Concrete is the world’s most commonly used building material. In its simplest form, concrete is a mixture of paste, composed of water and cement, with fine and coarse aggregates. Within this process lies the key to the remarkable trait of concrete – it’s plastic and malleable when newly mixed and strong and durable when hardened.
The character of the concrete is determined by the quality of the paste. The strength of the paste, in turn, depends on the ratio of water to cement. The water-cement ratio is the weight of the mixing water divided by the weight of the cement. High-quality concrete is produced by lowering the water-cement ratio as much as possible without sacrificing the workability of fresh concrete. Generally, using less water produces a higher quality concrete provided the concrete is properly placed, consolidated, and cured. Typically, a mix is about 10 to 15 percent cement, 60 to 75 percent aggregate and 15 to 20 percent water. Entrained air in many concrete mixes may also take up another 5 to 8 percent.
Precast concrete products like pipes, manholes, boxes and culverts are cast in a dedicated factory setting with very tight quality controls, highly controlled environments under rigid production standards and testing specifications.
Excellent quality concrete pipes produced nowadays is a direct result of the following operations:
- Computer aided design and analysis
- Advanced concrete mix designs
- Automated and software-controlled batching
- Precision fabricated wire reinforcement
- Quality driven manufacturing techniques
- Improved water tight joints
- New installation standards
MCT Italy: total control from Australia to Canada
Since 1967 MCT Italy has been managing the complexity of the production cycle, transport and distribution of concrete, developing for our customers integrated and customized technological systems in relation to specific concrete elements.
MCT Italy S.r.l. turnkey solutions include all the components of the system starting from the detailed design of the functional areas of the site, going through to the manufacturing of the plant and completed with the automation of the processes which performances we measure and check.
Years of experience in 5 continents and top-notch connection technologies are what CompuNet, the MCT Italy software for management and control of both batching plant and concrete delivery system,is made of. Batch Plants and factories dedicated to concrete pipe production have been recently been in Canada, Australia, USA, Middle East and Europe. MCT added value includes research in safety, risk prevention and knowledge that translates into total compliance with specific national regulations regarding plants, emissions and environmental impact.
Together with Hollow core and Block & Pavers productions, the concrete used to produce precast concrete pipes has low water-cement ratio because most manufacturing processes utilize relatively dry mixes.
CompuNet automatically:
- detects the moisture content of the aggregates through dedicated sensors mounted on the aggregates extractions gates (or belts)
- checks the power absorption of mixer motors
- manages the batching water by determining the amounts to be deducted from the value set in the mix design according the water content that has been monitored by the sensing probes
- provides final fine water correction through extremely precise flowmeter
MCT Windows running software automation is totally developed and realized inhouse, allowing the customer a full control on the plant, giving access to the analysis of the working parameters and the production reports, and plan the management of the production, including all the auxiliary platforms of the concrete batch plant.
With the remote technical support, we provide a 24/7 assistance to help in case of required support, to check or assist the operations of the batching plant: it is possible to modify parameters or processes on-line, while it is running, just by an internet connection.
Why concrete pipe?
Strength
Precast concrete pipe is the strongest pipe available: it can be designed and plant tested to resist any load required. Unlike flexible pipe, it has minimal reliance on installation to support loads; it relies primarily on its inherent brute strength manufactured into the pipe.
Compressive strengths for concrete pipe normally range from 4,000 psi to 8,000 psi
Resilience
Durable is defined as, “able to exist for a long time without significant deterioration.” With concrete pipe, durability deals with the life expectancy and enduring characteristics of its materials.
The capability of concrete pipe to perform as expected for the design life of a project is a fundamental engineering consideration, especially in today’s economic environment, where requirements have been set in place to ensure a sustainable buried infrastructure.
The Canadian Corp. of Engineers recommends a design life of 70-100 years for precast concrete pipe, and there are countless examples of installations that surpass those numbers.
Non-flammable
Unlike thermoplastic conduits, concrete pipe will not burn. This is important for the planning of road and highway cross drains in urban areas and remote locations that are heavily forested. Concrete pipe is a wise choice for construction site safety, public safety (fire and toxic fumes hazard), and homeland security.
Environmental Considerations
With its long life, use of natural/recycled products and local availability, concrete pipe is extremely environmentally friendly.
Comprised of the world’s most commonly used building materials, precast concrete infrastructure is quickly integrated into ecosystems. This is clearly demonstrated by the use of three-sided precast boxes used to accommodate the natural channels of streams at road crossings, and precast concrete pipe for storm sewers and outfalls in valleys and shorelines.
Design / Construction Flexibility
Some projects have design elements that are a little more complex or intricate than others. Precast concrete pipe provides solutions for these projects, whether they are open-cut, deep burials, tunnels, trenchless, shallow burials, or with vertical structures or complex alignment changes. Concrete pipe design is simple to do; the math is sound and easily definable.
