Concrete repairs redefined

It is hard to imagine from today’s perspective, but until 1984 there were no binding technical rules for the repair of load-bearing concrete structures. Not only that, there were also no trained specialists for the professional rehabilitation of such structural damage. The mantra read: “Anyone who can hold a trowel can repair concrete.” The necessary change in this mistaken belief came with the advent of the MC Quality Assurance System (QAS). It was developed in 1984 by MC-Bauchemie together with the materials testing authority MPA Braunschweig and has met with a high level of acceptance among builders and planners alike. The “Braunschweig Paper”, as the QAS was initially titled after its place of origin, created clear and verifiable quality standards at the levels of product, workmanship and monitoring.

Quality founded on three pillars

The first pillar of the QAS is the required use of products that are not only tested and monitored internally during production in the factory, but also externally. This is not about the evaluation of individual products, but about the complete system applied, including proof of the usability or compatibility of system components with one another.

As a second pillar, MC developed a course together with the University of Braunschweig to train skilled craftsmen for concrete repair – from substrate preparation to reprofiling and surface protection. After successfully passing theoretical and practical examinations, the participants receive a certificate issued by the university confirming them as accredited concrete repairers. The interest this generated was overwhelming, with demand leading to a long waiting list of prospective trainees.

The third pillar related to both supplier-managed monitoring and external surveillance on the construction site, complemented by an offer to clients and engineering offices to have the services and products professionally checked as early as the tendering stage. This, too, was very popular and was later incorporated into related supply specifications and standard service-level catalogues.

A product revolution

The start of the 1990s saw a step change in ensuring safe, speedy and efficient concrete repairs with the introduction by MC of its Zentrifix range. Depending on the system elements, companies were now able to perform their structural concrete repairs based on three or five individual operations with a maximum of four different products to cover everything from corrosion protection of the reinforcement to the final pigmented finish. The materials were so optimally coordinated that, including waiting times, all work could be completed within two to three days. Fewer application processes and reduced reworking meant a reduction in both cost and time.

The ingenious all-rounder Nafufill KM 250

With the passing of another ten years, the increasing complexity of repair tasks and the numerous technical regulations that had since been enacted required a new generation of technologically more sophisticated products – materials capable of meeting new, heightened standards in terms of corrosion protection, bond strength, structural capability and fire protection. So it was that, at the beginning of 2000, MC launched Nafufill KM 250, a universal concrete replacement system that met all these requirements and could be used for any concrete repair task. Since that time, this ingenious all-rounder has continued to add chapters to its unique success story, with its capabilities being further enhanced by the advent of ever more advanced bond coats and repair mortars.

MC has decisively shaped the concrete repair segment over the last 40 years or so, once again underlining its claim to always be one step ahead of established norm.