Engineering office
The concrete of the future is already characterized
Lafarge, in collaboration with Bouygues and Rhodia, have developed an innovative building material. This achievement was reached by dedicating hundreds of specialists and experts to the development over many years.
Along the process these specialists analyzed and validated behavior laws, based on thousands of experiments, which eventually contributed to the HPFC’s calculation recommendation definition.
Compared to ordinary concrete, Ductal® displays superior tensile and compressive strength and unrivalled ductility, which means it can withstand significant deformations without failure, by gradually absorbing the dispersed energy throughout its mass.
Ductal®’s qualities, due to its innovative design which optimally combines a cement-based composite with either metallic or organic fibers, give rise to a range of products with behavior similar to elasto-plastic materials.
Ductal® is preferred for its resistance to corrosion, abrasion, carbonation and impact strength. Its durability significantly reduces maintenance costs.
Ductal® is easy to use, supplied as a pre-mix and requiring no formulation, additives or any passive steel reinforcement.
Ductal® uses conventional concrete equipment and can be cast by pouring, injection or extrusion techniques.
Casting ease and fluidity facilitate the construction of large-scale, highly complex, very thin precast structures to an extent never before reached with conventional concrete materials.
Ductal® provides the ability to create lighter structures with reduced volumes and weight, leading to cost savings on the quantities of materials used. Construction methods can be simplified with schedules shorten and transportation costs reduced all of which facilitate artistic creativity for bridges, tunnels, buildings and other construction sectors.
