UHPC Production Process Analysis: Precision Control Ensures Superior Quality

Is the UHPC production process complicated? The answer is: the process demands precision, but in the hands of professional manufacturers it has already been standardized and implemented. As a leading enterprise that participated in drafting the "General Technical Conditions for Non-Load-Bearing Components of Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC)", Qinglong Group has broken down the UHPC production process into four core stages. Through automated equipment and refined management, the company has made the complex process controllable and replicable, ensuring both product quality and large-scale production.

#Precision Batching: The Foundational Guarantee of Error ≤ ±1% Batching is the first critical step in UHPC production, with extremely high demands for proportioning accuracy. Qinglong uses a computerized automated batching system to precisely weigh raw materials such as quartz sand, cement, reactive powders, and steel fibers according to preset mix ratios, keeping the batching error within ±1%—far better than the industry standard of ±3%. For different project requirements, the technical team customizes dedicated mix ratios. For example, for the sculptural components of the Shanghai Astronomy Museum, the steel fiber content was adjusted to improve flexural strength; for the light-transmitting components of Shanghai New World, the cementitious material ratio was optimized to ensure uniform light transmission. Before batching, all raw materials must be pretreated: quartz sand is dried to a moisture content of ≤0.5%, and steel fibers are dispersed to prevent clumping, reducing performance fluctuations at the source.

#Efficient Mixing: Uniform Dispersion in 3-5 Minutes The core of the mixing stage is to achieve uniform mixing of raw materials and three-dimensional dispersion of steel fibers, which is also the core embodiment of the process's complexity. Qinglong uses twin-shaft forced mixers, and the mixing process consists of three steps: first, the dry materials are mixed for 1-2 minutes until the color is uniform; then the steel fibers are added and mixed for 2 minutes to ensure the fibers are free of clumps; finally, the mix materials and admixtures are added and mixed for 3-5 minutes until a uniform, viscous paste forms. During mixing, the equipment monitors the flowability of the mix in real time and dynamically optimizes it by adjusting the water amount, ensuring that the flowability meets construction requirements (spread ≥250mm). In the Ouargla Hotel project in Algeria, this mixing process achieved a fiber distribution uniformity of ≥95% for the UHPC hollow-out panels, guaranteeing structural stability even with a hollow-out rate exceeding 50%.

#Forming Process: Tailored Solutions for Different Components The UHPC forming process must be flexibly adjusted according to component type, which further adds to the complexity. Standard flat panel components are formed by mold casting + high-frequency vibration; Qinglong's automated forming line enables continuous operation with a vibration frequency of ≥50Hz, ensuring a dense, bubble-free slurry. Complex-shaped components (such as double-curved surfaces and hollow-out designs) use vacuum-assisted forming or pressure casting—the 12㎡ oversized light-transmitting panel of Shanghai New World eliminated air bubbles around the light guide rods through a vacuum-assisted process. Precast components are formed by steam curing, with a curing temperature of 60-90℃ and a curing time of 48 hours, reaching over 85% of the design strength at 7 days. Qinglong's Nanning, Guangxi production base is equipped with a variety of forming equipment to meet the production needs of all types of components, from flat panels to shaped sculptures.

#Curing and Testing: Closed-Loop Control to Ensure Quality Curing and testing are the concluding stages of the production process and the key to quality assurance. Qinglong adopts a combination of "steam curing + standard curing": steam curing rapidly increases early strength, while standard curing ensures stable later-stage performance. Temperature and humidity are monitored in real time during curing to prevent cracking caused by environmental fluctuations. The testing stage implements "batch testing + sampling recheck": three sets of standard specimens are made for each batch of components and tested for 7-day and 28-day compressive and flexural strengths respectively, while ultrasonic testing is used to check internal compactness; non-conforming products are strictly barred from leaving the factory. The UHPC sculptural components of the Shanghai Astronomy Museum underwent multiple tests for strength, durability, and appearance precision to ensure compliance with design requirements.

Although the UHPC production process involves precise control across multiple stages, Qinglong Group has, through 28 years of accumulated experience, transformed it into a standardized, process-driven operation system. For customers, there is no need to dwell on the complexity of the process—by simply choosing a manufacturer with full-chain capabilities like Qinglong, they can obtain UHPC products with stable quality and outstanding performance. This is also a vivid embodiment of Qinglong's principle of "meticulousness and the constant pursuit of excellence."