ULTIMAX® cement is a blended hydraulic cement produced in an ordinary cement kiln using specially designed raw materials and quality control procedures to out perform any other product in its category.
ULTIMAX® cement has special chemical constituents and finer particle distribution property which participates in its outstanding performance.
ULTIMAX® cement is performance-oriented cement in the following areas:
Early High Strength:
ULTIMAX® develops compressive strength in one day that exceeds that of the ordinary Portland Cement in 28 days. Structural stresses could be applied as early as 3 hours.Fast Setting:
ULTIMAX® cement is fast setting / rapid hardening cement. The working time is 15 minutes approximately in ordinary temperature (70 F).The setting time of ULTIMAX® is affected by temperature and relative humidity which becomes longer in cold weather and shorter in high temperatures.
The working time can be extended to any time by adding retarder (control set) to the mixing water in different percentages according to the engineer's evaluation of site conditions and requirements.
Minimal Shrinkage:
ULTIMAX® cement has the property of shrinkage eliminating quality. When proper water/cement ratio is used together with other protective measures, shrinkage can be minimized to almost zero.Due to the high hydration water requirements and the fast rate of strength gaining, shrinkage cracks are eliminated.
Sulfate Resistance:
Due to the special chemistry of ULTIMAX® cement, sulfate resistance mechanism is not dependent on the C3A percentage in the cement.In ULTIMAX® cement all harmful expansive reactions take place in the plastic stage of cement hydration, leaving the cement matrix free from any future possible harmful sulfate attack.
Gravel sulfate content, salty soils or sea water are no more presenting a disturbing issue in ULTIMAX® cement concrete matrix...
Low Permeability:
ULTIMAX® cement has the possibility of obtaining almost zero permeability level due to the high hydration water requirement together with the sealing property of the special ULTIMAX® fine crystals.ULTIMAX® cement is similar to Portland cement in color and most mixing and use procedures.
When ULTIMAX® cement is used in any temperature different than the normal 70°F, special attention should be made to the setting time limitations and requirements.
Field test should be made to fine-tune the water/cement ratio and the retarder percentage to be used to reflect the temperature, humidity and job conditions.
Calculated amount of retarder should be mixed with water prior to concrete mixing.
Concrete made out of ULTIMAX® cement should be mixed as per ASTM C- 94.
Make sure that the mix quantity and feed rate is matching the pour team's ability to handle and finish before concrete starts to harden.
ULTIMAX® cement is very useful in applications where structural strength is needed within very limited time frame or where fast setting property is the desirable advantage to eliminate long curing and handling procedures and time.
Shrinkage free or zero permeability are very promising possibility of ULTIMAX® cement.
High sulfate resistance quality out performs Type V cement in many areas.
Combined advantages of tow or more of the above qualities and properties extend the application possibilities to an endless scope, which put ULTIMAX® cement on the top list of future efficient and high performance building materials.
Pavement Construction and Repair
Early high strength ULTIMAX® cement is very useful in areas and applications where normal concrete curing time to acquire structural strength is in conflict with time limitations, site conditions or traffic and utilities requirements.Airport runway and taxi way construction and repair, freeways’ pavement slabs maintenance and repair, tilt up panels and foundations, congested intercity curbs, gutters and side walks maintenance and repair, utilities’ excavations backfill and pavement restoration are just few examples of the great advantages of early high strength fast setting ULTIMAX® cement.
Tilt Up Concrete Panels and Foundations
Early high strength ULTIMAX® cement is very useful in areas and applications where adequate early concrete structural strength is required to save time and costs associated with long curing time of Portland cement concrete.Tilt up wall panel construction is clear example of reducing the lifting time to one day only, during which the concrete strength will be 3000 psi min using normal cement content, compared to seven days min lifting time using very rich Portland cement mixes.
Tilt up panels foundation’s construction is another example of saving in time of completion of construction projects. Using early high strength ULTIMAX® cement enable the contractor to remove the panels bracing in one day compared to seven days minimum curing time in ordinary Portland cement. Consequently, following structural and finishing activities can start immediately.
Non-shrink Grout
ULTIMAX® cement is shrinkage eliminating cement. The shrinkage value for pure cement or sand cement grout is about zero. Due to the special chemistry of ULTIMAX® cement, the hydration water is 50% more than the Portland cement hydration water, as a result; the surplus water is reduced, the bleeding phenomena disappear, and the tiny ULTIMAX® crystals will seal the little amount of capillary surplus water.It is well-established fact that the shrinkage cracks can be avoided by causing the grout or concrete strength to increase more rapidly than shrinkage stresses.
Early high strength quality of ULTIMAX® cement is the cracks eliminating factor whenever there is surplus water in the grout mass or excessive evaporation is encountered.
Shrinkage Eliminating Cement
ULTIMAX® cement is shrinkage eliminating cement, which work in completely different mechanism to avoid the harmful shrinkage phenomena in ordinary Portland cement.Type K shrinkage compensating cement is an expansive cement designed to produce a precalculated expansion which is enough to balance the expected shrinkage in a specific construction element. Type K cement requires engineering and detailing to all forms, structural elements and restrains.
ULTIMAX® cement does not require any special engineering or detailing for the forms and restrains other than what is normally required for ordinary concrete forms and scaffolding.
ULTIMAX® cement can be used in any structural or nonstructural applications increasing the joint intervals to whatever the pouring and finishing capabilities can facilitate, as far as the other factors are handled satisfactorily.
Sulfate Resistant Cement
Traditional sulfate resistant cement (type V) reduces the sulfate attack hazard by reducing C3A content in the cement to 5% max. Since the reaction of C3A with sulfate compounds is responsible for the destructive formation of the expansive ettringite crystals.ULTIMAX® cement is sulfate attack free, due to completely different mechanism, which eliminate the possibility of such harmful reaction.
ULTIMAX® cement special chemistry takes care of all available C3A in the cement during the plastic stage of the cement hydration, leaving the concrete mass free from any unreacted C3A.Consequently the concrete will be completely free of sulfate attack hazard.
Construction sites with sulfate containing soils, sulfate containing aggregate and gravel sea and costal structures and road pavements, sewer systems, are few examples of the ULTIMAX® cement advantages beside all its other superior qualities.
Cold Weather Concreting
Early high strength ULTIMAX® cement is useful in low temperature concreting to save costs, time and risks associated with freezing protection to fresh concrete.It is well known in the concrete industry that fresh concrete should be protected in cold weather until it attains a compressive strength of 500 psi. Most well proportioned Portland cement concrete mixtures reach this strength during the second day.
Early high strength fast setting ULTIMAX® cement concrete reach the specified safe strength for protection removal shortly after final setting.
Adding initiator to satisfy the engineer’s time frame can easily control final setting time.
Emergency Handling
Early high strength and fast setting ULTIMAX® cement is very useful in emergency handling and repair work. The rate of strength development in Portland cement is way behind the urgent need of supporting materials with sufficient strength as soon as possible.The consequences of any delay in emergency handling and repair works are painful and very costly. Sometimes the delay damages are unrecoverable.
Flood control structures maintenance and repair, erosion control structures maintenance and repair, water treatment plants emergency repair, earthquake damage repairs and structures restoration, costal structures maintenance and repair in high tide areas, high voltage power towers’ foundations repairs are just few examples of the problem solving capabilities of early high strength fast setting ULTIMAX® cement
Pre cast Concrete Construction
Early high strength ULTIMAX® cement is very useful in areas where ordinary setting time and strength gaining rate of Portland cement are practically translated to endless list of costly consequences and delays. Big molds inventory, big mold storage areas, large preparation and pouring sites, large curing and handling areas, long mold removal time, long curing time, long delivery time are some examples.Pre cast concrete pipes, panels, units and blocks are examples of areas in which normal workability ULTIMAX® cement concrete could be used with the possibility of removing the molds starting from one-hour time during which ULTIMAX® cement starts to develop structural strength. Using ULTIMAX® cement will save the cost and the inconveniences related to the use of dry low slump mixes with more chances of voids and low quality units.
ULTIMAX® cement will save the cost and additional arrangements of using water reducing agents or accelerators. ULTIMAX® cement will enable the user to cast his molds several times a day, saving molds storage and handling, units curing and storage areas, curing and delivery time.
