UltraCrete Reduces Road Defects by 98%

The UK’s largest water company is using UltraCrete’s flowable bedding system to reinstate manhole covers and frames across its network.

United Utilities manages the water and waste network in North West England, this includes Cumbria, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. Hundreds of thousands of vehicles pass through its network on a daily basis and increasing traffic volumes are taking their toll on the road infrastructure as well as damaging the ductile ironwork within it.

United Utilities sought a durable bedding system that would support the ironwork bearing the high traffic volumes. UltraCrete’s Envirobed HA104® compliant bedding and backfill mortar system provided the ideal solution. It is a two-part cementitious system which offers all of the benefits of resin-based products, but none of the hazards and no expensive waste disposal. It can be used in all weather too, even in temperatures as low as 1⁰C, so disruption is kept to a minimum!  Both mortars achieve superior compressive and tensile strengths within 3 hours and can be opened to traffic in 1 hour.

The internal voids of the frames and brickwork are dammed with HAPAS approved Envirobed HA104®, the original high performance bedding mortar. It achieves a compressive strength of 53N/mm² in 3 hours and a tensile strength of 6.10N/mm², far exceeding the requirements of the HA104 cited in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges. Envirobed HA104® Flowable bedding mortar is then poured around the pre-levelled frame.

Its flowable consistency neatly and consistently fills the voids providing excellent lateral stability.

‘UltraCrete’s Envirobed Flowable system has reduced defects on our network by 98%. Its simplistic application has also saved us time on site, improved productivity and reduced reinstatement costs.’ Sammy Nelson, United Utilities.