I am going to cast a staircase in EPS concrete. On top, I plan to have heating cables for snow melting and a 30 mm layer of fine concrete. Unfortunately, winter has arrived, so I wonder if anyone knows whether frost protection can be added to EPS as it is in regular concrete? I am also considering whether it works to have heating cables in a regular fine concrete layer or if it needs to be fiber-reinforced or something?
Thankful for comments!
Thankful for comments!
To my knowledge, there is no antifreeze for concrete. You can add an accelerator that makes the cement reactions start a bit more vigorously, and then try to cover the structure so that the heat generated stays. You can also order concrete that has a certain temperature upon delivery. They usually add heated aggregate or warm mixing water.
To ensure the concrete withstands freeze and thaw cycles once it has cured, there are various requirements, such as water-cement ratio, depending on the exposure class in which the structure will exist. An air-entraining admixture is also typically added, creating a pore system with microscopic bubbles that allow ice crystals to grow without causing the concrete to crack.
Your concrete supplier knows all about this, and it's usually not something you need to worry about. Just tell them what you are casting and follow the supplier's instructions on covering and any additional heating.
To ensure the concrete withstands freeze and thaw cycles once it has cured, there are various requirements, such as water-cement ratio, depending on the exposure class in which the structure will exist. An air-entraining admixture is also typically added, creating a pore system with microscopic bubbles that allow ice crystals to grow without causing the concrete to crack.
Your concrete supplier knows all about this, and it's usually not something you need to worry about. Just tell them what you are casting and follow the supplier's instructions on covering and any additional heating.
Sure, there is antifreeze e.g. http://www.finja.se/frostskydd-1-liter.5941.produktinfo
the thing is that it is a small staircase so I mix everything on site.
the thing is that it is a small staircase so I mix everything on site.