PQX CEMENT
Fast, efficient replacement of concrete runway at busy airport
Birmingham International Airport
Project
Tarmac Building Products supplied PQX Cement for the use on the major taxiway maintenance project at Birmingham International Airport
Project Brief
Birmingham International Airport undertook a major taxiway maintenance project in June 2008, which involved the reinstatement of deteriorated concrete slabs prior to overlaying with Stone Mastic Asphalt (SMA).
The Project
Tarmac Building Products supplied PQX Cement in June 2008 to the major taxiway maintenance project at Birmingham International Airport.
For the precision reinstatement of the concrete bays, main contractors Fitzpatrick Contracting Ltd brought in MJS Construction Ltd, a specialist concreting company that has carried out similar projects at many UK airports.
Problems Faced
Birmingham International Airport, conscious of the high cost of disruption due to air-side maintenance during operational hours, opted for the work to be carried out during limited night-time possession periods. A total of nineteen 50m² concrete bays had to be broken out and reinstated. Each bay comprising a 350mm deep, jointed unreinforced concrete slab and a 150mm Drylean cement-bound base course.
Outcomes
MJS Construction Ltd completed the programme on schedule, over four night shifts, enabling the taxiways to return to operational status each morning, by which time the Pavement Quality Concrete would already have reached a compressive strength of 25N/mm² (increasing to 65N/mm² after 28 days).
What The Experts Say
“Our goal for each night shift was to complete four slabs that would cure sufficiently to take heavy aircraft loading next morning. With such limited time to prepare the bays and cast new slabs, we required an extremely quick-curing concrete. Having used PQX on numerous other time-contingent projects, we knew it was ideal for the job. Because of PQX Cement’s rapid hardening and high early strength properties we batch the concrete on-site – a process we have perfected over time. Tarmac supply the Pozament PQX in bulk bags at a precise weight for each cubic metre of concrete. We order up Tarmac ready-mix trucks with the right amount of aggregate, sand and water to batch 5m³ of concrete, then we add the PQX Cement. With four mixes per slab, it is vitally important that our crew work quickly and efficiently.”