One of North America's most fragmented and regionalized industries — precast concrete — has its first-ever national powerhouse partnership. With its headquarters in Lancaster, Pa., the AltusGroup was founded to develop, manufacture and market precast technology using a coast-to-coast network of plants, technical staff and sales personnel. The group's first endeavor has been to support roll out of CarbonCast, a proprietary panel product fabricated with self-consolidating concrete mixes and carbon fiber reinforcing grid.

Representing a range of architectural and structural product capabilities, the founding members of AltusGroup are Cretex Cos. of Elk River, Minn. (through its divisions Iowa Prestress, Des Moines, and J.W. Peters, Burlington, Wis.); High Concrete Structures of Denver, Pa.; Metromont Prestress Co. of Greenville, S.C.; Oldcastle Precast Inc./Building Systems Division, Edgewood, Md.; and Denver-based Rocky Mountain Prestress. Combined the companies have more than 25 manufacturing and sales locations in the United States; more than 200 specification-oriented sales, marketing and engineering professionals; and revenue exceeding $1 billion in their most recent fiscal years.

Charter members of the group are licensing technology from that initiative and participating in the CarbonCast market development, which kicked off in February with a web cast and a high-profile exhibit at World of Concrete in Orlando. The AltusGroup board of directors is comprised of a senior management representative from each of the five precast member companies, plus one from TechFab LLC, an Anderson, S.C.-based, partnership that fabricates carbon fiber sufficient for secondary concrete reinforcement. The board meets either in person or via teleconference about once a month and is overseen by William Dausch, Esq., who was hired as chairman by AltusGroup. The organization also houses two committees. The marketing committee handles communications and maintains the national marketing program to create new product sales opportunities for each of the companies. The technical committee, comprised of engineers from each company plus one from TechFab, focuses on how technology is being used in the plant and field. The committee regularly shares best practices and test results for all of the products developed and marketed by AltusGroup.

CATALYST FOR COOPERATION

CarbonCast uses self-consolidating concrete mixes and C-Grid, a composite carbon fiber mat providing secondary reinforcement. The C-Grid technology was developed by TechFab, an AltusGroup co-founder and a 50/50 joint venture between the U.S. division of the French structural materials giant Hexcel (the largest U.S. producer of carbon fiber) and European reinforcement specialist Chomarat. While Hexcel does a great deal of business in the space, defense and commercial aerospace industries, the TechFab group specializes in high-performance fibers. In fact, AltusGroup emerged from a development initiative that Oldcastle Precast undertook with TechFab.

The CarbonCast system replaces the secondary steel reinforcing elements in precast with a high-strength composite carbon grid. According to AltusGroup, it can reduce the weight of architectural structures like wall panels by as much as 66 percent versus conventional precast while offering improved corrosion resistance and durability, improved insulating properties and finer finishes. The reduced weight contributes to lower shipping and erection costs as well as possible substructure savings. The material specs and fabrication methods, say the makers, enable delivery of consistent quality and performance across the country from charter member operations.

CarbonCast is said to be energy efficient with higher insulation values. Panels deliver 100 percent of the R-value of insulation, with higher R-values achieved in thinner wall sections. The material also scores as a “green” product since CarbonCast is made with local materials and industrial/post-consumer waste; uses less forming material and concrete; and, reduces truck trips, site congestion and overall disruption.

While conventional precast requires an exterior face thickness of 2 to 3 in. to minimize steel reinforcing corrosion, C-Grid allows a reduction of face thickness to only ⅝ in. Since C-Grid is totally inert, the exterior concrete faces function 100 percent for structural integrity, rather than corrosion protection. It also allows a user to incorporate premium aggregates and color additives, which might have been prohibitively expensive in thicker, conventionally reinforced precast components.

COMMERCIAL ENDEAVORS

The obvious benefit to CarbonCast technology are that components of varying shapes and sizes can be combined into systems to address all manner of design requirements. The lightweight components reduced structure loads; make for rapid installation in virtually any kind of weather; enable weather-tight, thermally efficient panels with performances to R-24; and, are resistant to cracking and the effects of corrosion, including staining and spalling. Thin CarbonCast panels also are suitable for countertops and interior cladding of lobbies, restrooms and other public areas, creating opportunities for a variety of interior surface treatments, finishes and textures.

For commercial systems, this technology can be realized in architectural and hardwall nonload-bearing panels, wall panels and double tees for garage floors and roof decks. AltusGroup also has seen a great deal of interest in CarbonCast technology in the multi-family residential market. Load bearing and nonload-bearing ribbed residential wall panels weigh as much as 60 percent less than conventional precast panels, according to AltusGroup, and have a rib design that delivers insulation performance to R-13. The panels are designed to make drywall furring with metal studs quick and easy, and can be formed or finished to simulate stucco, brick, stone and even clapboard siding.

Residential floor and roof decks are made of triple tees that are 10 in. deep, have a ¾-in. flange and can span up to 28 ft. They are designed to make the application of drywall ceilings easy. The decks can accommodate electrical, mechanical, plumbing, alarm and communication systems in their shallow depth.

AltusGroup members are promoting CarbonCast to residential and commercial construction prospects. Initial installations have included commercial buildings in the mid-Atlantic region, with product shipped from Oldcastle Precast's new 110,000-sq.-ft. operation outside Baltimore.