News Report - January 18, 2005 - Jobwerx News - BASF's Styrofan 1186 emulsion latex is being used in Charleston, W. Va., on the largest latex-modified, rapid-set concrete project ever done in the United States. The work is being done at night, and thanks to BASF's latex, the concrete cures fast enough for use the next morning eliminating road closures and traffic delays and saving money for municipalities.

Using 1,200 cubic yards of latex-modified, rapid-set concrete, the road contractor, Ahern and Associates, Charleston, W. Va., is repairing several miles of Interstate 64 in downtown Charleston near the state capital building, an area that includes a complicated clover leaf, intersections and heavy traffic.

"Using this innovative technology, we expect to complete this road work in roughly 60 nights," said Gene Thompson of Ahern and Associates. "Latex-modified, rapid-set concrete cures so fast that it allows work crews to shut down road lanes at 6:00 p.m. and re-open them by 6:00 a.m. During this time, damaged concrete is removed using a combination of conventional milling and hydrodemolition that gives the bridge deck a very rough bondable surface. Next, we apply the modified concrete surface containing Styrofan 1186 latex that ensures excellent adhesion of the new concrete to the original bridge deck surface. Our goal is to get this large structure overlaid with minimal traffic impact, and with minimal inconvenience to motorists."

BASF's Styrofan 1186 is a modified styrene-butadiene dispersion that is suitable for use in latex-modified concrete in a variety of applications, the most notable of which are bridge deck overlays and parking garages. Styrofan 1186 has been prequalified by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) under FHWA RD-78-35. It helps the new concrete adhere well to the scarified bed, prevents intrusion of road salt, and adds important flexural strength that diminishes breakups due to flexing.

This property is particularly important in bridge decking applications. "Styrofan 1186 provides very important benefits to this type of work," said Michael Guibault, Marketing Manager for BASF's Functional Polymers business in North America. "By improving concrete adherence, flexural strength and resistance to road salt, it can help to increase the useful life of concrete bridge decking overlays by up to 25 years, saving money for municipalities and reducing inconvenience to motorists."

Since this technology is highly effective and "commuter friendly" for bridge deck repair, especially in congested areas, it is being used in numerous states throughout the country.

Styrofan is a registered trademark of BASF Aktiengesellschaft.

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