The new Holmdel, NJ, salt storage depot, built to house tons of salt for winter highway maintenance, was opened in November, in time for the coming winter storms. Treating the depot’s concrete structure with PENETRON ADMIX ensures that this depot structure will resist chloride ion penetration and avoid underlying steel rebar corrosion.
The chloride ions from road salt can penetrate into the cracks and pores normally found in concrete and can quickly start to corrode the underlying steel rebar. The resulting rust creates expansive pressure that cracks the surrounding concrete, leading to delamination and spalling of the concrete matrix.
“Once corrosion starts, it’s almost impossible to determine the extent of damage to the steel reinforcements and the surrounding concrete,” notes Christopher Chen, Director of The PENETRON Group.
Located on the Garden State Parkway, the new single-story salt storage depot can accommodate approximately 4,500 tons of road salt, which represents a winter season’s supply for New Jersey. The 144 x 83-foot (44 x 26 m) structure has 16-foot (5 m) perimeter walls and a 30-foot (9 m) pre-fabricated dome roof mounted on the perimeter walls. For the construction of a spread footing and slab-on-grade floor, PENETRON ADMIX was specified by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority to treat the concrete.
Added during batching, PENETRON ADMIX ensures resistance to chloride ion permeability thanks to the non-soluble crystalline formation throughout the cracks, pores and capillary tracts of the concrete. These crystals permanently seal concrete against the penetration of water or liquids from any direction, even during the harsh environmental conditions of a New Jersey winter. Independent tests have shown the service life of concrete treated with PENETRON’s crystalline technology is extended up to 60 years or more.
“This $1.45 million project was fast-tracked, with completion scheduled in a matter of months, so the facility will be operational for the upcoming winter,” adds Mr. Chen. “The ease of use of PENETRON ADMIX in soluble bags helped save time and keeps the project on its tight schedule.”
PENETRON ADMIX in soluble bags was mixed into fresh concrete at the batching plant and used in the foundation slab and walls of the salt storage depot – over 1,500 cubic yards (1,150 m3) of concrete. The soluble bags eliminate measuring and simplify mixing, and the treated concrete will arrest any potential salt penetration into the concrete structure, protecting the underlying rebar.
“PENETRON has helped provide chloride ion resistance to a number of new salt depots being commissioned by the New Jersey Department of Transportation,” says Mr. Chen. “The crystalline technology ensures increased durability and an extended life span for these structures.”
Concrete unfazed by tons of salt: PENETRON crystalline technology provides chloride ion resistance to the concrete depot at Holmdel, NJ, where 4,500 tons of road salt are stored.
