Concrete floors raise the bar on demand for high performance

Association that represents this system of construction bets on the evolution of high performance floors, increasingly demanded by end users

A solid and efficient internal floor. That is the premise defended by manufacturers and installers of concrete flooring. And their defense has worked efficiently over the past few years as reported by the National Association of High Performance Floors and Surfacing (ANAPRE - Associação Nacional de Pisos e Revestimentos de Alto Desempenho). After all, this market presently tallies the execution of 43 million square meters of flooring per year, according to the association.

According to engineer Wagner Gasparetto, marketing director for the association, ANAPRE is concluding a painstaking survey to ratify this figure and to indicate other metrics, such as the share participation of high performance surfacing within this growing universe of concrete flooring. “Although this figure is not final, the association has found evidence that demonstrates the potential of this market and the main indicators of this are customers who have raised their demands for the final quality of concrete floors,” he says. “In addition, we can already say that the evolution of this market has been slightly greater than the evolution of the Gross Domestic Product, as we will show when the survey report has been consolidated,” he contends.

Another way to evaluate this market, according to the executive, is through the growth in formal technical specialization via the larger number of projects elaborated by specialized designers. “These professionals are already working with some 20 million square meters of high performance floors designed,” he informs. This volume, in the assessment of ANAPRE’s marketing n director, would mean a great advance compared to the figures for year 2000, when the total amount calculated wasn’t even 5 million square meters. “High performance concrete flooring can be applied in every job where a specific demand must be met, even if the operating loads are very low,” the specialist stresses.

Gasparetto reminds us that the concept of high performance is always associated with a specific necessity as regards surfacing materials. A simple example is the execution of a tennis court which can only have contraction joints of any kind at the net line. This is mandatory because, if the requirement is not complied with, the outcome of the game can be affected by whether players are lucky enough for the ball to strike or not strike a joint in the court. “In other words, the presence of a joint cannot compromise the skill of the player,” he rules.

The distinction between a high performance concrete floor and common surfacing is not limited to its applications in sports. Quite the opposite is true. In specific niches, a high performance surface enables an industrial, commercial, logistics, seaport or airport operation to achieve the goal of quality that the customer desires. Gasparetto emphasizes that floors thus classified are studied to ensure that their durability is compatible with the conventional concrete structures. “Likewise, there are specific issues such as flatness and levelness, in addition to resistance against mechanical and chemical wear, which must be considered when developing a project involving high performance,” he adds.

In the assessment of the specialist, one of the possible classifications is based on the existence or absence of a coating on the concrete floor. Another form of classification considers the soil’s load bearing capacity: one may have direct foundation floors (that rest directly on the land) or floors resting on piles, when the soil is unable to provide support for the operating loads or for movements of earth. A third form of division per type of high performance floor would be based on the floor’s flatness and levelness. In this case, there are conventional, flat and superflat floors. One last form of classification is based on the floor’s structural reinforcement: armed, structurally armed, reinforced with fibers (metallic or synthetic), and prestressed or simple concrete (with the latter of these last two being less usual nowadays in industrial areas).

Gasparetto also points out that the differences between typologies are specific and should be treated based on the needs of customers. “What we recommend is the evaluation of all the alternatives available in concrete floors with the support of a designer who is specialized in the field,” the ANAPRE executive underscores.

“The final application is among the characteristics that have to be assessed. The specification of a superflat floor, for example, should happen when we are dealing with trilateral stackers, or coated floors should be specified for areas that are subject to attack by acids. From a structural standpoint, we do not consider the use of prestressed concrete in areas where there is excessive interference, such as channels and bases of equipment,” he details.

To the specialist, the Brazilian market should soon adopt technologies that are already in use abroad. That is the case in the use of concrete with expansion additives which enable larger concrete slab/plate dimensions. On the other hand, the specification of reinforced floors with the concept of tenacity will lead to greater economy provided by this solution. As a matter of fact, in terms of a raw material, concrete is one of the most important inputs and one of the most challenging in Gasparetto’s assessment. “Aside from the issues related to materials themselves, quality in labor for laying and finishing is essential in achieving a result that is compatible with the planning that has been elaborated via the project,” he sustains. “Technological evolution, in turn, and the qualification of personnel involved in execution allow us to be increasingly bolder in specifications and to achieve even more admirable results,” he concludes.