Permaban appointed as Designers and Specifiers for a 600,000m2 floor

Permaban completes the first 65,00m2 of a 600,000m2 Category FM1 Flatness Laser Screeded Concrete floor in Russia

Permaban have been at the forefront of floor design, installation, product manufacture, floor repair, maintenance and aftercare for over 25 years.  Since being founded in 1983, Permaban have become a leading authority in floor methodology and product supplier in the UK, Europe and Middle East along with a new presence in Asia.  The product range offers quality solutions for ‘leave-in-place' formwork systems, dry-shake floor toppings, concrete curing and sealing products.

Permaban have been involved in the Russian Concrete Flooring market for four years and are now seeing the results of their efforts in promoting Western European methodology come to fruition. Having previously worked with Moscow based Giffels Management Russia on a 400,000m2 logistics floor in Kazan and with Russian Main Contractor Megastroy on a 1,500,000m2 distribution centre near Moscow Permaban were delighted to be appointed by Giffels as Floor Designers, Specifiers and Supervisors for a 600,000m2 distribution centre near Moscow, again working with Megastroy as main contractor and Russian Flooring Contractor Romex headed up by Vlad Kurakin who only laid his first concrete floor, with Permaban assistance, some four years ago.

Giffels are focused on the warehousing and logistics sector within Russia and are developing an industrial real estate portfolio to provide flexible, transparent, high quality real estate solutions to end users. Giffels required the finished floor to provide high durability, a professional floor appearance and minimum maintenance. .

Permaban produced the floor design and specification with a Flatness tolerance of FM2 Special as described in Concrete Society TR34. Assistance was provided by Professor John Knapton on ground improvement.  Permaban worked closely with the Main Contractor, Megastory and the Flooring Contractor Romex to achieve the high standard required of the finished floor to meet the requirements of Giffels Management Russia.

Permaban supplied 3500 meters of their acclaimed AlphaJoint Formwork system complete with Joint Intersections, 305 tonnes of Permaban's FibreTop Natural Grey Floor Hardener and 6200 litres of Permaseal cure/seal product for the first area of 65,000m2.

The Permaban/Romex team decided that by using large area casting techniques, the Somero SXP Laser Screed and Somero Topping Spreader they would try to achieve FM1 on bays sizes of 24m wide between columns and 48m long bays.  Each pour was contained inside Permaban's AlphaJoint leave in place formwork system fixed using Alphafix, which Romex first used on their first concrete floor project back in 2004.

Permaban designed the floor as a 200mm thick nominally reinforced floor with locally produced square paneled mesh reinforcement incorporating 6mm wire at 150mm centres in both directions to provide the equivalent of a BS A193 mesh. 

Planning was given to access for the concrete as it was considered very important that consistent concrete was obtained to aid the tolerance achievement so it was decided to place the concrete from the back of the truck rather than pump the concrete which would have required a modified less simple concrete mix design.  The mesh was initially laid on to the slip membrane which allowed the trucks to reverse into position to place their load.  Just prior to the concrete being placed the mesh was set up on spacers to provide 50mm bottom cover

One of the features of using the AlphaJoint with the AlphaFix is that the bay closing form work does not need to be placed until the Laser Screed is on its last but one pour for the bay.  The speed that the AlphaJoint can be installed and micro adjusted for line and level permits the AlphaJoint installation to follow behind the laser screed.  The AlphaFix installer features micro adjustment to allow this fine adjustment to take place for line and level with the built-in micro adjusters.  This allows the concrete truck to back down directly to the position of placement without having to turn on the reinforcement and slip membrane thus preventing rucking of the slip membrane and rutting of the sub base.

As the concrete is being placed consistent level checks are being taken of the leveled concrete and the formwork at the edges.  The surface is skip floated and straight edged following the leveling by the Somero SXP laser screed.  Prior to and during the power floating and the power troweling operations further straight edging and level checking will be carried out constantly, both within the general floor area and across the joints to ensure achievement of both Property II along the joints and Property IV in the general floor area.

There were initially considerable problems with the concrete slump consistency and delays between concrete trucks arriving on site which resulted in the first day's pour taking some 15 hours to place.  However, it was very pleasing to inspect the first day's measurement readings which demonstrated that Category FM1 Properties II and IV had been achieved with only 2% of the measurement falling above the 95% requirement thus delivering an excellent floor to the client which more than achieved his requirement to provide a high durability floor with a professional floor appearance.

During the placement of the first pour Permaban arranged for their Flat Floor Supervisor to attend site to advise and review methods for flatness achievement. He was so enthused about the performance and dedication to the task of the Romex flooring team that he commented that in all his experience had he rarely seen such dedication and care to the task and when measured with Face Company Free Movement Measuring Equipment the floor was well inside the FM1 measurement for both Property II and IV without any grinding. Romex staff are to be congratulated on the quality of the floor which was one of the best he had ever seen, and more than comparable with the top European flooring contractors. An amazing and refreshing achievement for a flooring contractor who only laid their first concrete floor in 2004. Congratulations are in order to the Permaban/Romex team who completed the floor to the entire satisfaction of Giffels Management Russia.

 For further Information: www.permaban.com