Tokyo Cement shares expertise in mass concreting
View(s):Tokyo Cement Group, a longstanding industry partner of the Society of Structural Engineers of Sri Lanka (SSE-SL), recently cemented the partnership by becoming the principal sponsor of the Question Time Sessions organised by SSE-SL.
At this event, Janaka Perera, Tokyo Cement’s General Manager – RMC Sales and Marketing shared his expertise in mass concreting, using firsthand experience gained through the involvement of Tokyo Supermix in a number of high-rise buildings and highway projects.
The presentation, which discussed an immensely pertinent topic in today’s context, focused mainly on controlling peak temperature in mass concerting, as a key measure to avoid thermal cracking of concrete structures. Mr. Perera drew from a wealth of experiences from various types of projects, citing both local and international examples, while shedding the limelight on how the issue of peak temperature was resolved successfully during the construction of the thickest (5.6metres) concrete structure in Sri Lanka to date, the company said in a media release.
Mr. Perera, giving an overview of the presentation and its objectives, stated, “After the much publicised 2008 pile cap cracking experience during construction of the Southern Highway Kumagai Section, lot of attention was paid on Delayed Etringite Formation (DEF) in mass concreting, associated with high peak temperature at the core. Mock-up tests became mandatory for all large-scale projects that commenced since 2010 in Colombo. University academia played an active role in providing recommendations to such mass concrete pours.”
The presentation shared the experience of Tokyo Supermix on mass concreting in number of projects in Sri Lanka, and shed light on evolution of the measures adopted to control peak temperature. The real-life case study of Havelock City commercial development, the thickest concrete structural member to date in Sri Lanka, in December 2018, which also set a new record on the highest total volume supplied by a single supplier for one mass concrete pour, was a key highlight of the presentation that revealed many learning points for the undergraduate student participants.
Following the presentation, the participants aimed many questions at the panel, comprising Engineer(Eng.) Shiromal Fernando, Eng. Janaka Perera and Dr. M.G.M.U. Ismail, moderated by Eng. Samitha Jayakody of the SSE-SL, who elaborated in detail the crucial role played by the supplier, who is expected to work in tandem with the consultants to achieve a successful project completion.