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As many as 75,000 concrete blocks weighing 6,500 kilograms will soon make the Afsluitdijk resistant to the effects of climate change. The production planning of these Levvel blocks is very meticulous, while conditions can vary seasonally or even weekly. Thanks in part to the support of admixture supplier Cugla, the production cycle is achieved throughout the year.
Construction consortium Levvel (BAM, Van Oord and Rebel) wants to run continuous production throughout the year. This is possible with a normal admixture, until the temperature goes towards freezing point or it suddenly becomes thirty degrees in summer. Then the concrete composition is adjusted by steering with the right admixture to continue to meet the workability and compressive strength requirements.
R&D Center Cugla.
The Levvel blocks are ingeniously designed. They weigh 6,500 pounds each, collapse like roof tiles, and in this way act as breakwaters. At the same time, they will soon give the dike a beautiful, sleek appearance. Quality and aesthetics go hand in hand. With an eye for the environment, moreover, because in the concrete world sustainability is a major concern. Levvel is using a very environmentally friendly cement for the reinforcement of the Afsluitdijk, with little Portland cement clinker. "The sustainable composition places additional demands on the required admixtures," explains Cugla director Toine Leijten. "Because Levvel does want the certainty that it can demould blocs after a maximum of 16 hours of hardening, all year round. Cugla's strength is that we know very well the interaction between cement and admixture. And we tailor the admixture, if necessary. Levvel chose Cugla for our service, guidance and know-how."
The consortium is not alone. In complicated construction processes, the industry is quick to look to Cugla as a thinking partner. In the past, for example, the Breda company was closely involved in the construction of the Oosterscheldekering, supplied the auxiliary materials for the HSL, and is currently doing so in the construction of the new locks in Terneuzen and IJmuiden. Leijten: "We are specialists in optimizing cementitious specialty mortars and admixtures for mortar and concrete. Our part in these major projects makes us proud."
