Technical Committee 184-IFE
General Information
Deputy Chair: Dr. Andrej ZAJC
Cluster D
Subject matter
Industrial floors must be capable of withstanding harsh treatment of all kinds. Problems are always encountered when this important means of production is not correctly planned, installed or used. The result may be damage to environment and health, accidents, damage in transit and premature wear and tear to industrial trucks. Durable repair is not always easy. Maintenance is of great importance for durability.
Terms of reference
The TC will start its work on Mon-day, 13.09.99 in Dresden (Germany), preceding ISAP '99" - 2nd Int. RILEM symposium on "Adhesion between Polymers and Concrete". Timetable: During 3,5 years the TC will meet twice a year and present a "State of the Art Report" at the 5th International Colloquium "Industrial Floors" 21.-23.01.2003. An intermediate report will be presented at the Xth ICPIC in Hawaii 21.-23.05.2001.
Detailed working programme
The TC will work on a state of the art report which will be presented at the 5th International Colloquium "Industrial Floors" 2003. There is a need for international recommendations (repair and maintenance included). Thus the TC has first to consider existing national guidelines to harmonize these, i.e. for the use of reaction polymers for new floors and polymer concretes for the repair of floors. Very important are criteria to judge the useful properties of a floor. There are differences according to the layer thickness of 2 mm (coatings), 20 mm (overlays) or 200 mm (concrete slabs). There may be transition zones for the same repair material from 2 to 20 mm in repairing floors. The properties should be made measurable in a simple and cost-effective way on site. Harmonization of methods of testing for these properties is required: o abrasion o compressive and bending strength o toughness o impact resistance (resilience) o shrinkage o adhesion (also under influence of water) o flatness There are threshold values to be defined. If these values are attained, the durability of the system must be satisfactory. Standards must be defined for "normal" loads on industrial floors. Existing methods of diagnosis on site must be improved. Non destructive evaluation (NDE) is preferable. There should be a definition of good site practice (GSP) similar to good laboratory practice (GLP) in the pharma-ceutical industry. Computer simulation and calculations of properties should be initiated. Experiences in other fields may be important and transferable in the field of construction. The development of new products in the laboratory should be more cost-effective with the criteria deve-lopped. Thus waste of time and costs on site can be eliminated or at least reduced. Characterisation of materials is another aspect of the work of the TC, thus reducing damages from unknown changes of composition by the producer.
Technical environment
There are close links with national and international associations i.e. ACI, AGI, ICRI, WTA and with the following previous and existing TCs: TC 151-APC "Adhesion Technology in Concrete Engineering" TC 139-DBS "Durability of Building Sealants" TC 116-PCD"Permeability of Concrete Engineering as a criterion of its durability" The TC fits in the RILEM technical programme: o lower the cost of construction o performance, maintenance and repair of structures o improved and controlled manufacture oimproving environmental and health conditions o updating testing methods
Expected achievements
state of the art report glossary of terms (terminology) recommendations for non-destructive test methods RILEM Colloquium 21.-23.01.2003
Group of users
Architects and civil engineers testing laboratories, building contractors, floor laying firms construction chemicals industry, building owners and users of floors supervising authorities
Specific use of the results
Important factors for usability and economy are o environmental protection (hazardous goods) o work safety o threshold limit values (TLV) at the place of work o strength o chemical resistance o wear (abrasion) o evenness o non-skid properties o hygiene o maintenance
