On the 3rd, the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT) announced that it has developed a 'super-quick-setting concrete composite mat construction technology' that can solve the poor road infrastructure issues in rural areas of Southeast Asia.
The super-quick-setting concrete composite mat is a product made by placing concrete materials between civil fiber materials, created in a mat form. After installation, when water is sprayed, the concrete components harden within an hour. This allows for quick setting compared to regular concrete, enabling rapid construction, and it can be constructed with a small workforce without heavy machinery. It is currently used for reinforcing slopes, railway embankments, levees, and drainage structures.
The research team at the Ground Research Division of KICT has improved the structure and performance of existing super-quick-setting concrete composite mats to develop a product applicable to unpaved roads. This product prevents ground infiltration of rainwater, thereby helping to avoid ground subsidence and road damage. Additionally, it can be constructed by personnel instead of large equipment on-site, reducing construction time by more than 50% compared to previous methods. The technology has been transferred to Contact Engineering Co., Ltd.
The research team conducted on-site test construction in actual unpaved roads in the Pampanga region of the Philippines. After on-site construction, follow-up investigations were conducted, and it was confirmed that the composite mat maintained stable performance without deformation, damage, or subsidence. Notably, this on-site test was carried out directly by the local accredited testing organization (MJAS Zenith), ensuring the reliability and objectivity of the technology.
KICT evaluated that this technology allows for low-cost construction of small-scale unpaved roads and also offers the effect of shortening construction periods, making it highly suitable for Southeast Asian countries where there is a pressing need to expand road infrastructure in rural and regional areas. Additionally, it has laid the groundwork for lowering production costs and improving quality through improvements in production facilities for corporations, which can help enhance the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises.
KICT President Park Seon-kyu said, 'This technology development will effectively improve the unpaved road issues in the Southeast Asia region and serve as a practical stepping stone for small and medium-sized enterprises to enter overseas markets,' and noted, 'KICT will continue to take the lead in securing international technological competitiveness in cooperation with domestic small and medium-sized enterprises.'