket prior to repairing a spall in the concrete pool floor.

 

Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender is flooded into the spalled ares and seeded with manufactured sand.

Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender and sand are applied to spalls in the pool floor.
Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender and sand are applied to spalls in the pool floor.

 

The Concrete Mender and sand bland can be troweled in place and will cure in about 10 minutes.

Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender mixed with sand is troweled into place.
Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender mixed with sand is troweled into place.

 

Vertical surfaces can be repaired by mixing Concrete Mender with fine manufactured sand and troweled in place.

Pool repairs at the pool edge are made with Concrete Mender mixed with sand and troweled in place.
Pool repairs at the pool edge are made with Concrete Mender mixed with sand and troweled in place.

 

Repairs can be painted using standard methods in 10 minutes after application at 70 degrees F (23C).

Finished Concrete Mender spall repairs in pool were ready for paint in minutes.
Finished repairs were ready for paint in minutes.

 

All the repairs took just a few hours to complete and the pool was ready for a fresh coat of paint in minutes. The pool was painted and filled with water the next day. The Concrete Mender repairs have largely been forgotten, but continue to perform to this day.

The South Saint Paul Splash Pool in 2017. Concrete Mender repairs in the pool still look good 16 years later.
The South Saint Paul Splash Pool in 2017. Concrete Mender repairs in the pool still look good 16 years later.

 

 

Products:

Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™

Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ 600ml cartridge item 80300.

 

 

Crack repair at the Milan-Malpensa Airport (MXP)

The Milan-Malpensa MXP International Airport in Ferno, Italy handles nearly 20 million passengers per year and over 500,000 tons of international freight annually. Crews are using Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ to repair cracks in taxiways. The deep penetration of Concrete Mender and the 10 minute cure helps keep the historic airport running at top efficiency.

Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ is a tough high penetration polyurethane quickly soaks into small cracks and repairs them before they become big problems.

The MXP Airport saves time and money by repairing cracks early when they are small. The Concrete Mender cures in just 10 minutes. This is perfect for repairing taxiways that have to remain open 24 hours per day.

Crews use Concrete Mender supplied in self-mixing 600ml cartridges to quickly apply material exactly where it is needed. No material is wasted. Manufactured sand is added to extend the product volume and control how much Concrete Mender flows into the crack.

Repairs are ready for airport service in about 10 minutes at 70 degrees F (23C).

Roadware at the Global Cold Chain Expo, June 13-15, 2017. Chicago

 

JUNE 13-15, 2017 | MCCORMICK PLACE | CHICAGO, IL

Roadware will exhibit in the Global Cold Chain Expo 2017. Look for us in Booth 5128.

The GCCE covers all aspects of cold storage warehousing and logistics.  Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ is the go-to product for repairing cracks, joints and spalls in all kinds of refrigerated and freezer warehouse applications.

The cold environment and heavy weight traffic in a freezer warehouse represents the ultimate challenge for a concrete repair material. Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ has been used for over 20 years in tough cold storage environments.

The Roadware booth will feature Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ and Safety Yellow Concrete Mender™ for creating permanent yellow safety lines in freezer floors.

 

The 2016 Global Cold Chain Expo in Chicago.

 

See Roadware in Booth 5128 at the 2017 Global Cold Storage Expo in Chicago.

 

For reduced or free admission to the GCCE, contact Kelton Glewwe – kglewwe@concretemender.com, by June 1st, 2017. For qualified attendees only. Limited time offer.

 

 

 

Roadware YouTube Channel Hits 2 Million Views

The Roadware YouTube Channel hits TWO MILLION VIEWS. Roadware maintains a YouTube video channel that shows Roadware products in action. This month our channel surpassed two million views. The YouTube channel currently has over 50 in-house produced videos showing simple concrete crack repair to advanced decorative and exposed aggregate concrete repairs. Check it out here. Two million views accounts for about 3.8 million watched minutes. That’s about 63,000 hours of watch time.

Here is a gallery of Roadware videos from the Roadware YouTube Channel.

Floor repair stands up to forklift damage.

 

The Microdoweling™ action of Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ can structurally, “glue” concrete back together. Pictured here is a concrete break-out caused by a forklift hitting an anchored steel bollard.

Anchored post hit with forklift causing damage to floor.

 

Concrete Mender™ was used to re-attach the broken concrete piece and repair the crack.

Damaged floor anchoring steel post is repaired and loose concrete piece re-attached with Concrete Mender™.

 

After about 10 minutes, the repair was buffed smooth and open for traffic.

Concrete Mender™ repair is buffed smooth and ready for service.

 

About a week later, the bollard was again hit with a forklift and at the same angle. The repaired concrete held in place. The concrete broke on the other side of the bollard this time. Concrete Mender can’t stop forklifts from hitting bollards. It can help minimize the damage and make lasting repairs.

Concrete Mender floor repair one week after installation. The steel post was hit again with a forklift and is still holding in place.

Busiest Cargo Gateway Airport in the World uses Flexible Cement II – HKG Hong Kong China

The Hong Kong International airport HKG is home to the world’s busiest cargo gateway airport. In 2015, HKG moved over 4.38 million metric tonnes of air cargo.  It is also one of the world’s business passenger airports accommodating over 68 million passengers that same year.

HKG Airport at night
HKG Airport at night

Operations at the world’s busiest cargo airport run 24/7/365 without stopping. Maintenance crews need a crack and joint repair material that can be applied in a wide range of conditions and be ready for service in minutes. Roadware Flexible Cement II  is a tough polyurethane crack repair material that can be applied at any ambient temperature. It bonds very well to distressed concrete and forms a tough semi-elastic polymer that will withstand heavy airline traffic in about 15 minutes. Crews at HKG airport have relied on Roadware Flexible Cement II to make repairs whenever and wherever needed for over 5 years.

Maintenance workers repair the taxiway with Roadware Flexible Cement II.
Maintenance workers repair a taxiway at night with Roadware Flexible Cement II.

 

Crews use Roadware Flexible Cement II in 600ml cartridges to quickly repair concrete cracks in a taxiway at HKG airport.
Crews use Roadware Flexible Cement II in 600ml cartridges to quickly repair concrete cracks in a taxiway at HKG airport.

 

HKG crews use Flexible Cement II to seal cracks near an in-ground refueling port in damp conditions.
HKG crews use Flexible Cement II to seal cracks damp conditions.

 

Roadware Flexible Cement II™ 300x300ml cartridge Item #91300
Roadware Flexible Cement II™ 300x300ml cartridge Item #91300