Slab on grade damage

[LOKSTR]

Hi Everybody,

I am looking for any reference to prevent my slab on grade damage due to "heavy dozer/loader tracks".
I have heard of embedding steel rails/beams into the floor to prevent the damage but do not have any reference or details for this.

Is there any structural issue with rail embedded into slab on grade?

The slab on grade is for repair shop for heavy mining trucks/loader etc. with metal tracks.

Thanks

 

[jike]

You need to armour the surface with a metallic aggregate or something like BASF's Anvil Top.

Good Luck!

 

[hokie66]

With heavy industrial floors like this, toughness is a major consideration, and embedded rails are a fairly common way of trying to to combat damage due to tracks, buckets, etc. But the concrete needs to be tough as well, and many of our heavy industrial clients, based on their experience, insist on steel fibre reinforced concrete.

 

[CTW]

The embedded rails would not work too well in this case since it is only a repair shop subjected to the wear from steel tracks. Embedded rails are better suited for applications where loader buckets push material. It works well, but depending on the type of material pushed, the concrete between the rails can wear out.

The anvil top, as jike mentioned, is a good product with very high abrasion resisitance but this may be overkill since your application is a repair shop. This is the top of the line in armoured toppings. MasterBuilders, now BASF, used to make several metallic aggregate toppings that had varying levels of abrasion resistance. I'm not sure what their product line in now that they are BASF, but there are many companies that make concrete toppings with high wear resistance and abrasion resistance. Your application is nothing new, so I would recommend contacting reps from several companies who offer concrete toppings, explain your application, and see what they recommend. By the way, it's been several years since I considered using anvil top, but it was very,very expensive.

All of these products have strict placing requirements, so make sure the owner uses a contractor that has placed your chosen material before. If it's not installed and cured correctly, the product will not perfom as expected.

 

[minerk]

Another vote for Anvil top (or equivalent). Ever try rolling a tool box (filter cart, welder, torch rig, hand truck) over imbedded rails? Install the anvil top in strips to accomodate the gauge of the tracked equipment.