Innovations in concrete
That concrete, second to water, is the most widely used material in the world – and that it is one of the construction material with very high innovation potential is certainly nothing new to say. During the 64th BetonTage in Neu-Ulm in Germany, which just recently ended, some of these trends were presented in the newly established „Forum Innovation“. And the Innovation Prize of the Supplier Industry for Structural Concrete Components, which is also awarded within the scope of the BetonTage, continued to enjoy great popularity.
This time, Chairman Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Garrecht and his Expert Jury, was pleased with the total of more than 22 submissions, which are presented in summary form in this issue (the other submissions follow in the BFT April issue). While the winner had already received the Sponsorship Award for Regenerative Raw Materials and the Biopolymer InnovationAward for an eco spacer granule for transporting and storing concrete slabs, the runner-up presented a new process for manufacture of hollow slabs for use in seismic areas. Another was presented with the German Innovation Award and the 2019 Lower Austrian Waste Management Prize for his volcano concrete developments. A fourth applicant came up with a resource-saving light granulate made of masonry rubble for the production of R-concrete, etc. Particularly noteworthy here was the enormous range of the submissions – applications were received both from precast producers and research institutes as well as from plant engineering firms and suppliers.
The one or other additional concrete innovation should most likely be presented at the beginning of May. At that time, the BIBM Congress 2020 will take place in Copenhagen, at which BFT International, as co-organizer, will take part (program see pp. 65).
