MC-Bauchemie: A Forerunner in Protecting Heritage and Masonry Structures

Rehabilitation & RepaiR

Mr. Sunny Surlaker joined MC-Bauchemie, Germany in

2009 after his experience in the USA as a materials

engineer. Subsequent to extensive training in Europe

and Brazil, relating to various aspects of Concrete Technology,

R&D, Marketing and Sales management, he has taken over

the Concrete additives and cementitious materials division in

MC-Bauchemie India as its Head. His pursuits include Concrete

Technology, Marketing, driving local R&D and overseeing the

sales and technical support structure for MC-Bauchemie. With

a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from VJTI, Mumbai, a

Master’s Degree from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA

and his experience, he brings a fresh international perspective

to the 25-year-old Construction Chemicals Manufacturer,

MC-Bauchemie India. In an interaction with CE&CR, Mr. Sunny

Surlaker talks about MC Bachemie in general and its expertise in

Rehabilitation and Repair Techniques. At the end of it, he proves

the expertise of his company through some complex cases of

Heritage and masonry structures.

On Company and Product Range

MC-Bauchemie (India) Private Limited is a leading name in

Construction Chemicals for over Twenty-five years in India. We

manufacture over 200 construction chemicals in technical and

frinancial Collaboration with MC-Bauchemie, Germany, a 50-

year-old international organization. MC-Bauchemie India, an

ISO 9001: 2008 certified Company, has a pan India presence

through technically trained and qualified channel partners and

IRP (Germany) trained applicators. Top-level technical advisors,

support our distribution network. Our strength lies in Quality

and Reliability. We provide free technical services to solve

construction problems, alongwith detailed technical specifications

and proposals. On-site, on-time delivery is our motto.

Our success is based on innovation, competence and service.

These are the foundations for MC’s Quality and international

market reputation. New ideas, products and technologies

emphasized and developed by MC have set the standards in

many key areas. MC-Bauchemie, invests 10% of manpower and

resources in R&D, which is available to us, by virtue of being

collaborated.

Our range of products consists of full spectrum of admixtures

including PCEs for HPC & SCC, full systems for Waterproofing,

Injections, Repairs, Rehabilitation, Protection and Industrial

flooring. We also Specialize in low-pore-volume coatings for

drinking and wastewater industry, and systems for renovation of

heritage monuments, called Oxal. Our product systems are ReACh

certified, solvent free and green.

Our high-tech products are applied by trained specialized

contractors under proper supervision of qualified Civil Engineers.

To maintain high technical standards, we are one of the few

companies to have a dedicated training Centre and Concrete

Technology Lab in Goa for our clients. International Quality,

Technical Backup and Reliability make us a successful and leading

Construction Chemicals Manufacturer.

On MC-Bauchemie’s Expertise in Rehabilitation and Repair

MC-Bauchemie (India) Private Ltd. manufactures full range of

construction chemicals in technical & financial collaboration with

MC-Bauchemie Germany. As mentioned earlier, we are an ISO

9001:2008 certified company. Our range includes full spectrum

of admixtures including PCE’S for HPC & SCC. Our strength is

in providing the clients with full systems like waterproofing,

Injections, Repairs & Rehabilitation systems. The clients and

consultants can choose from full range of systems, which have

compatible products and avoid issues of combining several

products from different manufactures, wherein it is impossible for

end user to decide cause of failures.

Over the years, our expertise and experience has been

brought into practice to rehabilitate and safeguard different

structures such as hotels, residential and commercial

constructions, educational institutes, hospitals, heritage

structures such as Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi, swimming pools,

50 CE&CR JunE 2014

Sunny Surlaker, Managing Director, MC-Bauchemie (India) Pvt. Ltd.

infrastructure like metros, bridges, tunnels, jetties, piers, ports,

industrial structures and sealing and stabilization of porous soils in

contact with structures.

These factors, combined with the appropriate application and

construction expertise, make MC-Bauchemie India a forerunner in

rehabilitating and protecting our structures in the long run.

On Requirements of a Successful Structural Repair Solution

When a structure shows signs of distress or deterioration, the

following steps should be taken in principle. The steps are as under:

• Preliminaryinvestigation,detailedinvestigation

• Diagnosis

• Layingoutspecificationsforrepairs

• Selectionofmaterials

• Surfacepreparations

• Actualrepairs

• Periodicalmaintenance

• Maintenanceofreportsetc.forfuturerepairs

In these steps, the choice of procedure, base pretreatment

and materials for concrete repair will depend on the existing

degree of deterioration, the mechanism of deterioration, its

causesandanticipatedfuturestress.Thereasonsforevident

defectsordamagemustbeexploredasthoroughlyaspossible.

FollowingthisathoroughQAsystemneedstobeestablished

toensurethedurabilityofrepairs.Toprovidebuildingowners

andarchitectswithahighlevelofreliabilityintermsofdurable

protectionandrepairwork,MChasdeveloped“QualityAssurance

Systems”basedon:

• Longyearsofexperience,professionalcompetenceand

technical equipment for assessment of defects, damage and

for establishment of repair measures.

• Recommendeduseofsuitableandreliableproductsforthe

repairofconcretestructures,fromarangeofsuccessfully

tested and established materials.

• Experiencedprofessionalfirmswhoarethoroughlyfamiliar

with the repair application. For this reason, MC passes on

the experience and knowledge of its staff to professional

applicators.Thecompanywilladvisesuchfirmsbeforeand

during the performance of repair work. Following this process

stringentlycandefinitelyassistinconductingasuccessful

repair project.

Role of Rehabilitation and Repair Techniques in Creating Green Structures

Advancedrepairmaterialscombinedwithstate-of-the-art

applicationtechnologyandexpertisecanensuredurablerepairs.

Once the repairs are durable, structures will be more durable; and

sustainabilitygoesupduetouseoflocalmaterialsandminimal

future repair.

Newgenerationmaterialsareenvironmentfriendly,freefrom

solventsandharmfulchemicals,andhavealltheessentialsneeded

fortoday’sgreenbuildings.Theseproductsarealsoeasytoapply,

can be hand-applied and require little or no mixing, making it

perfectlysuitableforapplicationsindifficult,space-limitedsites.

Using the latest protection technologies, the life of the structures

withoutfurtherrepairscanbetremendouslyincreased.

Sustainableconstructionshouldaimatreducingthe

environmentalimpactofabuildingoveritsentirelifecycle

including construction, occupation, maintenance and demolition.

InafastdevelopingnationlikeIndia,costsareessentialand

sustainable construction can help economize cost of the structure

overitslifecycle.Whilesomebuildingpracticesareguidedby

short-term economic considerations, sustainable construction is

basedonbestpracticesthatemphasizelong-termaffordability,

qualityandefficiency.Sustainableconstructionshouldaimat

environmentfriendlyconstruction,andthisincludesreducing

repairs, rehabilitation, rebuilding and decommissioning a

structure.Mostoftheseissuescanbeaddressedbygoodquality

durable repair.

Maintenanceofdurablestructuresisabsolutelynotpossible

withoutrightusageofconstructionchemicals.Thisdurability

woulddefineandenhancesustainability.

Some Complex Cases of Heritage and Masonry Structures

Structuralrepairsarebasicallyconductedtorestorestructural

stabilityofdamagedstructures.MC-BauchemieIndiaoffers

specializedPCCRepairproductsaswellasinnovativetechnology

applied through our certified and trained expert applicators. Our

systemsarealsosuitableforoldmasonryandheritagestructures

inadditiontomodernconcretestructures.OurPCCsystemis

Rehabilitation & RepaiR

CE&CR JunE 2014 51

free from epoxies and solvents. The highlight is a one-component

PCC product named Zentrifix KMH, which is a corrosion inhibitor

as well as a bonding agent. This reduces the number of steps in

repairs, thereby, saving time and money. All products are tested

for durability.

We are doing repairs and rehabilitation of all types of

structures all over India. There are scores of residential buildings

where our products are used all over the country. However,

our main stress is on sophisticated projects, which has real

engineering challenges. We are concentrating on monuments and

infrastructure projects.

In recent times our Injection & Repair systems were used

in heritage buildings like Contractors Building 1922 House in

Mumbai, which includes careful and controlled repairs while

maintaining the heritage and structural identity. This project won

prestigious award by International Concrete Repairs Institute, USA

(ICRI). The work was done by our IRP, German trained applicator

Kasturi Coating headed by Mr. K. R. Pai under guidance from

Structwel Consultants.

Just to give an indication of the materials, technology and

application methods, I would like to highlight a few projects

dealing with rehabilitation of Heritage / old masonry structures

and a jetty in Mumbai. This will help explain depth of our repair

systems and their durability.

Case Study 1: Repair of Old Anzarle Ganpati Temple

The rehabilitation process began with a detailed survey and

prepared plans for repair. Along with construction workers, skilled

carvers and sculptors were also recruited who were instrumental

in maintaining the original profile of the temple. In such type of

repairs, the selection of products is very important. The products

to be used should be compatible with the original material, durable

and workable enough to produce architectural features. Hence,

instead of a solvent based system, water bound cement based

polymer system was used.

The work started with removal of vegetation and treatment

of the areas to arrest further growth. The existing damaged

sections were removed adopting the method of controlled

breaking. The exposed core-face was then cleaned, wire brushed

and treated. Re-plastering was done by mixing special compounds

with the lime mortar manually on ground or by using ready-to-

use polymer mortars with high flexural and compressive strength.

For instance, the joints in the stones were filled with special non-

shrinking polymer-modified cement mortar for increased bonding

strength.

Where it was not possible to expose the inner core,

the method of injection grouting was used with the help of

controlled-pressure-pump. Hydraulically setting, polymer

modified non-shrink waterproof grout was used. This filled the

inner cracks and cavities effectively. This also helped to create

an internal waterproofing barrier and prevent water penetration

and resulting dampness in future. It develops higher compressive

and flexural strengths than normal cement grouts. This work was

carried out by Jaisons Engineers, Pune under the guidance of

leading Civil Engineer, Mr.Jayant Deogaonkar.

Case Study 2: Repair and Restoration of Humayun’s Tomb

Humayun’s Tomb structure was built in the year 1565.

The waterways were damaged leading to deterioration of this

important Heritage structure.

Around 2200 m of channels were selected for restoration,

some of which required partial dismantling. The repair procedure

that followed involved placing a bed of lime concrete (mix of lime,

surkhi, coarse sand and brick aggregates) in a thickness of 20-

25 mm. This was coated with a layer of Molasses. The finished

surface was then coated over using a slurry-applied crystallization

Rehabilitation & RepaiR

52 CE&CR JunE 2014

Ganpati Temple Before Ganpati Temple After

based waterproofing coating of Dichtament DS + Nafufill BB2.

The coating was covered with a lime plaster. Vertical faces were

covered with brick tiles 40 mm thick. The edges of the channels

were done in sandstone and supported with lime mortar edging.

The waterproofed surfaces were finished with a final layer of

Lime Punning (Neeru Finish).

This case history has appeared in Indian Architect & Builders

Volume 16 (12) August 2003 presented by Ms. Suparna Rajguru.

Case Study 3: Repair and Restoration of Old Secretariat Building – Panaji, Goa

We were approached by Goa State Infrasructure Development

Corporation Limited to give them the solution to stop rising

dampness at the Historical (300-year old structure) Old Goa

Secretariat Building.

Project Details:

Owner: Goa Government

Building: 300 Years Old, Old Secretariat Building.

Agency: Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation

Limited

Products Used: Samafit VK1, Samafit VK2, MC-Einpresshilfe

EH, MC-Fix ST, Dichtament DS2

Methodology: Inspection for the problems showed wet

patches due to rising dampness through the internal capillaries of

the walls, and dampness on the columns up to the first floor.

Following removal of the damp plaster, the walls were

treated with a two-component chemical damp-proof course

Samafit VK. Samafit VK was introduced in pre-drilled holes.

The two components react in the capillaries and form gelation

product which makes the capillaries non wettable. Therefore

water does not rise in the

capillaries against the gravity

but depresses and therefore

controls the rising dampness.

Wherever required in

cracks and hollow areas, a

cementitious grout enhanced

with MC-Einpresshilfe EH a

non-shrink additive, was used.

Following the application of

the chemical damp-proof

course, the holes were sealed

with a quick set sealer (MC-

Fix ST). After allowing the

masonry to dry completely, the walls were treated with a slurry-

applied crystallization based waterproofing coating of Dichtament

DS + Nafufill BB2. This was followed by a waterproof plaster to

complete the restoration.

Secretariat AfterSecretariat Before

Secretariat Installation of Chemical Damp Proof Course

Rehabilitation & RepaiR

54 CE&CR JunE 2014

For further details contact: MC-Bauchemie (India) Pvt. Ltd.,Email: mcbindia@yahoo.co.in; info.india@mc-bauchemie.com; Web: www.mc-bauchemieindia.com