What Are the New Development Directions of UHPC Technology: Frontier Exploration and Future Trend Analysis

In the field of building materials, admixtures are like a precise “formula code” — they can unlock the performance brilliance of GRC (glass fiber reinforced concrete), yet improper selection may also plant hidden quality risks. As an industry leader with 28 years of deep expertise in UHPC/GRC/GRG/GRP materials, Qinglong Group will analyze, from both technical principles and engineering practice, the mechanisms by which admixtures improve GRC performance, reveal the underlying reasons why certain admixtures are banned in the industry, and provide designers and owners with a professional selection guide.

I. Admixtures: The “Performance Booster” of GRC

The outstanding performance of GRC materials depends on the scientific formulation of admixtures. In the Technical Standard for Building Application of Glass Fiber Reinforced Cement (GRC) (JGJ/T423-2018), which Qinglong Group helped formulate, admixtures are explicitly listed as a core factor affecting material performance. Precise addition of water reducers can raise the fluidity of GRC mixtures by more than 30%, ensuring dense casting of complex-shaped components — a technology perfectly validated in the translucent concrete project of the Nanjing East Road Century Plaza renovation, which won the Silver Award of the first UHPC Building Engineering Innovation Award under the AALBORG WHITE Cup.

The coordinated use of accelerators and retarders provides flexible solutions for controlling the production cycle of GRC components. By optimizing admixture formulations, Qinglong's Guangxi production base achieved a 24-hour demolding strength of standard components reaching 80% of the design value, while large irregular components avoid early cracking through retarding technology. Behind an annual capacity of 600,000 square meters lies precisely the refined application of admixture technology. Notably, the addition of air-entraining agents can raise GRC's frost resistance by 2-3 grades, making it particularly suitable for curtain wall projects in cold northern regions — one of the technical advantages behind Qinglong products' success in overseas markets.

II. Banned Admixtures: Hidden “Quality Traps”

Not all admixtures empower GRC; certain chemicals can become performance “killers”. Based on Qinglong Group's 28 years of engineering experience, the following three types of admixtures are strictly prohibited: first, chloride-containing accelerators, whose free chloride ions corrode glass fibers and cause GRC flexural strength to drop by more than 40% within 5 years — a key indicator explicitly restricted by the standard Glass Fiber Reinforced Cement (GRC) Decorative Products (JC/T940-2022).

Second are rapid setting accelerators with excessive alkali content; although they speed up construction, excess alkali can trigger alkali-aggregate reactions, causing mesh-like cracks on component surfaces. Qinglong's laboratory once tested failed GRC components from a project and found an alkali content as high as 3.2%, far exceeding the standard limit of 1.5%. In addition, silicone-containing release agents must be used with caution — inferior products form an isolation layer on the GRC surface that affects subsequent paint adhesion. A profound lesson was learned during the construction of the Dongguan Women and Children's Activity Center project, which ultimately adopted Qinglong's self-developed eco-friendly release agent to ensure a flawless decorative finish.

III. Scientific Selection: The Technical Assurance of Qinglong's Full-Chain Service

As a National High-Tech Enterprise and a contributing unit to GRC standard development, Qinglong Group has established a full-process quality control system from admixture selection to finished product testing. Addressing the cost and schedule concerns of real estate developers, Qinglong offers “customized admixture solutions” — for example, in a commercial complex project, compound admixture technology shortened the production cycle of GRC curtain wall panels by 15% while reducing material loss by 3%.

For the shape realization challenges that concern designers, Qinglong uses BIM technology to simulate the impact of admixtures on concrete fluidity, ensuring that complex components such as double-curved surfaces and hollow-out patterns are formed in one pass. For the durability requirements of government public projects, all admixtures undergo 500 freeze-thaw cycle tests and 2,000 hours of weathering verification — the core competitive strength behind Qinglong's status as a strategic partner of renowned real estate groups such as Poly and China Overseas.

From material formulation to engineering application, the choice of admixtures directly determines the success or failure of a GRC project. Building on 28 years of technical accumulation and integrating full-chain strengths in deepened design, manufacturing, and construction installation, Qinglong Group not only provides GRC products that meet international standards, but also conveys the corporate values of “honesty, striving, trust, and collaboration”. On its mission to “create aesthetically beautiful architecture”, Qinglong has always upheld a rigorous technical attitude, laying a solid quality foundation for every project — the best interpretation of its corporate motto of “meticulousness and the constant pursuit of excellence”.