This stabilization significantly improves the performance of industrial floors and other concrete structures, minimizing the risks of cracking, edge curling, and related issues that can undermine structural integrity and durability.
Components of the Shrinkage Stabilization Technology
SHRINKAGE-COMPENSATING ADMIXTURE
SST Component AFunction: A mineral binder-based admixture that improves the performance of a wide range of cements and counteracts shrinkage in hardening concrete.
Benefit: Consistent, high-quality concrete even where cement quality varies, with lower shrinkage and greater long-term durability.
SHRINKAGE-REDUCING ADMIXTURE (SRA)
SST Component BFunction: A proprietary polymer blend that improves how locally available aggregates perform in fresh concrete.
Benefit: Makes a wider range of local materials usable, which reduces transport distances and makes concrete production more flexible and sustainable.
Key Benefits
Performance
- Reduced cracking Drying shrinkage puts restrained concrete into tension, and cracks form wherever that tension exceeds the concrete’s tensile strength. SST reduces shrinkage at its source, so less tension builds up. The result is fewer shrinkage cracks and a more durable slab.
- Improved resistance to curling Curling happens when the top of a slab dries and shrinks faster than the bottom, which lifts the edges. By reducing that difference in shrinkage, SST keeps slab edges in contact with the base. The floor stays flat and even, with less risk of edge damage over time.
Cost-effectiveness
- Lower maintenance costs Every crack and curled edge eventually needs repair: joint refilling, edge rebuilding, grinding. Preventing these defects reduces repair work and maintenance costs over the life of the structure.
- Material flexibility SST counteracts shrinkage chemically, so performance depends less on ideal raw materials. This allows a wider range of locally available cements and aggregates to be used without compromising the finished slab.
Predictable, consistent quality
- Proven through testing SST is developed and refined in the Primekss R&D Center. Our engineers run around 500 tests a year to confirm that it performs consistently from one project to the next.
- Fewer weak points Shrinkage cracks are where moisture, chemicals and wear get into a slab first. By stabilizing shrinkage, SST removes these weak points and keeps the concrete working as one structure.
Application flexibility
- Wide range of uses SST suits any structure where shrinkage limits performance, including industrial floors, multi-storey car parks, precast elements, viaduct deck slabs and hydraulic structures.
- Fewer joints Contraction joints are there to manage shrinkage. When shrinkage is reduced, fewer joints are needed, and in some designs none at all. That makes construction simpler, cuts long-term joint maintenance and gives a cleaner finished surface.
Sustainability
- Efficient use of resources Because SST allows a wider range of local materials to be used, it reduces the need to transport premium aggregates and cements over long distances. Durable slabs also need less repair material and are replaced less often over their lifetime.