Page 34 - Demo

CONCRETE TECHNOLOGY34 CPI %u2013 Concrete Plant International %u2013 6 | 2025 www.cpi-worldwide.comFor decades, Kraft Curing has been at the forefront of innovation in concrete curing. The introduction of new cements - using various types of fillers (hydraulic and inert) to replace Portland clinker (in an effort to reduce cement%u2019s CO2 footprint) - is causing producers of precast and prestress elements to question when these products can be demoulded or detensioned without risking damage to the product. To address this issue - as well as the general issue of when a concrete product is suitable for handling - Kraft Curing%u2019s introduction, last year, of Match-Cure technology marks a milestone in quality control for precast and prestress concrete production. Designed as a comprehensive early-strength monitoring system, Match-Cure allows producers of precast and prestress concrete elements to ensure that the freshly poured element achieves the required strength prior to demoulding or tensioning - enabling the earliest possible detensioning or demoulding time, reducing energy and unnecessary labor costs while maintaining safety and product quality that may be a result of inadequate strength development.Test cylinders or cubes, produced as test specimen when a precast or prestress element is poured, are placed into an insulated Match-Cure environmental chamber that allows for precise measurement and control of the test specimen temperature based on (precisely duplicating) the internal temperature of the actual concrete element.As the produced concrete element gains temperature (either though hydration or an accelerated curing system) a heating unit inside the Match-Cure enclosure heats the specimen while an exhaust unit cools (to a minimum of the ambient temperature) the temperature of the specimen if the temperature of the concrete element drops (perhaps due to wind, a failed curing cover, etc.). A cooling system is available as an option for regions which experience harsh winters. Predictive Maturity %u2013 A New Era in Concrete CuringKraft Curing Systems GmbH, 49699 Lindern, Germany n Bertrand Delforge, JB Concrete, FranceApril Kraft, Kraft Curing Systems, Kraft Curing Systems GmbH, GermanyIntegration of Match-Cure into Kraft Curing%u2019s AutoCure ecosystem to prevent duplicate control and montoring systems and save money. Match-Cure environmental chambers for a total of five (5) production areas/beds/