Bright future for adhesive reinforcement

Carbon adhesive reinforcement is as simple as it is effective in reinforcing concrete structures. It is easy to apply, takes up virtually no (ceiling) height and is applicable for a variety of situations. Consider reinforcement related to new recesses or modification of a concrete structure, the addition of floors or other additional loads, structural repair of concrete damage or construction defects, or other circumstances where concrete requires additional bearing capacity. Family business Jaki, a no-nonsense company operating out of Ulft, now has extensive experience with adhesive reinforcement and sees it as an increasingly important part of its extensive service program.

Jaki has been in the business of basement waterproofing and concrete and floor repairs since 1958. "Adhesive reinforcement is something we've been doing for ten years now and it fits into a number of trends we're seeing," begins concrete maintenance engineer Wendy Steverink, also head of the business office at Jaki. "Carbon is not new in the industry, but it was still little used in construction. With the development of carbon-based reinforcement strips, that has quickly changed."

It turns out that you can very easily reinforce structures with this. Steverink: "If an extra floor has to be added to a house, you can enable a new stairwell in the concrete floor with adhesive reinforcement, as a kind of raveling. Or consider the many offices that have recently been and are being transformed into residential buildings. New recesses are possible in these with adhesive reinforcement. These compensate for the loss of strength if the existing reinforcement is compromised. Recently, in Almere, we reinforced the roof floor of a stripped office building with adhesive reinforcement. There are now two extra layers on top of it and soon people will be able to live in it. The big advantage is that the maximum 5 mm thick strips are not at the expense of the ceiling height, something that will not work with additional joists. And those can't always be maneuvered into existing structures either."

Adhesive reinforcement is not a matter of 'just sticking some slats'. Steverink: "This is always preceded by a calculation by a structural engineer. Our client may engage this person or they may entrust it to one of our own regular structural engineers. For the application, the surfaces to be reinforced must be sufficiently strong and flat. Sanding, grid blasting and/or smoothing may then be necessary. Then, according to the calculations, the strips are applied with epoxy adhesive. Indeed: a matter of gluing rolls that are easy to lift and apply. On a test piece we then test the bond strength with a tensile test. The end result is a structure that has gained over 40% of additional strength. In fact, we bring it back to the usual overdimensioning that is normal. If the adhesive reinforcement falls off in a fire, the building will still stand."

Jaki sees a bright future. Steverink: "Although the technique may become a little better known among structural engineers, there are many applications where adhesive reinforcement offers enormous advantages. We have now hired another four young people who are going to learn the trade, so we will soon be able to cope well."