State-of-the-Art Technology at Sava Centar Construction Site – Sika Memory-Steel System Used in This Part of Europe for the First Time

One of the principal values on which the operations of the company Sika is based is being innovative, as they have shown once again in practice, at the Sava Centar construction site.

In cooperation with Delta Real Estate, an innovative technological solution, Memory Steel, which has not been realized in Serbia and this part of Europe before, has been applied. So far, the Memory Steel technology has been used in only a few countries, in Switzerland, Austria, Netherlands, Czech Republic and now, for the first time, in Serbia, within the project of the reconstruction and renovation of Sava Centar.

– This technology is based on alloys with shape-memory properties. The activation of this kind of a system is done through introducing temperature, which enables a very easy and simple application at the construction site. The advantage of this technology is that it has a minimally aggressive impact on the structure, there is no need to drill the structural elements, whether beams or slabs. The pre-stress force is introduced simply, by heating the rods along their length using a regular torch – pointed out Miljan Rasulic, the director of the repair and hydro insulation sector.

The product called SilkaReinforcer-16 Rebar has been implemented in the Sava Centar facility for the strengthening of the pre-stressed beams, in cooperation with the company Fiber Plus – the planned and the specialized contractor for the project of strengthening. This is a ribbed reinforcement with a diameter of 16 mm, made from memory steel and anchored to the structure with the help of the repair mortar Silka MonoTop-412 RS, with the previous application of the adhesive, anti-corrosion coating Sika MonoTop-1010. Other types of repair mortars can also be used for anchoring, such as, for example, SikaGrout-314 RS (self-leveling mortar).

– At the time it was built, innovative technologies were used in Sava Centar, so the beams were pre-stressed as well, which is a technology that is rarely used even today. During the works, certain beams were damaged, and in repairing them, we had to meet several criteria. In addition to the standard ones, like the budget, the time, the most important criterion for us was not to compromise the interior. We looked for innovative methods and came up with Memory Steel, which met all the criteria – said Dusan Filipovic, the project manager at Delta Real Estate.

Sika Memory®-Steel System is a technology of the active strengthening of structures which is based on so-called shape-memory alloys. These alloys remember their initial shape and change the atom structure of the crystal structure when pre-stressed longitudinally. During the activation (the process of heating at the construction site), the deformation back into the initial, more stable crystal structure occurs. If this deformation is prevented by adequate anchoring to the concrete structure, the structure is pre-stressed without the occurrence of a loss of force due to friction in the memory steel.

Those who know structures and reinforcements very well will recognize the numerous advantages of this innovative solutions from the aspects of the execution of the works and functionality. To clarify, compared to external pre-stressing, it is much easier to carry out the works, without the need to drill openings through the entire cross-section of a slab or a beam.

Sika Memory®-Steel System can solve problems which occur in the structure, in the form of a plastic joint, excessive deflection due to long-term stress, cross-section stress due to an excessive bending moment etc. Also, Sika Memory®-Steel System has a minimal impact on the architecture of the facility and can be built into a concrete element with a cross-section increase of roughly 50 mm.

The press-stress force is introduced relatively simply, be heating the rods along their length with a regular torch.

Sika is a Swiss-based multinational company which was founded in 1910 and which today numbers 105 branch offices worldwide. With its constant growth and progress, it has become a global leader in the production of special materials in industry and construction.

In 2002, Sika founded a branch office in Serbia, Sika Srbija doo, which offers a wide range of products in the territories of Serbia and Montenegro. Today, Sika Srbija is present in the realization of all important projects in Serbia and Montenegro, and this company’s products made in Serbia are increasingly present in most European countries.

Delta Real Estate d.o.o. Beograd

Sika Srbija d.o.o.

Dejan Mikić pr Ostali nepomenuti specifični građevinski radovi FIBERPLUS RS Beograd

Delta Real Estate

Sika Srbija

Fiber Plus

Milijan Rasulić

Dušan Filipović

Memory Steel

Sika memory steel System

technology of active strengthening of structures

SikaReinforcer 16 Rebar

ribbed reinforcement

memory steel

Sika MonoTop 412 RS mortar

anti corrosion coating Sika MonoTop 1010

SikaGrout 314 RS

self leveling mortar