A CRACK IS NOT A CRACK

Handi Blocks are made from Evo-Crete, a fibre-reinforced concrete alternative that is three times lighter than standard concrete. Evo-Crete is available in number of Evolve home solution products including pre-cast slabs and air-conditioning mounting kits.

The technology of Evo-Crete is defying all common concrete conceptions, including the generally accepted notion that a crack spells the end for the usefulness of a concrete slab.

One key ingredient to Evo-Crete’s success is the proprietary blend of Evo-Fibre polyolefin fibre reinforcing. When added to a concrete mix the unique blend of Evo-Fibre provides improved abrasion resistance, as well as increased flexural and compressive strength.

As Evo-Fibre is distributed evenly throughout the concrete mix, the three-dimensional reinforcement matrix ensures maximum durability and product stability. Evo-Fibre helps prevent cracking in the first instance (pre-crack reinforcement) and offers excellent post-crack reinforcement.

Traditionally pre-cast concrete products contain no industrially-designed reinforcing. Where steel mesh reinforcing is added, a two-dimensional reinforcement plane is formed meaning that a crack must find the mesh before the reinforcing starts working (post-crack reinforcing).

When people see an impact crack in a standard pre-cast concrete slab they are right in assuming that the product is not fit for use. If the product is not already in pieces it won’t be long before the crack becomes unstable and the product fails.

On the other hand, with Evo-Crete a crack is not a crack. A crack in an Evo-Crete product is tightly bound by the aforementioned three-dimensional reinforcement matrix that will prevent further cracking. If the product is exposed to an unexpected impact, the product will stay in one piece. A similar impact to a traditional concrete slab would render it useless and in pieces. Evo-Crete is not completely immune to cracking and the product must still be treated with the same respect as a concrete slab, however Evo-Crete is better equipped to prevent and manage cracking.

Additionally, due to the unique cellular structure of Evo-Crete, should a crack eventuate post-installation due to unstable earth or other uncontrollable event, Evo-Crete can sustain flexural tension and bend in a controlled cracking mechanism maintaining equipment stability, whereas the standard concrete counterpart would leave the equipment supported dangerously unstable.

For more information, contact Evolve Composites on 07 3283 1196, check out their website at www.evolvegrp.com or email them at info.aus@evolvegrp.com