”Durability of concrete structures can be defined as their ability to sustain the serviceability for which they were designed,” says Hasan Rizvi, Vice President, STP Ltd.

 Today the awareness level of customers has increased drastically. New products and systems have come in the market with special inclination to liquid applied membranes. To begin, in today’s age of premium on space, basements are constructed to give more usable space. Naturally, waterproofness is essential for all constructions. The Indian construction chemical and coating market continues to have a high potential for growth.

Also with the new government at the centre, the corporate world has great expectations. The new government seems to clear projects, which were held up due to unnecessary reasons. This would be a boost to the construction chemical and coating business.

There appears to be no gap between demand and supply. Time delay happens in case of imported waterproofing products which are generally substituted by similar ingeniously developed products. Further, there are a number of small distributors who supply imported products in the local market. Some factors like higher volume, economy of scale and introduction of new products’ range with cutting edge technologies are helping the company to excel in the market. Today STP is considered as one of the most trusted names in the field of construction chemicals and waterproofing, because of its quality and service and is the most preferred brand.

STP Ltd. has its own state-of-the-art R&D centre. Its facility (Avishkar) is based near Kolkata. The company understands the need of its customers and its R&D team provides products to suit the market requirements.
TarFelt is one of the products from STP which has become a generic name for waterproofing. STP has introduced a new generation of TarFelt under the brand name of TarFelt LM which is a water-based cold applied bituminous liquid membrane and also a nontoxic green product.

Durable concrete structures can be achieved only through careful attention to many details. This update discusses the key determinants of durability for both new construction and repair of old structures. The durability of concrete structures can be defined as their ability to sustain the serviceability for which they were designed. Basic to the concept of durability is a commitment to quality and its assurance. With respect to concrete, quality assurance is a matter of testing and inspecting to ensure the proper selection, proportioning, mixing, handling, placing, and curing of the materials, as well as the appropriate design of the structure itself.

The following points should be taken into account for both the construction of new concrete structures and the repair of deteriorated structures:
Factors affecting the durability of structures
• Poor quality construction
• Lack of waterproofing treatment
• Poor maintenance, blocked drain pipes
• DPC failure
• Lack of proper slope causing stagnation of water
• Leaking pipe joints.

Water proofing of structures:
• Basements  (SuperThermolay APP membrane)
• Roof (TarFelt APP membrane, virtually self-adhesive membrane)/ ShaliCem EWP , two component Cementitious elastomeric liquid applied  membrane)
• Sunken (ShaliCrete –R) and make waterproof plaster with ShaliPlast LW
• Planters and terrace garden (STP hybrid system: ShaliUrethane LHM  and ShaliCrete-R)
• Overhead and underground tanks (ShaliCem EWP).

General concrete deterioration
Most concrete deterioration can be attributed to water penetration. Since concrete absorbs moisture until it becomes saturated, preventing water from collecting on the surfaces is of prime importance. Moisture hastens deterioration not only because it promotes chemical reactions but also because it carries dissolved chemicals that can react with the steel, lime and other components in the concrete. It also plays a major role in concrete deterioration. Water entering concrete results in spalling of concrete.

Migratory corrosion inhibitor, being amine based bipolar in nature, used as an additive during concreting/repairs, can protect the steel from corrosion in aggressive environment. In this category, STP offers:
• Migratory corrosion Inhibitor  (ShaliPlast RCI)
• Microconcrete (ShaliFix MC)
• Epoxy bonding agent for joining old and new concrete (ShaliBond concrete).

Providing good slopes and effective drainage, it is possible to prevent water from ponding and application of waterproofing treatment thus preventing water being absorbed. Structure design should accentuate water-shedding characteristics for vertical elements, for example, the proper design detailing of window ledges can prevent the wall from wetting. It also incorporates slopes and drain holes for such horizontal elements as decks.

Conclusion
India has the ability to develop indigenous technologies, processes, rather than inviting and importing technologies. Construction chemical manufacturers like STP Ltd. are promoting technologies suitable to weather and climatic conditions, affordability and environmentally friendly.

Authored by_

Hasan Rizvi,
Vice President, STP Ltd