Admixtures: invisible but indispensable

Once the piles had been completed, it was time to cast the slab for the deck. What factors had an influence on the choice of products?
For this phase, too, various design factors had to be taken into consideration, such as the particularly high mechanical properties required, the rate of compensated-shrinkage, which had to be maintained within specified limits, and extended workability in hot weather, because the concrete for the slab was actually placed in June, 2020.

From the amount of products used we can get a sense of how challenging it must have been for Mapei to guarantee the right level of technical support. How did you organise your work?
Through incredible teamwork, and by being perfectly synchronised with the manufacturer of the concrete so that the most suitable materials were employed to achieve the properties required, with our mobile laboratories stationed in the mixing plants to check the concrete and make sure the values corresponded with the results we achieved in the lab and, lastly, by constantly monitoring the site throughout its entire duration.

It must have been a very important experience for you?
Concrete admixtures are invisible because, from the moment they are introduced into the concrete, they no longer exist physically. However, they are indispensable to achieve the performance properties prescribed in technical specifications and to construct infrastructures that remain durable over the years. To have played such an important part in the construction of this great work brought enormous satisfaction to every department and division of our company.