The Challenge

BAYSHORE CONCRETE Products Corporation is a manufacturer and supplier of various precastand prestressed concrete structural materials. The Cape Charles, Virginia-based company had been using traditional curing methods involving manual tarping of their forms to retain the necessary temperature and humidity levels. The process of operating their boilers to produce and retain adequate amounts of steam resulted in tremendous annual fuel costs (over $1.2Million/year). Labor costs and safety concerns also presented an issue, as large crews were required to manually cover and uncover the forms. Bayshore sought a solution that would allow them to lower their annual fuel costs in addition to saving on labor.

The Solution

Bayshore Concrete chose Chameleon’s retractable curing enclosures over the traditional, more expensive option of constructing a new clear span building. This solution would provide them with building-like protection at a fraction of the cost and footprint of standard permanent structures.

Project Results

Compiled fuel data for the months of October and November showed a savings of approximately 20% in fuel consumption.
Since implementing the Chameleon enclosure on their girder forms, crews have been able to remain working on days when they would not have been able to work before due to bad weather. The girder crew also appreciated being able to close the Chameleon system, sheltering them from cold and windy conditions.

The Challenge

Prestressed Systems Inc. (PSI) is a full-service architectural and structural precast operation based in Windsor, Ontario. Since 2008, the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) implemented a new standard for prestressed precast concrete curing that demanded certain requirements to be met.
Some of the most difficult measures to meet included:

Placing a vapor barrier immediately following (within 14ft) the pouring and finishing of the concrete. Using an enclosure that allows the free circulation of air and humidity around the forms.
Ensuring the temperature of the forms is not greater than 86°F prior to pouring.
Ensuring that a temperature differential of more than 14°F does not exist anywhere within the enclosure.
Upon removal from the forms, the product needs to be moved to a secondary curing area to moist cure for an additional 4-7 days (depending on the ambient temperature).

PSI was confronted with the challenge of not only applying a tight enclosure around the forms but they needed a method of enclosing their forms that would reliably meet stringent temperature control requirements. A simple tear in a tarp could throw off the temperature enough to render the product unacceptable.

The Solution

Prestressed Systems Inc. (PSI) called upon Chameleon to provide a solution – the Chameleon retractable curing enclosure. The nature of the insulated vapor-proof shell, its moisture retention properties and the supporting lightweight rolling structure provided a solution that would allow PSI to meet the MTO requirements.

Project Results

The Chameleon system helped provide PSI with full compliance to MTO regulations.
Labour costs were reduced for both covering and uncovering of products, and downtime due to inclement weather was eliminated. Quality control improved, resulting in much more consistent, higher quality finished products.