Comex has pioneered an innovative concrete solution equipped with intelligent tracking capabilities to monitor concrete development. This groundbreaking technology is engineered to streamline construction processes, offering enhanced efficiency and saving time on project schedules.
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Comex Introduces i-Con as a Building Solution for Concrete Maturation
On Tuesday, Mar. 5, the company launched i-Con, which Cemex characterizes as an intelligent concrete monitoring solution. According to Mike Higgins, the national technical director of Cemex UK, Cemex i-Con was developed to assist their clients in achieving higher efficiency on-site and in choosing options that are more intelligent and well-informed during the concrete curing process, which is a highly time-consuming and frequently complicated procedure.
As mentioned, applications that require rapid early strength are perfect for i-Con because of their optimal features. Concrete contractors prepare to develop maturity when dealing with the material. Thus, the dynamic transparency of this data allows for the possibility of tasks being completed ahead of schedule. Higgins asserted that one of i-Con's most important advantages is that it makes reliable data accessible to anybody monitoring a project. The information includes temperature and compressive strength, both of which suggest that the concrete has reached maturity.
Moreover, once the physical tests have been performed, the digital solution can be utilized independently for subsequent pours of the same cement mix. However, the data from the digital sensor does not replace the necessity for physical tests to be carried out on a sample of the cement mix in the initial pour.
Higgins also explained that people who lay concrete typically anticipate the material to reach its target strength after 28 days. Nevertheless, this is a crucial point when you are under time pressure for specific projects, such as when construction is running behind schedule or for resources like crane bases that can cause other work to be delayed.
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Cemex's Aim for Decarbonization
Cemex i-Con is compatible with all Cemex concrete mixes and is a component of Cemex's suite of value-added digital tools, including BIM Plug-in software. These tools are specifically engineered to assist contractors and specifiers in enhancing concrete construction's intelligence, efficiency, profitability, and sustainability. Cemex-i-Con allows users to upload thorough reports on the performance of concrete curing, and the reports it generates can be used as part of BIM models.
Cemex's principal ambition is to achieve the status of a net-zero CO2 firm by 2050. The company's 'Future in Action' climate action plan, which aims to attain excellence in sustainability through climate change mitigation, circularity, and natural resource management, reportedly guides its journey towards decarbonization.
On the other hand, by reducing the size of clinker particles, Cemex has created a novel strategy to lower the amount of carbon dioxide emissions produced during cement production. Cement may decrease the clinker's density factor per ton with customized admixtures and micronization, reducing its carbon footprint. Also, clinker micronization preserves the development strength spectra that the most strict international cement organizations mandate.
The most carbon-intensive phase of the cement manufacturing process is undoubtedly the generation of clinker, which is the primary component of cement. By implementing clinker micronization, the clinker content in cement products could be reduced by as much as 50%, substantially boosting the organization's decarbonization objectives.
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