Rapid drying concrete advances moisture-sensitive slab practice

Sources: U.S. Concrete Inc., Houston; CP staff

U.S. Concrete subsidiary USC Technologies, Inc. bills its Aridus Rapid Drying Concrete as the first ready mixed solution for preventing floor covering failure, an industry-wide problem that costs millions of dollars annually in damage, downtime, repair and replacement. The proprietary mix can attain in 30 days or less— three times faster than conventional concrete—the 75 percent internal relative humidity level increasingly referenced as a target for flooring covering application on new concrete slabs.

Aridus test specimens have also exhibited strong performance for other benchmarks affecting floor-covering specifications: moisture vapor evaporation rate five times faster and (post-rewetting event) redrying rate four times faster when measured against conventional concrete controls. Properties the value-added mix imparts in finished slabs equate to what USC Technologies notes is a faster and more effective floor covering installation that helps a) keep critical projects, in wet or dry climates, on schedule; and, b) significantly reduces owners’, designers’ and builders’ risk of project delay and failure liabilities.

“Aridus is an extremely innovative concrete technology and the result of over five years of research and development,” says U.S. Concrete CEO William Sandbrook. “Our objective was to address the problem from a concrete standpoint and provide a more reliable and long-term solution to moisture problems in concrete floors.”

“Current solutions are mainly late stage treatments or topical solutions that basically seal the moisture in. The moisture remains there, and remains a potential problem that can emerge,” adds Vice President of Sales & Marketing Wally Johnson. “Aridus Rapid Drying Concrete helps prevent moisture problems in concrete floors before they arise.”

The product joins other branded, project-specific mixes USC Technologies has developed for U.S. Concrete’s mid-Atlantic, Texas and California operations, plus approved or licensed ready mixed producers in markets coast to coast.