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Hardwire LLC, in conjunction with their infrastructure repair partner, Structural Preservation Systems, recently unveiled their proprietary new reinforced flooring system with several installations at high profile industrial locations. For more than 40 years, various forms of polymer based flooring systems have been successfully applied to concrete surfaces. These systems have become mainstream forms of protection against aggressive chemicals, abrasion and impact while also offering an appealing aesthetic appearance. However, there is a movement to further enhance polymer based flooring systems as the need for improved structural capacity increases on our industrial floors. Simply, material handling equipment is getting heavier, buildings are experiencing loads for which they were not originally designed -- including loads from potential explosions -- and floors are being taxed beyond their capacity.

According to Jay Thomas, Vice President for Structural Preservation Systems, polymer flooring systems offer little or no benefits in terms of increasing structural capacity or resisting cracking when excessively flexed. Further, said Thomas, polymer systems have been problematic in flooring applications when used on cracked concrete slabs as these cracks may allow reflective cracking through the polymer topping, hence compromising the system.

For example, Structural Preservation Systems recently retrofitted a heavily reinforced concrete slab for a leading national home improvement warehouse. Since the slab was constructed on soils that were not capable of supporting the required loads, it was cast on top of a piling system, basically creating an elevated slab. When constructed, the steel reinforcement was inadvertently placed too low in the slab creating structural capacity issues, cracks, difficult trafficking, challenging cleaning and aesthetic problems. Removing the slab was both costly and disruptive to store operations.

The solution involved application of Hardwire® reinforcement tapes, a family of reinforcements made from ultra-high strength twisted steel wire cords. The product can be molded into or on virtually any structure or part and provides high strength (up to 8,000-pounds/inch) and high modulus (up to 30MM psi) in a very thin, ductile envelope. Although Hardwire does not replace today's polymer flooring systems, the addition of Hardwire dramatically strengthens today's retrofit flooring design capabilities.

Skip Ebaugh, Vice President of Hardwire, LLC, said the combination of polymer flooring with these thin steel belts creates a system with the ability to increase structural capacity, blast resistance and general "toughness" of the concrete. Applications include heavily trafficked warehouse, manufacturing slabs, elevated slabs, slab on pile construction and slabs that are structurally deficient from improper design or construction.

Structural Preservation Systems recently used Hardwire to repair a heavily trafficked elevated slab in a multistory warehouse/distribution facility for a large automotive parts distributor in Illinois. The long-term dynamic loading of fork trucks, as well as the increase in size of such trucks since initial design of the facility, had resulted in a myriad of distress scenarios in the concrete. The flexing in the concrete floor had resulted in numerous cracks and repairs would last for a mere few weeks at best. A flooring solution was needed that not only would serve as a thin resurfacing system but would also add considerable structural capacity to the more than 10,000 square feet of truck aisles.

Thomas said the solution involved the application of Hardwire with a polymer flooring system cast on top of it. To minimize downtime for the owner, the project was broken down into multiple phases and all work was completed on a weekend schedule. After an initial inspection, some badly deteriorated sections of the concrete floor were completely removed and recast with high strength, rapid setting concrete. Tenting and ventilation were setup to contain any possible dust and debris during preparation and removal of old, failed floor toppings. Hardwire material providing 1,400-pounds/inch in both directions was then applied in a 0/90 degree lay-up (the equivalent of approximately #3 rebars at 6-inches on center in both directions). A gray polymer base coat was applied and allowed to cure. Then, a high wear clear topcoat was applied and rapidly cured using an innovative polymer technology that almost instantaneously cures when a high intensity UV light unit is rolled over it. This topcoat allows immediate foot traffic and heavy wheel traffic within a few hours compared to the 24-hour cure time of most topcoat systems. The completed system was ready for traffic with little disruption to plant operations and the process was repeated over subsequent weekends.

Thomas said that Hardwire reinforcement is a system that offers solutions to upgrade problems that could previously not be addressed. Its ability to be integrated with multiple polymer and cementitious materials allows for affordable and timely solutions to challenging infrastructure repairs such as structural and blast upgrades -- while using time tested materials such as polymers, mortars and tire cords.

About Structural Preservation Systems
Jay Thomas, Vice President for Structural Preservation Systems, has 23 years of experience in projects involving structural repair, strengthening and protection of concrete and steel in public, commercial and industrial facilities. A member of ACI and ICRI, he can be reached at (443) 271 7100 , or via e mail at jthomas@structural.net. Structural Preservation Systems is a subsidiary of Structural Group, a diversified specialty contractor serving the United States. Identified by ENR Magazine as the United States' largest specialty contractor of concrete structural repair and strengthening protection services, Structural Group also provides reinforced concrete construction, post-tensioning, geotechnical, plus strengthening services, systems and products for commercial, industrial, energy and public customers. Headquartered in Baltimore, Md., Structural Group maintains operating centers throughout the United States. For additional information, please visit www.structural.net.

About Hardwire, LLC
Hardwire, LLC (www.hardwirellc.com) produces high-tensile steel reinforcements and thermally conductive mold fabrics for the infrastructure, transportation, military, composites, marine, energy, construction, piping, mining, and forest products industries. Hardwire products can be found in blast-resistant structures, marine laminates, concrete repair retrofits and flooring, reinforced wood products, and reinforced piping, and many other applications. For more information, contact Skip Ebaugh at skip.ebaugh@hardwirellc.com, or (410) 957-3669.

Hardwire® products may be purchased directly via this website or though distribution at Composites One.