Bamtec ... saves 75 per cent on fixing costs.
HyTen plans Bamtec facility in UAE
01 March 2011
BAMTEC concrete slab reinforcement solutions are expected to be rolled out in the UAE, following the approval of a licence to HyTen UAE to launch a new production facility in Dubai in the coming months.
The UK-based HyTen is a leading stockist and fabricator of concrete reinforcement bar, mesh and accessories, and the exclusive manufacturer of Bamtec in the country.
“Bamtec is the alternative to usual concrete reinforcement and/or tensioning. The technology is distributed worldwide and is the economically viable procedure for the reinforcement of reinforced concrete floors and slabs in construction,” says Cornelia Aussem-Häussler, CEO of BAM of Switzerland.
Incorporating finite element slab design and detailing software, the integrated Bamtec system involves prefabricating reinforcing steel ‘carpets’ to virtually any shape or size. These ‘carpets’ comprise individual steel reinforcing bars welded to flexible steel straps, which can connect up to hundreds of bars together. When a ‘carpet’ has been completed, it is rolled up for handling and transport.
Described as the most efficient solution available for planning, manufacture and installation of rolled reinforcing steel elements, Bamtec reinforcement technology is said to reduce laying time by 80 to 90 per cent due to quick rolling out of few reinforcing steel elements and save on the tonnage requirements of reinforcement steel by up to 40 per cent due to selectable bar diameter, bar distance and bar length.
Other advantages offered by the system compared to standard reinforcement include higher laying quality due to easy positioning and exact bar length; quality assurance and high level of performance due to computer-controlled, fully-automatic production; simple reinforcement plans; simple working methods on the construction site; and reduction of total construction time.
The system has also been successfully used in the reinforcement of walls, Aussem-Häussler says. Here, reinforcement elements are used instead of the standard assembly of mat reinforcement and, if necessary, the allowance of round steel.
“This has the advantage that the installation of the reinforcement is simplified, even when it comes to high walls. The costly interlacing of individual bars on the frame is omitted. The necessary distance between the bars is exactly adhered using machined prefabrication. As is usual for Bamtec, the rebar of one layer are always laid at the same level. Necessary allowances are taken into consideration, especially with openings. This is particularly important for watertight constructions,” she says.
Bamtec’s planning of reinforced concrete ceilings will be simplified further in the future thanks to a new computer program. Using Bamtec easy 7, the planning automation has been further developed to ease operation.
