Brussel-Zaventem Airport (BRU)

Initial situation

Brussels-Zaventem Airport is the largest airport in Belgium with over 25 mio passengers and is additionally also used for military operations.
The apron area was originally constructed as a durable concrete surface but developed damages in the highly frequented areas after many years of use. Some of these areas were repaired using asphalt patches. One of these damaged areas was on a taxiway connecting 12 airplane stands with the runway. The asphalt patches quickly developed cracks and depressions due to creep and tire tracks from the weight of the aircraft. Therefore, the patches needed replacement with a durable and long-term solution.

Solution and assessment

Thanks to the highly flexible application of Concretum® rapid-hardening concrete Q-FLASH® 2/20, multible slabs can be reconstructed during a single night closure without affecting daytime operations.
The asphalt patches are broken out and the old damaged concrete slabs (5 m by 5 m) are cut into 16 pieces each before being lifted out. Using a volumetric continuous concrete batching truck, Concretum rapid-hardening concrete Q-FLASH® 2/20 is batched and placed just in time.
The consistency and open-time of the concrete are adjusted to suit the contractor’s requirements and this way 30-40 m³ of concrete are poured during each 7-hour construction night (22:00 – 5:00). Additionally, to the high early strength, the Concretum Q-FLASH® 2/20 concrete is also fast drying which allows the traffic markings to be re-painted just two hours after setting. Afterward, the newly replaced areas can be handed back to regular airport operations. A total of 25 slabs were replaced this way over 9 nights.