CLEVA-Crete creates and adds more of the right type of calcium silicate hydrate. Additionally, it increases setting times by 13 to 17% on average depending on mix design. It is typical to see 7-to-10-day strengths after 48 hours from being poured. Also a few hours after the concrete has been batched and placed, there should be no moisture released out of the slab in the form of bleed water. Full curing time of the concrete usually occurs at the same time as normal, which is 28 days, as with any other concrete or control mixes. At this point there is typically no more than 4 to 11% increase.

This is achievable because the CLEVA-Crete 842 tech grabs the excess water in concrete while its still wet, the water that normally rises up in a form of bleed water, we capture the free water and turn it into a pure form of concrete, stopping capillary formation. No capillaries means no moisture vapour emanating out of the slab. This process is over in 72 hours so we comfortably recommend laying of resilient flooring after 14 days.

The only reason we don’t recommend laying flooring any earlier is because the pH level of the concrete slab requires 2 weeks to oxidise to reach the required pH level.

CLEVA-Crete improves shrinkage rates anywhere from 17-32%. This is better than a typical Shrink Reducing Admixture (SRA).

CLEVA-Crete captures the free water and turns it into a pure C-S-H gel and as this gel does not evaporate, only the very top fractions of a millimeter of the concrete will dry out. This results in a concrete slab with heavily reduced shrinkage, and in most cases, no shrinkage cracking at all.

CLEVA-Crete admixtures enhance low permeability, strength and durability to the life of concrete. It works with the calcium hydroxide and the free water in concrete to produce additional calcium-silicate-hydrate (C-S-H) gel, the nano building block of concrete.

The resultant absence of capillaries in concrete and the production of extra gel produces a tough, durable, and dense concrete.

There is a typical gain of 13-17% increase in MPa during the setting stage (first 1 to 2 days) of concrete. Then, as the concrete cures through the 28-day process, strengths show a 4 to 11% increase in MPa overall and overtime.

Crystalline growth technology is reactive. It works by initially allowing all moisture to enter the concrete matrix via the capillaries. All crystal growth technology is rich in the presence of nano sized crystals which when hydrated grow and expand in an attempt to seal up these capillaries. By so doing, they slow down the permeability of moisture enough to create a drying effect.

On the other hand, CLEVA-Crete 842 is proactive. It captures the free water in the concrete while it’s still in its’ plastic stage and being placed turns that free water firstly into a C-S-H gel and then into a very pure (amorphous) style of concrete. The concrete now, hydrophobically, resists any moisture egress or ingress.

Engineers know that hydrophobic type water-proofers like Caltite, work very well, but they also realise that their hydrophobicity causes additional problems in that it slows down or delays effective hydration of the cementitious materials in the concrete. Generally concrete strengths are compromised in some cases up to 35% less compressive strengths, requiring more cement (and cost) to compensate for this.

All forensic concrete engineers have very different views on what causes catastrophic failure yet, will agree that by reducing the permeability of concrete, slowing ingress of chlorides, sulphides, moisture and oxidised materials, you will lengthen the design life of any concrete structure. The higher the impermeability of the concrete, the greater the longevity.

CLEVA-Crete technology has been successfully utilised over radon gas affected substrates all over the world for over 30 years. In fact, the most contaminated radioactive site in the world, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, has used CLEVA-Crete technology to completely seal the contaminated site as it is so effective in controlling such hazardous radioactive emissions.

CLEVA-Crete 842 is currently being utilised by many Tier 1 and 2 construction companies for use on major commercial construction projects where the architects specify and demand a superior moisture vapour free concrete to control the moisture under flooring for the healthcare, aged care, education and public infrastructure. Engineers also specify us to ensure structural durability and longevity.