Chosen for
its unparalleled ease in pavement construction, Aggregate Industries has
supplied its innovative and highly-durable Highpave concrete mix for the
resurfacing of a scrap metal yard at Liverpool’s famous Canada Docks.
Each year,
leading metal recycling firm, S Norton collects, processes and exports around 1
million tonnes of metal from its dock facilities in Southampton, London and
Liverpool, which is located on the edge of the River Mersey. With scrap metal
continually loaded on and off the site’s external slabbed yard area throughout
the day, wear and tear from the abrasion meant it was in urgent need of
replacing.
As such, the family-run
business, which has been operating in Liverpool since 1960, was on
the lookout for a hard wearing reinforced concrete solution offering superior
strength and durability - making it suitable for heavy impact areas.
The
obvious choice was to use Aggregate Industries’ Highpave, a range of fibre
reinforced pavement grade concrete specifically designed to withstand
mechanical force whilst also reducing the errors associated with the use of
conventional reinforcing methods.
Approximately 875m3 of Highpave, made using the
firm’s ultra-hard-wearing Glensanda granite aggregate, was supplied to the
project last November.
Traditionally,
reinforced concrete includes two layers of steel mesh in the slab’s
construction, which means the concrete has to be replaced when the slab has
worn down to the first layer of mesh. However, the addition of steel fibres in
the Highpave mix meant the top layer of mesh can be removed, increasing the
wearing depth of the concrete by an extra 100mm – a feature likely to result in
reduced labour costs for the customer compared to traditional mesh
reinforcement.
What’s more, to improve the environmental impact of the concrete mix it
was formulated using recyclable materials designed to lowers its overall CO2 impact.
As a result, not only was work completed successfully and to a
high standard, in line with the customer’s unique specifications, but S Norton
were so impressed with Aggregate Industries’ bespoke concrete mix, the company
is already in talks about future projects.
Daniel King, general manager at Aggregate Industries, said: ““With
its unrivalled hard wearing properties, we are delighted that our Glensanda
granite aggregate, used to create a bespoke Highpave blend, proved the perfect
fit for S Norton’s specialist needs.
“We have no doubt that our tailored supply of concrete with its
superior toughness, high volume stability and reduced shrinkage, will create a
slabbed yard that lasts for years to come.”
Matt Norton, Technical Director at S Norton, comments: “Our Canada
Docks’ site is at the heart of our business, making it essential that the scrap
metal yard has flooring that can withstand the heavy duty process of
mechanically sorting through hundreds of thousands of tonnes of ferrous metal
each year.
“The team
at Aggregate Industries didn’t disappoint with their customised Highpave
solution and the seamless service you’d expect from a market leader; we look
forward to working with the business again in the future.”
