Giving concrete a minimum strength of 30 MPa in just two days is the key advantage of AfriSam’s Rapid Hard Cement product, allowing concrete product manufacturers (CPMs) quicker turnaround times and confidence from one batch to the next.

According to AfriSam national sales manager, Amit Dawneerangen, being in the 52.5R strength class gives Afrisam’s Rapid Hard Cement a substantially higher early strength at the same age as competitors’ products which fall into the 52.5N class and only needs to achieve 20 MPa within that time span.

“This allows the manufactured concrete product to be released from the mould sooner, speeding up the production cycle and allowing the CPM factory more efficiency,” says Dawneerangen. “It is also vital that the strength performance is completely consistent, so that customers can time their processes with precision, and without danger of breakage due to products not having achieved the required early strengths when removing from moulds.”

AfriSam Rapid Hard Cement is the result of significant research and development to ensure that it met the demands of the CPM segment, the makers of concrete products such as bricks, blocks, roof tiles and hollow core slabs. In addition to precast concrete, the high early strength also makes this cement brand ideal for post-tensioned and pre-stressed members, and allows for earlier stripping of formwork to speed up projects.

The product is much finer than other cements, resulting in an increased rate of hydration which produces higher early-strength. For more durability, it can be further blended with mineral components such as ground granulated blast furnace slag, fly ash or condensed silica fume.

Dawneerangen says this higher rate of hydration also makes AfriSam Rapid Hard Cement suitable for use in cold weather conditions, as the high levels of heat generated by hydration can offset the retardation effect that low temperatures usually have on concrete. This characteristic also delivers a cost saving to CPMs, by reducing the time that products must be subject to heat curing; most of these precast products are heat treated for a number of hours to facilitate the hardening process.

“In some applications, the performance of this cement reduces or even eliminates the heat curing stage, which could represent a substantial energy saving to the CPM,” he concludes.