Specifying a surface for the construction of a tipping floor at a waste transfer station, specialist contractor Twintec knew that it had to be tough enough to withstand constant heavy vehicle traffic and the mechanical shovels used for pushing, stockpiling and loading more than 95,000 tonnes of waste per year. With toughness in mind, Twintec engineers design for the floor slab included specifying SikaFloor 1 Metaltop from global building product manufacturer Sika.
Managed by Poole Borough Council, the £2.8m upgrade of the Nuffield Road Waste Transfer Station and Civic Amenity Site forms an integral part of the waste infrastructure for Poole and will enable the council to meet household waste recycling targets of 45% by 2015.
Working for civil engineering contractor Lagan Construction, specialist design and build flooring contractor Twintec used their extensive knowledge and experience for the installation of the 1,312m² concrete floor, which was separated into a number of tipping bays.
With its proven toughness and performance, SikaFloor 1 Metaltop offered the ideal solution. In addition to its track record, the system meets all relevant CDM regulations, as well as offering significant slip resistant properties.
Sikafloor 1 Metaltop is a super-tough metallic dry shake topping for monolithic floors. Sprinkled and trowelled into fresh wet concrete floors, it forms an exceptionally wear resistant and dense surface. Non staining, non corroding and with astonishing impact resistance, it is frequently chosen for the most challenging applications, from waste handling plants to warehouses. Crucially, owing to its mechanical resistance, it is maintenance free, making it an exceptionally cost effective and long lasting solution.
To meet the aggressive demands for the facility, Twintec laid a 250mm deep ‘jointless’ steel fibre reinforced concrete (SFRC) ground floor slab suspended on piles and constructed in just one day. Sikafloor 1 Metaltop was then power troweled into the wet concrete to a depth of 3mm in order to create a surface ready to cope with the daily operational demands of the facility.
“A Twintec SFRC ‘jointless’ design was an ideal solution for the heavily loaded floor slab and the excellent site conditions provided by Lagan Construction contributed significantly to the excellent end result delivered for the client” commented Tom Menary, Twintec.
The Sikafloor 1 Metaltop system can be laid in to a depth of 75mm to 110mm – is system applied depending upon the strength required. Fast drying, it can be fully serviceable after 5 days given the right conditions.
Nick Grounds, Sika flooring national Account Manager explained, “The Sikafloor MetalTop system produces a surface 20 times more abrasion resistant than power floated concrete, far exceeding the ‘severe / special abrasion resistance’ criteria of BS8204. It also provides anti-static properties, is dust-free and resistant to oils, chemicals and solvents.”
Now open, the Nuffield Road Waste Transfer Station benefits from a floor which has exceptional durability and can meet the high impact and daily operational demands of the facility.