Technical Information
The Difference is C-GRID Inside.
C-GRID is the “enabling technology” that allows CarbonCast to be thinner, lighter, more durable and less costly than conventional precast.
Developed by Chomarat North America (formerly TechFab LLC), non-corrosive C-GRID has a tensile strength of 550 KSI — up to five times the strength of steel reinforcing.
C-GRID is an epoxy-coated composite grid made with cross-laid and superimposed carbon fiber. Until now, carbon fiber has been limited to applications where low weight and high strength are imperative, such as aerospace and sports equipment. Only since the development of industrial-grade carbon fiber materials and new high-speed rotary-forming technology has carbon fiber become feasible as an economical reinforcing material for new construction.
While C-GRID, as a component, costs more than the steel it replaces, it enables changes in precast design that make CarbonCast components equal or lower in cost than conventional precast. For example, C-GRID requires only 1/4″ of concrete cover compared with steel reinforcing, which generally requires 3/4″ to 1 1/2″ to protect it from moisture-induced corrosion.
C-GRID also creates a 100 percent structurally composite section between the outer and inner wythes of insulated sandwich wall panels so that they can be thinner or taller. And C-GRID controls shrinkage cracks up to 50 percent more effectively than steel mesh because of its strength and excellent mechanical bond to concrete. C-GRID can also be placed closer to the surface and has a more closely spaced mesh pattern than steel.
