PMV Live at The Big 5 has featured a number of seminars across a range of topics, with a particular emphasis on concrete.
Speaking on ‘Concrete canvas, a revolution in the making’, Richard Thorne, business development manager for Taffys, spoke about the concrete canvas product his company has invented and is selling in the Middle East.
First developed in 2004, the canvas product is a concrete ‘carpet’ that can be moulded to fit any surface, but once water is poured onto it the concrete quickly hardens.
Uses for the product are numerous, and many more are constantly being discovered, explained Thorne.
It was invented initially to be used to erect buildings quickly in disaster situations, but the cost was prohibitive. Instead of humanitarian functions, it has come into its element when used to hold back steep embankments alongside roadways and train tracks, being used to form ditches, and to help ground maintain its form when required.
Other applications have included an underwater tunnel in Kuwait, from an offshore rig to land; the canvas was taken down by divers and tied to the pipes, quickly hardening and then protecting the pipes from damage.
The canvas is available in three different thicknesses, and can be used to cover as much as 200m2/h, requiring about 6 to 8 litres of water per square in order for it to harden.
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