Rapid hardening concrete for airport runway repair: How TERNAL® Fondu delivers fast results
Chosen for urgent runway repairs at Tours Airport, Imerys’ TERNAL® Fondu is a calcium aluminate binder that enables the creation of a high-performance concrete solution that achieves rapid mechanical strength, outpacing traditional Portland cements in time-sensitive conditions.
When public works contractor T.A.E. company based in Fondettes in Indre et Loire was tasked with repairing runways and taxiways at Tours Airport in France’s Loire Valley; speed was critical.
With average operational losses of €100,000 per grounded aircraft per day, every hour of airport downtime carried a significant financial burden.
The team turned to Imerys and its TERNAL® Fondu – a high-performance calcium aluminate binder from Imerys – for its rapid-drying capabilities that allowed essential infrastructure work to proceed swiftly, even in winter conditions.
Calcium aluminate binders for high-performance concrete
TERNAL® is a range of calcium aluminate binders from Imerys, developed to provide specific benefits for even the most demanding of formulations.
Providing powerful performance across a range of applications and intended uses, TERNAL® gives customers access to a variety of benefits, including high mechanical strength and corrosion and abrasion resistance, as well as rapid hardening and fast drying.
How TERNAL® Fondu enables quick concrete setting below 10°C
TERNAL® Fondu is a cement-based solution that develops the mechanical strength of concrete at rapid speeds – even when the work is being carried out at winter temperatures below 10°C.
Calcium aluminate binders such as TERNAL® Fondu are unique in that they achieve mechanical strength of 30 MPa in just six hours, compared to the 28 days typically required for Portland cements, [...]That difference is invaluable when your client needs to resume operations as quickly as possible.
Because of its high-performance properties, including its rapid setting, TERNAL® Fondu should be tested and approved at the concrete mixing plant before use at the job site. This ensures that the concrete mixture is properly refined and controlled, ready for a quick and straightforward application.
Why Imerys is a trusted partner for construction companies
Imerys aims to be a Partner of Choice for its customers – developing mutually beneficial relationships based around innovative collaboration and applying expertise to help customers solve tomorrow’s challenges.
The performance capabilities of TERNAL® Fondu made Imerys an obvious partner for T.A.E. company in delivering this contract.
We needed a product that combined rapid implementation and drying time with a high-quality finish. TERNAL® Fondu was the obvious choice for this, [...] By partnering with Imerys, we were able to provide a quick, high-quality service to reduce financial impact on our client and deliver a successful brief.
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