West Sussex
The groundwork contractors at Piled Solutions provide services to clients in West Sussex, East Sussex and other areas of Southern England. From SFA piling, subsidence treatment and restricted access piling to piled underpinning services, shallow foundation installations, new basement conversions, bored piling and site enabling works, we do what we can to meet your needs.
On this page, we will shed some light on curing for pile foundations, a vital chemical process that gives concrete strength and durability.
Curing is used to regulate the moisture and temperature of concrete for piling foundations and is carried out straight after the concrete is poured. Uncured concrete typically isn’t strong enough to support a building properly and can lead to cracks and corrosion in the foundations. Moisture in concrete is essential for reaching the required strength and stability and helping it resist abrasion, scaling and freeze-thaw cycles. Meanwhile, in terms of temperature, curing helps maintain concrete above 10 degrees Celsius, decreasing the risk of shrinking and corrosion and retaining its strength over a long period.
As groundwork contractors in West Sussex, specialising in underpinning services, foundation installation, basement conversions and restricted access piling, we should note that curing for pile foundations can be done in various ways. Curing for pile foundations is not done manually. Because pile foundations are under the surface, they’re surrounded by a lot of moisture and, therefore, involve a self-curing process.
Here are some common methods used for curing:
Pipes are set in the concrete to absorb heat. This helps water circulate in the concrete and can be a good method for thick concrete. However, sudden temperature changes can result in cracking, so it must be handled cautiously.
Electricity is passed through the concrete in various ways, including the use of large electrical blankets.
This is used when concrete needs strengthening early. The concrete’s temperature is increased up to 32 degrees celsius to improve its strength by 10%-20%.
A liquid material is sprayed over the concrete so that it solidifies into a membrane to prevent moisture from evaporating. These membranes are either water or oil-based.
This involves using either polythene sheets, plastic sheets or curing blankets, depending on the needs of the concrete.
Water curing requires the application of water to prevent the concrete from drying. This is typically used on thinner concrete.
This curing method uses materials, such as hessian, to trap moisture. Unlike water curing, which can only be applied on horizontal surfaces, wet covering is also used on vertical surfaces.
Choosing the correct curing method is crucial in supporting the structure as required. Thankfully, with our experience as piling contractors, our groundwork contractors at Piled Solutions can make the best choice for any job we carry out for our clients in West Sussex and beyond. Whether it’s restricted access piling, piled underpinning services, shallow foundation installations, new basement conversions, bored piling or site enabling works, we bring great expertise and professionalism to all our services.
