Concrete flatwork – slabs on grade or paving – is the working platform of businesses today. In distribution, warehousing, freight/logistics, food, retail and manufacturing industries, the performance you and your clients demand is primarily defined by your storage systems, material handling requirements, expectations of your customer and employee safety. Demanded performance is delivered by the serviceability of the concrete.
The long-term serviceability and durability of concrete flatwork is delivered most effectively and cleanly through management of the natural behavior of concrete. The Strategic Reinforcement Design mitigates internal and external induced restraint and stress to optimize the load carrying capacity of the concrete while concurrently delivering the joint stability required by technologically-advanced material handling equipment and all types of vehicular traffic. It is proven that this performance is delivered with the minimum quantity of materials to support the function of the flatwork.
“Strategically Reinforced” concrete flatwork minimizes joint spalling and random cracking with a well-compacted sub-grade, joints strategically placed to mitigate cracks and the use of tapered plate dowels with substantial installation tolerances at all the joints. The Strategic Reinforcement Design is easily executable and replicable as it is transparent in its design and execution and excludes complex additional materials and allows for the sole use of locally available materials in the concrete.
Ideal Project Types
- Facility interior and exterior
- Warehouses
- Distribution facilities
- Parking - slab and paving
The Strategic Reinforcement Design combines the Diamond Dowel® System and PD3 Basket® assembly with minimal steel to reliably deliver joint stability without restraint. Adding HydraCure™ curing covers to the design provides a proper cure and improves long-term abrasion resistance and aesthetics.
Performance elements for cost-effective, reliable concrete flatwork in a Strategic Reinforcement Design.
- Manages natural characteristics of concrete such as curling and shrinking
- Delivers joint stability
- Minimizes joint spalling
- Allows for good subgrade preparation
- Provides engineered joint spacing
- Minimizes restraint to movement of the concrete that could result in cracking
Construction and design benefits of the Strategic Reinforcement Design
- Optimized use of steel with the engineering and geometry of the plate dowel
- Cost savings with product and labor through performance-based spacing
- Readily constructible design
- Speed of construction – no misalignment on job site and no staking, drilling or spinning of dowels
The Strategic Reinforcement Design is easy for the contractor to install during placement operations, reduces labor costs from historical methods, reliably manages the effect of curling and provides positive and immediate load transfer at the joints. This results in superior joint stability for the delivery of a cost-effective, durable, maintenance-free and safe concrete slab.
The Strategic Reinforcement Design has realized a return on investment for owners, designers and contractors worldwide in more than two billion square feet of concrete placed.