Loading ramp revamp with just-in-time completion

Transshipment and courier service-provider Hermes operates a major handling hub in the Hannover district of Langenhagen in northern Germany. After ten years of operation, the concrete surfaces of the facility’s loading ramps had begun to show clear signs of deterioration.

The repair work was carried out using an epoxy resin-based grouting mortar from the MC-DUR family ideally complemented by the MC-DUR TopSpeed floor coating system, a fast-application and extremely resilient product family from MC-Bauchemie.

 

The Hermes hub, a distribution centre which went into operation in December 2010, consists of a 230-metre-long and around 60-metre-wide hall with 110 gates for loading and unloading trucks and delivery vehicles. Hermes can handle up to 180 million parcel shipments per year at its Hannover-Langenhagen site, with two vertically arranged tilt-tray sorters processing around 25,000 parcels per hour at a speed of 2.5 metres per second.

 

Due to the enormously high frequency with which delivery vehicles approach the loading ramps, the concrete surfaces in these areas had become heavily worn. Above all, the constantly recurring point load of the supports of the swap bodies had mechanically damaged the concrete. Further investigations also revealed a low drift potential. Hermes therefore decided to have an area of around 2,500 m² completely rehabilitated.

 

Leg contact points repaired with epoxy resin-based grout

The engineering firm BetonKontor of Bad Bramstedt, Germany, which was responsible for the job specifications and the contract tendering process, developed a repair concept in collaboration with MC-Bauchemie. This provided for the damaged concrete at the leg contact points to be chiselled out over an area of 40 x 40 x 4 cm, and the recesses thus created to be grouted with a high-strength epoxy resin-based mortar. This was produced with the two-component epoxy resin MC-DUR 1077 FG, a binder especially formulated for casting and grouting applications. MC-DUR 1077 FG was chosen because it has a lower modulus of elasticity and a much higher mechanical resistance than mineral grouts. In addition to its high compressive and flexural strength, it is also characterised by excellent flowability and good resistance to a wide range of chemicals, including oils and greases. In combination with MC’s special fine-grain (FG) filler, it is also used in the production of grouting and casting mortars for highly stressed foundations such as those supporting machines or crane runways. A test area created in advance at the distribution centre convinced those responsible at the logistics company of the viability of the proposed repair concept.

 

Innovative coating system based on KineticBoost-Technology®

With the areas around the leg contact points repaired, concept implementation continued with the entire surface of the ramps being coated with a highly resilient floor coating structure created with the MC-DUR TopSpeed product range in compliance with the OS 8 (surface protection system) standard. This consists of the two-component, transparent reactive resin MC-DUR TopSpeed SC, which can be filled with mineral aggregate, and the crack-bridging roller coating MC-DUR TopSpeed flex.

In the first construction phase in June 2020, half of the area of approx. 1,250 m² was repaired. The second phase is currently being scheduled. The work was coordinated by Hamburg-based contractor Bekor in such a way that partial areas could be coated during ongoing hub operations. The substrate was first primed with MC-DUR TopSpeed SC. The same product was then used as a bedding layer scattered with quartz sand in a grain size range of 0.7-1.2 mm. The final top seal coating was provided in the form of MC-DUR TopSpeed. The innovative coating system is based on a new special binder chemistry under the KineticBoost-Technology® brand, which enables coating work to be carried out even under conditions of high humidity and moisture in the substrate, not to mention an extended temperature range of 2 to 35 °C. It meets in full the requirements of surface protection grade OS 8 per EN 1504-2, as well as DIN V 18026 and German standard DAfStb Rili SIB 2001. All the system components incorporated within this KineticBoost-Technology® system use ambient moisture to accelerate the curing process, with adhesion, abrasion resistance and the scratch resistance of the coating all enhanced.

 

Highly resilient floor structure for heavy-duty logistics areas

The floor structure from MC-Bauchemie performs particularly well in heavily trafficked areas. Hence, even loading ramps like the one at Hermes in Langenhagen – used by heavy goods vehicles with high frequency practically every day – can be better and more durably protected against damage caused by the huge operational stresses to which they are exposed. Another plus point is the fast application time, which makes it possible to carry out work effectively during ongoing operations and thus to significantly minimise restrictions and downtime due to such renovation measures. This ensures a high degree of planning reliability and saves time and money – not only in the repair of the loading and ramp areas, but also in the use of storage areas in general as well as pallet parking areas and corridor routes for forklifts.

 

The structure produced with MC-DUR TopSpeed is characterised by high load-bearing capacity under very high shear and other transverse forces, such as those caused by lorry or car contact. As with all MC-DUR TopSpeed systems, complete coating structures can be quickly laid, even in the presence of rising damp and adverse ambient conditions. With good UV resistance, this coating structure is ideal for exposed areas such as car park decks and loading ramps. With MC-DUR TopSpeed, surface coatings in indoor and outdoor areas can be built up within a few hours and fully loaded after just a few hours more. The surfaces are rainproof after only thirty minutes and can be walked on after just two hours.

 

Just-in-time completion

Thanks to the outstanding properties of the MC-DUR TopSpeed products and MC’s KineticBoost-Technology®, work on the Hermes hub in Hannover-Langenhagen progressed quickly and without the need for any kind of protective enclosure – regardless of the weather conditions with, in this case, dew in the morning hours and high summer temperatures during the day. MC-Bauchemie's system produces an extremely resilient floor coating that is ideal for outdoor use and can be implemented within just a few hours, allowing fully laden operations to recommence after just one to two days. Client benefits range from speedy construction of aesthetically appealing and durable floors with high load-bearing capacity to the rapid re-usability of the repaired surfaces – a just-in-time rehabilitation programme that enables necessary renovation measures to be carried out with particularly economic efficiency.