Deteriorated concrete in a gold mining operation restored by application of Novolac epoxy liner and trowelled flooring

INTRODUCTION

Gold mines present a particularly corrosive environment with constant usage of 98% sulfuric acid, together with infrequent washdowns. In addition, the areas are subjected to extremely heavy forklift traffic. Severe erosion was present in both vertical and horizontal surfaces, in some cases up to 2" deep. To compound the problem, time constraints were very severe, due to continuous mine production, with downtimes limited to no more than 72 hours

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DISCUSSION

With it's excellent sulfuric acid and resistance, ICO Hi Guard was selected by our certified contractor, Paul Barris of Rema Tip Top, for the walls.

Floors and walls were sandblasted to remove all degraded concrete and provide a sufficient profile. The surfaces were then primed with ICO Primer LV. Since much more material was removed on the vertical surfaces than expected, the Hi Guard Liner had to be thickened up with silica flour, which enabled application of the liner up to 1/2" thick in certain areas. Similarly, the Hi Guard flooring material was applied in a single pass up to 2" thick. The ability to apply both products in a single pass enabled the area to be returned to service within the allotted time of 48 hours.

SUMMARY

The customer  was extremely pleased with the timely completion and performance of the material. No failures of the product have been noted after almost two years of service.