Argos, a cement and concrete manufacturer, has released a new product it believes can help increase sustainability by helping to create infrastructure designed to last over a century.

SUPER UHPC, which stands for “Ultra-High-Performance Concrete,” is a dry mix from Argos that is composed of a series of special cementitious materials and fibers which the company claims give the product “outstanding characteristics in terms of mechanical and durability properties.”

Jose Patino, a research and development engineer with Argos, said SUPER UHPC was developed through a rigorous research process.

“This versatile product has a wide range of applications, among which the construction of pedestrian bridges, vehicular bridges, facades and roads stand out, as well as the repair and rehabilitation of existing structures,” Patino said.

“Argos, as an industry leader, has a broad but strict approach to contribute to this much-needed transformation, and one of its main pillars is the development of a specialized product portfolio, with which value can be generated for all the players along the chain, from the specifier to the end-user, and at the same time create durable and environmentally friendly solutions,” Patino added.

The product is marketed in kits that include the dry mix, additives and fibers, which are then mixed by the consumer.

Argos believes SUPER UHPC can help with the rehabilitation of thousands of degraded roads and bridges. It has been used on projects including the repair of bridge connection joins for I-10 in Pensacola, Florida.

Technical specs for SUPER UHPC

SUPER UHPC has strong chloride ion penetration resistance. Said another way, the material is good at resisting chloride ions, which can penetrate into the concrete and degrade the material over time.

Here are some of the technical specs of SUPER UHPC:

Explaining ultra-high-performance concrete

According to the Portland Cement Association (PCA) website, ultra-high-performance concrete is “cementitious, concrete material that has a minimum specified compressive strength of 17,000 pounds per square inch (120 MPa) with specified durability, tensile ductility and toughness requirements.”

The material is often used to sure up weak spots in existing structures. It is also used to reinforce potential weak spots in the construction of new structures, therefore adding to a projected lifespan of a structure that uses the material.

Fibers are generally included in the mixture to achieve specified requirements, according to PCA’s website.

Ultra-high-performance construction can eliminate the need for reinforcing steel in some applications and has high flow characteristics that make it self-compacting. The material has a dense matrix that makes it almost non-permeable and prevents harmful materials like chlorides from degrading its durability.