Self compacting concrete in small loads

A floor slab was required for construction of a new garage and workshop building at a house in Broadwell, a small village to the south west of Rugby in Warwickshire. Access to the site was highly restricted via a narrow single-track road. The location of the building was at the rear of the property with access via a narrow track to the side of the existing cottage. A full-size concrete mixer would have had great difficulty approaching and manoeuvring into position. There was also insufficient space to set up a concrete pump without blocking the road and disrupting access for local road users. The concrete would need to be poured in one go with any delay in supply of the concrete potentially jeopardising the quality and integrity of the finished slab. 

Ablemix specialise in fast, efficient delivery of smaller loads of concrete from 0.5m3 - 4.0m3 via a fleet of smaller, more agile mixers (up to 3.3m3 maximum load for self compacting concretes). These vehicles are able to access sites that would be impossible to reach with large mixers. They also present a lower risk of causing damage to existing buildings, gateways and fences. Ablemix are able to supply Tarmac’s range of high performance standard and specialist concrete mixes for a wide range of applications. After discussions between the developer and Tarmac’s experienced Technical Sales Representative, TOPFLOW self-compacting concrete was chosen for this development. TOPFLOW is a free flowing, self-compacting concrete, that enables fast, easy placement, for rapid construction of floor slabs with a high-quality finish, achieving SR2 tolerance to BS8204-1. 

After discussions with the contractor, delivery was carefully coordinated, with three Ablemix vehicles supplying 9m3 of TOPFLOW concrete from three different Tarmac concrete plants within 15 minutes of each other. Effective quality control ensured consistency of raw materials and mix specifications between each plant. Onsite technical support and guidance was provided throughout, from the Technical Sales Representative to make sure that the client got the best possible outcome. The result was a seamless pour and an excellent finish on the floor slab. Since TOPFLOW is self-compacting, there was no need for mechanical compaction or power floating. This meant time savings for the contractor and client and less noise on this quiet rural site.