CoGri Australia’s Laser Grinder® was back in action this quarter grinding 400 linear metres of 3 wheel track grinding for one of the largest global food service equipment suppliers.
The project entailed grinding 13 aisles 30.7m long to flatness specification DM3 of TR34 Appendix C. Three wheel tracks were ground to accommodate Jungheinrich narrow aisle turret trucks that will be guided by wire. Face Consultants first tested the aisles for flatness but it was soon apparent that every joint of the steel fibre floor had severely curled resulting in up to 25mm of grinding required to bring the floor into specification. (Curling is when the exposed top surface of a concrete slab dries and shrinks more than the bottom, causing the floor to curl upwards at joint locations. See image below).
Curling in concrete slabs
The project was carried out whilst the racking configuration was being changed from wide aisle to narrow aisle and at the same time the warehouse was fully operational. The project was successfully completed on time and well within the flatness specification proving once again the effectiveness of the Laser Grinder® to achieve the ultimate flat floor.
The General Manager on-site commented, “I wanted to write and praise your team that have been over in Australia grinding our warehouse; the guys were very professional, trustworthy and hard working. They are a credit to your business and even on the last day when I wanted to take them for lunch they wanted to crack on and finish the job. All I can say is very impressed.”
FACE has also carried out a number of design reviews resulting in significant cost savings for a property developer in Perth. The original design had a number of fundamental flaws that could have had dire consequences had the floor been laid as planned. FACE reviewed the design and submitted a number of recommended changes that were happily accepted by the developer and will result in a far superior floor being laid.
FACE continues to do Design Reviews for property developers in Australia as it is recognised that there is a real benefit in separating the floor design from the overall design of the building. Treating the floor as a separate component is crucial given its importance in the warehouse operation. General building structural engineers are very good at understanding loads and to some degree joint layout but where FACE differs, is understanding the relationship between the floors, the material handling equipment, the warehouse operation and how they all work together.
There is a distinct lack of expertise in Australia specific to floor design for large scale industrial warehouse floors and in particular superflat or high tolerance floors. FACE are able to fill this gap through our global experience in testing and designing floors.
FACE design reviews examines the design, checks the loads and racking calculations, including steel fibre dosage, and reviews the joint layout, aspect ratio of panels, and attention to detail of the overall design be that detailing around loading docks, columns or use of armour joints. Every aspect of the floor design is reviewed and critical analysis is carried out to ensure every detail is correct. Common mistakes we see are poor detailing around loading docks, incorrect aspect ratios, too thin slabs and poor detailing which inevitably result in random cracking, curling, wide joints.
With FACE design reviews, we highlight potential risks, offer solutions and more often introduce significant cost savings to a floor. In fact, we can make the build process simpler and more efficient. Furthermore the floor performs far better in service and without any major maintenance issues. Ultimately, though, it brings peace of mind for the client.
Despite all the negative reports in the press about carbon tax, slowing development and even increased unemployment in Australia, CoGri and FACE seem to be avoiding the gloom as business is booming with many exciting opportunities developing.
CoGri will soon be announcing the release of a new range of rapid repair products for concrete industrial floors that are also suitable for use in freezer stores.
For a site visit or advice on the best solution, contact the experts.
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