VDF Procedure is discuss in this post. VDF Flooring is a process of removing excess water from concrete surface. This performs to increase the performance of concrete. The cement paste forms on the surface with excess water observes and drain with the help of vacuum pump. And makes the slab harder and stronger.
This VDF Flooring makes the grade slab and floor durable and strong. And it increases and improves the wear resistance of slab surface. And uses mainly in industrial flooring, parking slots, platforms, runways, hangars, warehouses, factories, etc. This designs as per standard design requirements and casts in alternative panels. This has many advantaged and disadvantages.
It is a technique of reducing the water cement ratio on top surface of concrete slab. This improves the performance of concrete in work-ability and gives high strength. This reduces the small holes forms on the concrete surface. It makes the concrete slab to set sooner and harder. And by performing this the setting time of concrete improves and it attains more strength early. This increase the compressive strength of slab.
This increases the density of concrete slab by filling all small pores and air bubbles in the slab. And it reduces the chance of water absorption and penetration in the slab. It gives the ability to resist and withstand more wear and tear made by the friction on the concrete slab. This reduces the shrinkage and makes surface plain and smooth. And makes a strong, long lasting safe floors resisting cracks and damages. And gives an uniform finishing. This lays with a design concrete mix ratio. And steel reinforcements embedded inside as per design requirements.
After these design requirements the Vacuum Dewatering Flooring constructs in alternative panels on floor area of structure. This alternative panel concreting performs to prevent development of crack formation on concrete slab. And these panels frames using c-channels. And performs using, special equipment like, vacuum pump, mechanical power floater, filter pad, suction mat, poker or screed vibrators, etc.
VDF Procedure
Surface Preparation
VDF Procedure starts with surface preparation works. The surface preparation works begins with cleaning concreting area without dust on surfaces. And grade slab concrete pours over PCC with required reinforcements embedded inside it. And levels and finish neatly. This grade slab is the base slab for vdf flooring. The laid grad slab cures to attain its minimum compressive strength for required time period. After this the entire area divides and marks into alternative panels as per design requirements.
These panels frames and fix using ISMC ( steel c – channels ) of required depth and as per slope requirements. The reinforcement works carries inside these panels as per design with proper cover. And concreting proceeds with approved design mix grade of concrete.
Screed vibrator
This laid concrete levels properly and uniformly with the help of screed vibrator. It is a less weight double beam element assembled with ms tubes fixed with a motor above it. And drives electrically with help of manpower.
Filter pads
After leveling the filter pads places above the leveled concrete surface. It lays in-between leveled concrete surface and filter mats to prevent washing away of cement along with water. These are rolled mats consisting of multiple layer of net filters in it. And it comes in a size of 1.2 in width and 3.8 meters in length. These filter pads lays at the center of the panel leaving space at margins along four sides. This space provides for placing filter mats over suction mats.
Suction mat & Vacuum Pump
The suction mats places above filter pads for suction of moisture and excess water in slab. This suction mats connects to a vacuum pump to observe and collect all the excess water and moisture. These mats comes in a size of 4 m x 4 m minimum and can be made as per design panels. It is a large mat made of a single pvc sheet. At center of this mat a junction box fixes with a provision of hose pipes. This pipe connects to a vacuum pump.
After finishing the process of sucking out all wet moisture content, the slab allows to dry for certain time period. And the troweling process starts. This troweling starts with mechanical power floaters with disks and continuing with blades attached to powerful motors.
Mechanical Power Floaters
These rotating disks and blades runs above the dry concrete surface forming a uniform smooth surface emerges at top layer of concrete panels.
After these finishing with mechanical power floaters, the C-channels removes. And the alternate bay concrete adjacent to finished panel concretes and finishing completes. These vdf floor allows to cure for required time period.
Diamond cutter for Grove cutting
To prevent the formation of cracks above flooring and preventing cracks passing to other panels, these panels separates. It is done by cutting them in to specified groves using diamond cutter with steel concrete cutting blades within 48 hours.
To carryout the grove cutting, the connection joints between two panels identifies and marks above it. This performs to identify the exact line joint in-between two panels. After this the grove cutting executes. This size of groves varies depends considering the design, loads and usages. For normal floors a grove size of 5 mm in width and 25 mm in depth executes. And for heavy duty floors like runways, hangars, warehouses, it is of 10 mm width and 30 mm depth.
Sealants
The groves forms in these panels seals with sealing agents and sealants. The polysulphide sealants uses most for filling the groves. In larger grove sizes and running meter of grove is more, excess amount of chemicals consumes.
Backer rods
To prevent the excess consumption of chemical sealants backer rods uses. It is a white color elastic material made of foam. These backer rods embeds inside groves at certain depth. And above it the sealants fills uniformly and finishes neatly. These backer rods and sealants are elastic in nature, it allows the free movements of concrete expansion and contraction. It executes to prevent formation of cracks.
These are some of the main contents of VDF Procedure and equipments operates for vdf flooring in construction field.
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