MOUNT AIRY, NC—When the ground inevitably shifts and erodes beneath concrete slab floors of factories and warehouses like the Pepsi Bottling Group facility in Nashville, TN, the slabs become uneven and the joints become mini-speed bumps. Drivers of forklifts will tell you it makes for a bumpy ride as they transport pallets of Pepsi and other beverages across the facility. It also means the quality of the beverage can be affected by the jostling.
Pepsi called in specialist Eddie Bolton and his company, Mid-South Concrete Leveling, Milan, TN, to help save “The Choice of a New Generation” for the millions served by the plant.
“They initially thought the concrete slabs needed lifting, which takes a good deal of time and much more work and product,” says Bolton. “But when we got there we found we could do what is called joint stabilization and not have to level the entire slabs.”
Concrete floors are cut into smaller slabs not long after the concrete is poured and the cuts create control joints that separate a large concrete floor into smaller squares. Over time the earth beneath the concrete slabs erodes, voids form, and the slabs become uneven.
Heavy machinery, like forklift traffic, traveling over the unsupported slabs can cause them to rock up and down, jarring the forklift, discomforting the driver, and costing the plant money in ruined product. Eventually breaks or fractures called “joint spalling” occur and it gets even more costly. Left unchecked spalling can spread and ruin the entire slab.
Bolton applied a new technology solution: TerraThane™ Geotechnical Polyurethane Foam. “Geotech polyurethane foam provides a low-impact and reliable means for stabilizing concrete joints,” says Bolton, who has been using the TerraThane™ for over a year. “We cleaned out all the joints, removed the debris, drilled 5/8-inch holes about every three-to-four feet, and pumped in TerraThane™ void fill foam to fill the joints. Once the joints and any cavities were filled, Pepsi was so pleased they asked us to patch about 130 feet of cracks in the slabs. The floor was ready to use by the time we left the plant.”
Bolton says his company chose TerraThane™ because it’s faster, requires less set-up time (generally reaches ninety percent strength within 15 minutes of injection), requires very little clean-up after the work is complete, and provides long-term stability for stabilizing concrete floor joints. “NCFI is a great partner in this business,” says Bolton. 
“Unlike some other companies they’ve been around for more than 40 years so they know what they’re doing, and their products are the best in the industry. They go overboard supporting us too, which is unique in the construction business.”
Bolton says he wanted to see first-hand before he chose a product partner, so he “traveled around to see their products in use in real world application before we chose NCFI. In every case, the owners of the building or the general contractor who did the work was more than pleased with the quality of the product. In the competitive market we’re in today having a manufacturing partner like NCFI with exceptional technical support, the highest quality products with the best consistency, and who get us our product quickly, helps us get and complete jobs with the best quality control. That means the clients are happy and we make money. It’s why I branded my trucks with the NCFI logo. We’re already getting more work from Pepsi.”
###
About NCFI
NCFI, headquartered in Mt. Airy, NC since 1964, manufactures polyurethane foam chemical systems for geotechnical, spray foam-in-place insulation (SPF), roofing, marine floatation, packaging, specialty molding, and many other uses. The company also offers a complete line of flexible foams for furniture seating, transportation seating, bedding, carpet underlay, and packaging. NCFI also has manufacturing plants in Hickory, N.C., Dalton, GA., and Salt Lake City, UT. To learn more about NCFI please visit www.NCFI.com, (866) 678-5283
About TerraThane
TerraThane is a polyurethane chemical systems specifically designed for geotechnical applications: Concrete Lifting/Raising/Leveling, Concrete Void Fill, Concrete Cavity Filling, Concrete Undersealing, Substitute Lightweight, Back Fill, Pipeline Trench Breakers, Pads and Pillows, Mine Reclamation, Polyurethanes for High Temperature Applications, Numerous Customizable Industrial. Join Team TerraThane™. www.TERRATHANE.com
Sounds to me like the slabs joints were voided by a phenomena known as “Slab Curling”. This is a result of the curing process where the surface tension caused by the top curing faster than the lower portion of the slab causing the slab to curl up at the joints. This type of grouting is usually called “Stich Grouting” and is a very common repair method. I agree that the urethane grout is a very good grout to use for this repair application.