Tremix flooring is a special type of flooring mostly being done in the industrial sector. It provides better wearing and tearing properties. It is generally used for industrial purpose, where rigid surface necessary for machine foundation, light load carrier vehicle and light weight cranes. Generally the mix of concrete used for Tremix is 1:1:5:3 (1 cement: 1.5 sand and: 3 stone aggregates), mostly rich mix of 1:1:2 preferred for better wear and tear. In this flooring necessary reinforcement provides depending upon the thickness of the flooring, whereas the thickness of concrete is decided from 100 to 200 mm over PCC (1:4:8) and well prepared stone soling base ranging from 230 to 300 mm. In industrial flooring PCC base should be kept up to 100 mm and same as floor concrete 150 mm, may be satisfactory for heavy duty areas such as warehouses, garage and machine shops.
TOOLS AND MATERIALS REQUIRED
All Mason tools and tackles required to available at site. However some special tools required as follows;
1. Floater machine
2. Tremix skin4. Double beam screed vibrator
Material shall be as per specification such as Mix 1:1:2 and floor hardener.
FLOORING PROCEDURES
- Prepare the sub-base by watering and ramming, properly ensure no loose material are left. Level the surface and lay 230 mm to 300 mm stone soling/boulder soling layer of 150 mm shall be provided and compacted properly.
- Floor slope should be maintained in PCC work, which shall be laid above the stone soling. Thickness of PCC shall be kept 100 mm.
- Tremix has to be done in panel and each panel shall be of 3.5 meter and appropriate reinforcement bar shall be laid in layer of two or one keeping the concrete cover of 50 (it may differ as per standard).
- Vacuum de-watering machines are useful, which removes excess water from the top layer of wet concrete without removing the cement of sand particles. This is done soon after concerting, ramming or vibrating with screed vibrator, and levelling first round troweling, when the concrete is fresh. It will not only increase the strength of the concrete but also increase abrasion resistance of the floor, also it is always good if hardener to be used to increase abrasion resistance of floor while using floater machine at the time of finishing the floor surface. Shrinkage cracks are also minimized by using this system.
- Further to avoid shrinkage cracks and increase the abrasion floor hardener and polyurethane fiberes are to be added to concrete in small amount. The quantity of the fibers and hardener shall be prescribed by the manufacturers.
- Casting of concrete flooring in panels to avoid shrinkage cracks and work as expansion joints, it is slow and time-consuming process, especially when large area are to be floored. The concrete lay in panels without construction joint, then after panel joints shall be cut with help of cutting saw after 7 to 10 when concrete is not fully hardened. The gap so created is filled with poly sulfide or sealants.