Concentrate thickeners rehabilitation

A leading South African platinum-group metals producer has entrusted us with the complete rehabilitation of its concentrate thickeners. We were the first point of contact for these large concrete repairs considering the consistently high standard of our ongoing work for this important client.
 
Our teams are now sandblasting the inside walls to prepare the surface for repairs and identify areas that require rehabilitation.
 
Cracks will first be repaired with Sika’s Sikadur-52 ZA, a two-part, low-viscosity injection-liquid high-strength epoxy resin. It forms an effective barrier against water infiltration and corrosion-promoting media and structurally bonds the concrete sections together.
 
All the existing joint sealants will then be removed and replaced with a modified bituminous cold-applied joint sealing compound from a.b.e. They provide excellent adhesion and bonding; expansion and contraction; and mechanical properties.
 
General concrete repairs will then be undertaken using Sika’s Sikacrete-214. This free-flowing, high-strength, cementitious micro-concrete with a maximum 9mm aggregate size provides excellent adhesion.
 
The structures will then be reinforced with Sika carbon-fibre reinforced-polymer strips. They have been tested for durability under many demanding conditions to ensure long-term performance in various applications and environments.
 
Thereafter, the floors of the concentrators and the lower sections of the walls will be primed with Sika’s Sikafloor-161, a two-part, low-viscosity epoxy resin, before receiving Sika’s Sikalastic 8800 two-part, pure polyurea, hot-spray applied concrete waterproofing and protection membrane.