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There are 2 main manufacturing processes used in the production of concrete paving units and these are I. II. Wet Cast (also referred to as "Open Moulded") Hydraulically Pressed
Wet cast techniques are typically used to create fancy or decorative units that do not require high strength. Hydraulic Pressing techniques are used to manufacture regularly sized items with a high strength or items that will be subjected to secondary treatments. Both techniques rely on the plastic concrete being added to a mould, the concrete is then settled into place and curing (hydration) begins. At some point during the curing process the mould must be removed and is typically cleaned and re-used many hundreds or thousands of times. The 2 techniques offer different benefits. Wet casting is a preferred option for small, local manufacturers as they can use the same basic machinery (a vibrating table) and a library of simple, low-cost moulds to produce a wide range of products. Hydraulic pressing allows the bigger manufacturers to churn out large quantities of high-strength products of a consistent quality, but a sizable dedicated production, curing and handling facility is required.
Lower strength, compared to HP products Variable quality national/international standards virtually non-existent Usually at least 7 days from moulding to marketplace Products always have one unmoulded face, although this may be handfinished Product dimensions cannot be guaranteed due to variable settlement of concrete
Expensive set up, well in excess of 1million Dedicated machinery usually required to manufacture different products Moulds are high-grade steel and relatively expensive
Vibration is then used to settle the concrete, filling any small voids, ensuring close contact with the mould detail and forcing any small air pockets/bubbles to the expelled via the open top surface (which will become the base of the finished item). The most common source of vibration is a vibrating table, a large flat surface mounted over an oscillating motor that vibrates at high frequency. The concrete-filled moulds are lined up on the table and vibrated for a period before moving on to the flat storage stage. Because the wet concrete will find its own level within the mould after vibrating, the thickness of cast units can vary from one end to the other, especially if not stacked correctly during the curing process. This
variation in thickness can cause problems for the laying contractor when it comes to installation, as described on the Laying Flags page. Although some wet cast products are initially stored in a heated curing room, many smaller manufacturers use a simple covered storage area. The filled moulds are allowed to stand on horizontal racks for 48 hours or so to allow initial hydration of the concrete until it is reasonably hard. Full curing/hydration of a concrete is generally accepted to take 14-28 days, but the use of accelerators and enhanced curing conditions allow the moulds to be manually removed as soon as 48-72 hours after casting. At this stage, the products have 'set' but are only partially cured and need to be stored for at least 7 days to achieve a sufficient degree of strength to be sold as fit for use. Once released from the moulds, the products are re-stacked, often with cheap timber spacers between adjacent units to allow any further retained moisture to escape. Eventually, the products can be palletised and banded or shrink-wrapped, in preparation for transport to the Builders' Merchant or site. Most wet cast production is only semi-automated and relies on a couple of operatives to supervise operation of the machinery and move the products from stage to stage. Also, because many manufacturers have limited storage space, production might be limited to just a few hours each week, manufacturing just sufficient units to maintain stock levels. Larger companies with significant investment in the wet-cast business have developed the technology to new levels and are able to produce multi-toned units by careful blending of differently coloured concretes, and they usually have their own 'unique' moulds, rather than rely on the generic moulds used by smaller manufacturers. Other Wet Cast Landscape Products
Pimple Texture
Because the pressing process is entirely automated, manufacturing costs are lower and the final sizes of each product can be tightly controlled, making it much easier to comply with the requirements of the relevant British Standards.
Simplified manufacturing process The manufacturing process actually consists of a number of linked machines and systems, and different plants will feature different machines, but the general layout involves the following steps: I. II. III. IV. V. concrete batching moulding and pressing curing optional secondary processing packaging
Face-mix Block The manufacturing process is amended slightly for production of a face-mix product. First of all, separate batch plants are required - one for the base mix and one for the face mix. The base mix concrete is batched using low cost aggregates, whatever is available locally at a keen price, which might be recycled materials or even industrial by-products, and this is mixed with cement, PFA or a combination to create a concrete that meets the requisite strength standards.
The base mix is placed into the mould and lightly pressed/vibrated so that the top of the compressed concrete is lower than the top of the mould. Immediately following this pressing, the face mix is added on top of the compacted base, and the whole is compressed and vibrated yet again. As the face-mix is appied directly on top of the still-plastic base mix, there is no construction joint: the paver is a composite whole. Once the face-mix has been added and compacted, the paver moves on to the subsequent stages of manufacture, as described earlier. Just why Face-mix products are not popular in Britain is a bit of a mystery. It makes sense to spend the money on the part of the paver that is on show, rather than spread it through 50-100mm of paver that will never be seen by the general public. Maybe the changes in taxation of primary and secondary aggregates in the UK will persuade the manufacturers to move over to face-mix style products - they certainly have the capability, as several of the UK's largest producers already have face-mix capable machinery in place, but have it adapted to produce homogenous blocks and flags!
Packaged Block Pavers - note steel banding around 4 vertical "leaves" of blocks.