Tarmac has teamed up with a London tech company called Converge that has combined wireless sensors with predictive artificial intelligence (AI) to predict concrete strength.
The predictive AI enables lower carbon concrete mixes to be accurately specified to account for site variables, Tarmac says, reducing the reliance on the traditional method of concrete cube testing. This can reduce the time needed between pours of concrete, and ultimately reduce construction timescales, it is claimed.
All of Tarmac’s customers can now specify this technology; previously it had only been available for major projects.
It follows an exploration of Converge's technology by CRH Ventures, the venture capital arm of Tarmac parent company CRH, which led to a 12-month pilot by Tarmac to assess commercial viability.
The technology is being made available under the company’s new Cevo brand that promotes lower carbon concrete mixes and solutions. The sensors are approximately 40mm long and clip onto the steel reinforcements around which ready-mixed concrete is poured.
Andrew Campling, head of readymix concrete performance at Tarmac, said: “Offering market-wide access to innovative digital technology is vital as we work towards decarbonising the construction industry. This new partnership with Converge means we can offer even more innovations to customers as part of our lower carbon Cevo concrete brand.”
Converge chief executive Raphael Scheps said: “The pairing of Cevo with Converge's sensors and AI technology is a perfect match for concrete decarbonisation. By packaging our technology with Tarmac’s low embodied carbon mixes, contractors can build sustainably with the confidence that they're getting all the performance they need.”
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