America’s infrastructure is desperately in need of investment, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). The ASCE estimates the U.S. needs to spend some $4.5 trillion by 2025 to fix the country’s roads, bridges, dams, and other infrastructure. LBM Research Associates is a certified distributor of Cor-Tuf® UHPC. With more than four decades of infrastructure security, critical infrastructure security, and construction experience, LBM Research Associates is involved in securing Cor-Tuf® UHPC contracts, delivering the product on-site, and providing the manpower and machinery needed to mix and pour concrete structures.

Cor-Tuf® is the ideal replacement for standard concrete in just about any and all applications. UHPC is particularly beneficial in the following applications of traditional concrete:

• Highways, roads, and bridges
• Power Plants
• Hydropower Plants and dams
• Grain and food containment
• Railroads and subway systems
• Tunnel systems
• Nuclear facilities
• Above ground and underground storage facilities
• Oil/fuel storage facilities
• Anything critical infrastructure
• Waste water and water storage facilities
• Utility/communications poles

Benefits of Cor-Tuf® UHPC precast:

• Increased energy efficiency
• Acoustics
• Increased durability
• Minimal to no maintenance
• Diversity in design expression
• Repetitive precasting (faster production time)
• Consistent high levels of quality control
• Variety of finishes on load bearing and non-load bearing components
• Fireproof
• Architects can design thinner concrete elements, improving the architectural appearance of their work.
• High modules of elasticity (MOE) which can be in the 7,500 ksi range
• High tensile strength compared to normal concrete
• UHPC has a higher bond strength to steel reducing the size of a concrete placement needed to bond concrete elements.
• Structural elements can be smaller and more lightweight compared to those made with normal concrete
• UHPC eliminates capillary pores making it impervious to water and salt penetration without sealing the surface.
• Extremely low shrinkage making it perfect for non-shrink grout
• UHPC transfers even the finest relief from molded surfaces resulting in more ideal architectural concrete pieces.

Some of the more innovative ways this new concrete technique is being applied include:

• Overlays of existing roads and highways
• Precasted pilings for existing bridges and new construction bridges
• Retrofitting of existing dams
• New construction for storage of grain and food
• Overlay/retrofitting of existing tunnels
• Replacement of old utility and traffic light poles
• Underground storage facilities for oil
• Retrofitting of water treatment facilities