High-demand infrastructure projects require high-performance concrete. In India LafargeHolcim’s subsidiary Ambuja Cement partnered with Alcon Group Goa to develop a cement with micro-fine particles for just such projects. Called Alccofine, these particles give it great durability, as well as a host of other properties such as smoother finishes, quicker setting times and resistance to pollutants that can be a critical support for completing large-scale infrastructure projects on time and up to standard. Alccofine can even be applied in ‘shotcrete’ form, meaning construction crews can pump it through a hose and spray it onto any surface; even directly upwards.
Six cities in India are currently building their metros with Alccofine. Four of India’s biggest cities — Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi and Kolkata — already house Alccofine metro stations. Alccofine goes far beyond transportation as well, as it is the essential material in the recently opened Kishanganga Hydroelectric Dam, which now produces 330 Megawatts of electricity for the province of Jammu and Kashmir.
From dams to tunnels, bridges to high-rises, Alccofine’s workability and high early strength makes it perfect for challenging environments — where most large infrastructure projects happen to be. Projects involving tunnels require precast elements that can hold large weights quickly, and within as little as three days, Alccofine concrete has higher compressive strength than regular concrete. The resulting structures last decades longer than those using alternative products, and they also require less maintenance.