Testing and Reporting

Testing and Reporting on the Performance of Retanol Screeds

For PCT Chemie UK, attention to detail and quality assurance are vitally important. Therefore, to ensure the installation of a first class Retanol screed that is guaranteed to dry quickly and achieve a high early strength, there are several tests we can undertake to ensure the Retanol screed performs as promised.

These tests include the following:

• Compressive Strength Test – this is a mechanical test which measures the maximum amount of compressive load the Retanol screed can bear before fracturing. The test sample, usually in the form of a prism, is compressed between the plates of a compression-testing machine by a gradually applied load. Retanol Xtreme Pro 1 can achieve compressive strengths of up to 60 N/mm² depending on aggregates and the amount of cement used.

• Flexural Strength Test – this is also a mechanical test which measures the tensile strength of the Retanol screed. Flexural strength identifies the amount of stress and force an unreinforced screed prism can withstand such that it resists any bending failures. Retanol Xtreme Pro 1 can achieve flexural / bending tensile strengths of up to 8 N/mm² depending on aggregates and the amount of cement used.

Below are some real life Retanol Xtreme Pro 1 Compressive and Flexural Strength Test Reports:

• Calcium Carbide Moisture (CM) Test – for many types of flooring, the final floor finish should not be put down until the screed upon which it is to be laid has dried optimally. A CM Test offers the most accurate way of assessing the moisture content in screeds. The test requires a small sample of screed (50g) to be taken from the full depth of the screed and crushed into powder form. This screed sample is then mixed with a calcium carbide reagent, and subjected to orbital rotation in a vacuum flask. Upon reacting, the mixture releases acetylene gas, the amount of which indicates the level of moisture in the sample.

Below are some CM Test Reports taken from Retanol Xtreme Pro 1 screeds installed on UK construction projects:

• • Pull Off Tests (for resin floors) – A pull-off test measures the strength of an adhesive connection between a tensile dolly and the screed. A glue is used, possibly an epoxy or polyester resin, that is stronger than the bond that needs to be tested. The force required to pull the dolly from the surface, together with the screed, is measured and the results show whether the screed is sufficiently strong to accept the resin finish.

Below are Pull Off Test Reports completed by the resin manufacturers Resdev and Quartzline respectively which show the adhesion performance of Retanol Xtreme Pro 1, and also an endorsement of Retanol Xtreme Pro 1 from leading UK MMA Resin Manufacturer Degafloor Ltd:

• Point Load Tests (when using Retanol Xtreme Pro 1 Fine Concrete) – this test is used to measure the compressive strength of concrete. The test report below shows how impressively Retanol Xtreme Pro 1 Fine Concrete performed when subjected to maximum loads stipulated by the client who wanted to use Retanol Xtreme Pro 1 Fine Concrete as an alternative to a standard concrete mix.

• BRE Drop Hammer Test – the test is very simple and quick to carry out and involves an annular weight“(4kg for category A, B and C screeds – bonded and unbonded, and 2kg for category C – floating screeds under 75mm) being dropped from a height of 1 metre down a rod, to strike the collar of an anvil – the face of which is in contact with the screed surface.  The area of contact is 500 mm². After four consecutive drops of the weight in the same position, the depth of the resulting indentation is measured to determine the ability of the screed to carry traffic. Measurements are made to the nearest 0.1mm using a depth gauge.

• TUV Certification (for Health and Safety) – TUV certification involves rigorous testing of the applications for which the Retanol products are designed. It includes verification that the products satisfy the strictest European regulations for the industry in which the products were designed for and ensures the product specifications are stated correctly.

See the Retanol TUV Certification below: