[Courtesy of Hyundai E&C]
SEOUL -- Hyundai Engineering & Construction, a major builder affiliated with South Korea's Hyundai auto group, has developed high-strength concrete using hollow glass powder, which is a new spherical material in the form of fine powder. The company has verified the excellence and quality stability of high-strength concrete performance through field demonstration.
High-strength concrete has a compressive strength of 40 megapascals (MPa) or more and usually increases viscosity, putting a burden on pressurized delivery equipment. MPa is a pressure unit. Chemical admixture is mixed to lower viscosity, but it is difficult to secure the workability of high-strength concrete due to the influence of external temperatures.
Hyundai E&C said it has developed the world's first high-strength concrete with reduced viscosity by utilizing hollow glass powder. It is possible to significantly reduce the viscosity of concrete with only a small amount of hollow glass powder and secure workability easily because it is not affected by external temperatures. The builder has verified the excellent performance of high-strength concrete with a compressive strength of up to 80MPa through field demonstration.
"Due to an increase in the construction of new skyscrapers, high-strength concrete that can withstand higher loads than ordinary concrete is more important than before," an unnamed Hyundai E&C official said in a statement on October 18. "Through continuous research, we will take the lead in securing the performance and quality of construction sites by increasing the quality of concrete."
Hollow glass microspheres are balloon-like glass structures and have widespread applications as modifiers, enhancers, rigidifiers, and fillers. Hollow glass powder is an ultra-light inorganic non-metallic material in the form of hollow spherical powder. The main chemical component is borosilicate glass, which is a hollow transparent sphere under an electron microscope.
reporter
Lim Chang-won
cwlim34@ajunews.com
