Concrete

Concrete surfaces: Sidewalks, dumpster pads, ADA ramps and curbs, along with sanitary manholes and storm water catch basins, are an integral park of your parking lots and roads. Performing both preventative and reactive maintenance will assure long, safe life cycles.

Hard Facts About Concrete

Concrete is a mixture of aggregates (sand and stone), liquid (water), and a binding agent (cement).

It is mixed cold and hardens to a ridged form due to chemical reactions.

Concrete can be shaped and formed almost limitlessly and is relatively easy to finish in a multitude of colors and textures.

Concrete is more costly to install and repair than asphalt, but its high level of hardness and durability make it the best choice for numerous applications within your facilities.

DON’T GET TRIPPED UP OVER MAINTENANCE

Most state, local, and federal codes describe changes in level of 1/4″ or higher in the course of travel as a tripping hazard

Concrete surfaces and structures, while often requiring low maintenance, can also be a large area of concern for safety. Most of your pedestrian walkways will be made of concrete. Focusing on regular inspections and maintenance will help mitigate the risk of slips, trips, and falls along with giving cost effective life cycles.

Preventative maintenance is focused on treatments to extend the functional condition, think proactive!

Examples

Joint and crack sealing
Grinding – usually used to eliminate a minor trip hazard or to smooth surfaces
• Surface treatments such as epoxy overlays and surface sealers
Even pressure washing to remove contaminates
Parging/repointing catch basins

Corrective Maintenance is typically focused on activities that are generally reactive, not proactive.

Examples

Replacing sections of curb or sidewalk
Hydraulic slab lifting (used to correct tripping hazards)
Repairing a collapsed catch basin

Variants of concrete use can be traced back 6500 BC, in what is now Southern Jordan and Northern Syria, where Bedouins used a mixture to build dwellings. The Romans were very successful in using a form of pozzolana cement (lime, reactive volcanic sand, and water) Concrete around 600 BC including building the Pantheon in 125 AD.

Modern Portland Cement and production was finalized in 1860 and is still used basically the same way today.

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