Hanil Cement said on the 26th that, together with Hanil Industry, it developed a cold-resistant concrete technology that can harden on its own and secure strength in winter cold without separate heating equipment, and obtained a technology performance certification from the Korea Institute of Building Construction.
In general, concrete hardens through a chemical reaction that occurs when water and cement are mixed, but this process slows significantly in cold weather. In particular, when temperatures drop below freezing, the water inside can freeze and reduce early strength. Because of this, construction sites have used methods such as putting up tents and running hot air blowers to raise the temperature to prevent freezing. However, these methods not only increase the burden of fuel costs but also come with persistent risk factors such as fires or asphyxiation from lack of oxygen.
The cold-resistant concrete developed this time was produced by mixing Hanil Cement's early-strength cement with a winter additive developed by Hanil Industry. By rapidly boosting the initial reaction rate, it can meet required strength standards even without operating separate heating equipment, simply by covering it with plastic sheets or thermal blankets. It is characterized by maintaining stable quality even in cold down to minus 10 degrees. Hanil Cement applied this method at a site building an actual office building and completed performance testing.
An official at Hanil Cement's Technology Research Institute said, "Through this technology certification, we were recognized for our technology in the quality and construction safety of winter concrete," and added, "We plan to continue developing high-performance products and technologies that reflect the needs of construction sites."