How to Verify a Manufacturer's GRC Product Carbonation Resistance? Dual Verification Through Laboratory Testing and Engineering Practice

Carbonation resistance is a core indicator of GRC durability, directly affecting the service life of components in atmospheric environments. Verifying a manufacturer's GRC product carbonation resistance requires combining laboratory test data with engineering practice cases to avoid being misled by a single indicator. As a company that participated in formulating the GRC industry standard, Qinglong has established a scientific carbonation resistance verification system, providing designers and owners with a reliable basis for quality judgment.

The laboratory accelerated carbonation test is the core verification method and must be conducted in accordance with industry standard procedures. According to the "Standard for Test Methods of Long-term Performance and Durability of Ordinary Concrete" (GB/T 50082-2009), GRC specimens (100mm×100mm×300mm) are placed in a carbonation chamber with controlled carbon dioxide concentration (20%±3%), relative humidity (70%±5%), and temperature (20℃±2℃), with carbonation depth measured at 7d, 14d, 28d, and 56d respectively. Quality GRC should have a 28d carbonation depth of ≤5mm and 56d of ≤8mm, whereas Qinglong's GRC products have been tested at a 28d carbonation depth of ≤3mm and 56d of ≤6mm, far exceeding industry standards. During verification, require the manufacturer to provide test reports issued by third-party authoritative testing institutions (such as the National Building Materials Testing Center), clearly stating test parameters, process data, and results, to prevent manufacturers from submitting false reports. Qinglong can open its laboratory to customers at any time for on-site observation of the carbonation test process, ensuring data authenticity.

Long-term engineering case tracking is the most intuitive practical verification. Carbonation resistance requires the test of time, so choosing a manufacturer with project cases older than 10 years and conducting site visits or checking the projects' usage status is the most reliable verification method. In Qinglong's Sanya Festival Plaza project, the GRC European-style components have been in use for over 10 years in a high-temperature, high-humidity environment; testing shows a carbonation depth of only 4mm, with no surface dusting or cracking, and the decorative effect remains intact. The GRC components of the Singapore National Service center project have been in use for 8 years in a marine climate with a carbonation depth of ≤5mm, fully verifying the stability of their carbonation resistance. Customers may ask manufacturers to provide project cases in similar climate zones with similar service years, and contact the project parties to learn about actual usage. Qinglong is willing to help customers connect with past project owners to provide genuine project feedback.

The soundness of raw materials and processes indirectly corroborates carbonation resistance capability. GRC carbonation resistance is closely related to the cementitious material system and compactness. Quality manufacturers select low-alkali cement and highly active mineral admixtures (such as ultrafine fly ash), reducing cement content through optimized mix proportions to minimize the raw materials for carbonation reactions; they adopt high-pressure spray molding processes to improve GRC compactness (porosity ≤8%), blocking carbon dioxide penetration. Qinglong's composite cementitious material formula (patented) reduces the Ca(OH)₂ content in hydration products through the synergistic effect of low-alkali cement and mineral admixtures while improving compactness, enhancing carbonation resistance at the source. During verification, you may require the manufacturer to provide raw material test reports (cement alkali content, mineral admixture activity) and production process descriptions (molding methods, curing parameters) to judge whether they possess the material and process foundation for carbonation resistance.

Verifying carbonation resistance should avoid relying solely on test reports; laboratory data, engineering cases, and raw material processes are all indispensable. As a national Specialized, Refined, Distinctive, and Innovative enterprise, Qinglong's GRC products have not only passed rigorous laboratory testing for carbonation resistance but have also withstood years of engineering practice, with relevant technical parameters incorporated into the "Technical Standard for Building Application of Glass Fiber Reinforced Cement (GRC)" (JGJ/T423-2018). For customers, choosing a manufacturer with a scientific verification system and long-term practice cases is the only way to ensure GRC components resist carbonation erosion during long-term use and enjoy an extended service life.