We are market leaders in Buenos Aires and Rosario due to an excellent logistical capacity, strategic location of our Plants and technical support. Besides, we are at the forefront in terms of innovation and development of new ready-mix concrete, whose primary raw material is cement.
Concrete is defined as standard or conventional when its specifications only consider the basic parameters for strength, workability and NMS (nominal maximum size) of the coarse aggregate as established for market general uses, and so does not require special design and development.
Concrete mixtures whose specified strength is higher than 40 MPa. In this respect, Loma Negra has extensive experience in providing 60 MPa (H-60) and 80 Mpa (H-80) concrete although it has also developed concrete mixes with higher strength level. These concrete mixes are typically used for columns in high-rise buildings, enabling designers to minimize the area occupied by columns with significant advantages.
In many cases, besides high strength, some concrete mixes require strict durability conditions that can only be reached with long-term development and design. Lomax concrete mixes have the support of the Loma Negra Technical Center for Research and Development, which has the equipment and talented staff required to produce it. These concrete mixes are typically used for engineering works that project long-life structures with minimum maintenance.
In 2000, the Loma Negra Technical Center developed the first self-compacting concrete, which started to be used a few years later in our country. As its name implies, this concrete is able to flow and consolidate under its own weight and completely fill the formwork without any additional compaction, thus preventing potential deficiencies and ensuring an excellent fair-face concrete finish. These concrete mixes are typically used where high standards of the finished concrete surface is required, where cement is the primary element, o where structure is densely assembled and/or have shapes that hinder or impede traditional compaction. They may also be appropriate for conventional structures, though special consideration should be given to formworks design in terms of tightness and structural stability.
These concrete mixes develop strength rapidly and are beneficial when early opening of the structure or concrete element is necessary. These concrete mixes are typically used for conventional structures or pavement repairs. Generally, they have specified effective strengths values to be reached within certain timeframes, so preliminary studies are necessary considering expected environmental conditions at the time of casting of the concrete and development of the maturity curve of the concrete mix. For that purpose, theLoma Negra Technical Center has an environmental simulation chamber for measurement of strength development under controlled conditions of temperature and humidity, which results in reliable maturity curves.
Also known as porous concrete, it has an interconnected pore network that enables water to pass through it. According to the permeability and strength level requirements of some projects, a series of concrete mixes were developed and are now “standardized”. However, ad-hoc concrete mixes can be developed according to specific project requirements. These concrete mixes can be used in walkways, sidewalks, parking lots, low-traffic pavement or any other application where preventing the presence of water in the surface is required. They also can be used for drainage layers and bases.
Concrete mixes with low water penetrability under pressure and, eventually, under some other mechanism of potential water entry. Using of these concrete mixes are usually restricted to hydraulic works, basements and any other concrete applications potentially subject to pressurized water.
Concrete mixes with a density higher than normal, featuring typical values from 2,800 to 3,200 kg/m3 though, eventually, higher density mixes can be designed. Their uses are diverse, but they may be helpful for reducing thickness of concrete X-ray barriers or other type of protective barriers, and may also be used to add mass to a structure or element with dimensional restrictions.
Concrete mixes with a density lower than 2,000 kg/m3 which can be either structural or non-structural. The most frequent uses are for weight reduction in structures or for thermal and acoustic isolation.
Industrial floors have strict technical requirements, such as the shrinkage and warping control in order to ensure optimum surface flatness and minimize joints. Within this concrete family we have low-contraction concrete, shrinkage-compensating concrete (SCC) and fiber-reinforced concrete for structural use.
Although occasionally these concrete mixes are considered “standard”, there are some applications requiring specific development. It is the case of pavements made with high performance equipment, Whitetopping and Fast-Track.
Concrete is pumped and projected onto a surface through gunite equipment. These concrete mixes require specific properties, especially concerning productivity and material wastage control. Typical uses: slope stabilization, tunnels and construction of tanks and pools. It is also used for certain repair works.
These concrete mixes can be transported to the casting location through pipelines where material is driven by a pump designed for that purpose. These concrete mixes are designed to flow under pressure considering pipeline blockage prevention at normal operating conditions. Typical use of this concrete is high rise building casting although it can be used in many other applications such as piles, basements or hard-to-reach locations.
Occasionally, concrete casting has to be done underwater, or at least the formwork shall not prevent water from entering before casting. Such conditions require a concrete that as the pouring proceeds (usually by pumping) it displaces water without segregation or significant loss of grout. This method is called “underwater concreting” and requires a specifically designed concrete mix including specific admixtures. A typical use of these concrete mixes is for underwater concreting of seawall piles or bridge columns.
There is a wide range of needs and possibilities in concrete construction. Some construction projects need concrete mixes that comply with specific requirements. With the support of our Technical Center, we can develop specific cement and concrete mixes according to the particular requirements of any engineering work.
Although it is not a type of concrete but basically a mortar with high air content, the CDF can be used for replace soil with appropriate strength and density levels to obtain structural capacity and/or the “excavatability” required for the project. These kinds of concrete mixes are generally ordered by cement content, but a more detailed specification may include strength and density range.
