Sika products were used in the maintenance of some of Mamba Cement’s silos.
Lasting a month, the project started in November 2019 and was complete by the end of December.
Rich mining history
Koedoeskop, is a small town near Thambazimbi, in the Limpopo Province, it is also a remote bushveld environment with a rich mining history. Despite being located in the bushveld, the client, Mamba Cement, was the first cement company in Africa to possess a waste heat recovery system – indeed, an innovative way of reducing carbon footprint. Teichmann Contractors and BSM Baker Consulting Engineers were selected to carry out the maintenance on some of its silos.
Although the project duration was short, the weather provided prohibitive challenges. Extremely heavy rains, experienced during the project, made both site access and operations difficult at times. Consequential delays in the work, necessitated the contractors to fill in lost time, which may have resulted in a higher final cost to the project. Given their ability to resist and withstand bad weather, the use of Sika products to repair the silos was definitely a good choice.
Restoration work
Where defective concrete was encountered, structural repairs were done using the Sika Monotop- 412 NFG. This product is ideal for restoration work, suitable for structural repairs, as well as preserving or restoring passivity to the rebar. Ninety-four metres of cold joints and cracks on the structure, were repaired by means of crack injection, using a low viscosity epoxy Sikadur-52 ZA. The advantages of using this product is that: it has shrinkage-free hardening, suitable for both dry and damp conditions; is solvent free and can be used at low temperatures. Finally, the top of the Silo was waterproofed with the reputable Sikalastic- 152 and a 4mm x 4mm alkali resistant coated glass mesh fabric, to add resistance to moving cracks. Sikalastic- 152 affords an extremely easy application process, and is a flexible, durable, and aesthetically appealing waterproofing product.
This was the first major maintenance project done on the relatively new, one-of-a-kind plant. Given its high-quality products and reliable service, Sika can confidently state it will be a repair that will stand the test of time.