CORDEK LTD
SPRING COPSE BUSINESS PARK
SLINFOLD
WEST SUSSEX RH13 0SZ
Tel: 01403 799600
Fax: 01403 791718
Suppliers of: Cellcore, Cellform, Cellvent, Heaveguard, Ventform, Puraflex, Correx, Filcor, Groundform, Corgrid, Groundform, Sideform, Pilecor, Corbreak, Formers, Trough Moulds, Waffle Moulds
Cordek provides technical solutions for a range of construction requirements. Innovative thinking, engineering expertise, and CAD/CAM capabilities enable Cordek to solve a wide variety of engineering problems. Since their formation in 1973, Cordek have worked on major iconic projects through to domestic extensions, and remain committed to supplying the best quality, value solutions, supported by the highest levels of personal service.
Cordek have a range of CAD drawings and BIM Files: click here
Cordek Construction Products
Cordek can now offer an exciting range of products that are extensively used in a variety of construction applications.
The Cordek product range is listed below by market sectors:
Ground Heave Solutions
Products for the protection of buildings from the effects of expansive soil.
VOC & Ground Gas Protection
A range of solutions for the protection of buildings from the hazards relating to VOC’s and ground gas.
Structural Fill Solutions
Expanded Polystyrene for use as a lightweight alternative to traditional fill materials, for permanent load bearing applications.
Void Formers
Used for the formation, shaping and positioning of openings to reduce the weight of concrete structures.
Standard Formwork Solutions
Falsework and Formwork systems to aid the construction of structures formed from both masonry and reinforced concrete
Permanent Formwork for Ground Beams & Pile Caps
Economical permanent formwork systems that have replaced traditional formwork materials for the construction of cast in-situ concrete foundations.
Formwork for Ribbed Concrete Floors
Established formwork systems for the construction of both one way (troughs) and two way (waffles) spanning ribbed concrete floors.
Piling Products
Solutions to common issues associated with piled foundations.
Temporary Access & Protection
Access/ protection solutions for construction and refurbishment works.
Cordek offers additional services for design and construction of bespoke formwork and patterns & moulds, as well as a range of Comprehensive Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Seminars for Architects, Contractors, Designers, Engineers and Specifiers. Our technical experts are happy to visit you at your convenience to hold a CPD session.
The CPD Seminars available include:
- Bespoke Formwork
- Cordek Solutions
- Lightweight Structural Fill & Void Forming
- VOC & Ground Gas Protection
For more information please visit www.cordek.com or email contact@cordek.com
Further technical information including; Data Sheets, Standard Details and Certifications of Approval is available from Cordek’s Technical Library here
Cordek Supply - St Margarets Head Railway Tunnel
The now disused St Margaret’s Head Tunnel was a structure originally formed as part of the Dunfermline to North Queensferry railway line, providing a link to the ferry service until the opening of the Forth Bridge in 1890 and remaining in limited use for freight until 1954. The vaulted roof and brick lined tunnel is located 15 metres below the A900 trunk road and the B981, adjacent to the northern approach to the Forth Road Bridge. Cordek were asked to supply a structural fill solution, encapsulated within a protective membrane to fill the entire cavity of the tunnel.
Project Scope
After thorough inspections of the tunnel were conducted, multiple signs of deterioration were detected. Two options were considered to make the tunnel safe; to continue to monitor and carry out localised repairs or to infill the entire tunnel void with a lightweight structural fill solution. Following an initial consultation, a formal technical proposal was delivered with full costings to Transport Scotland for approval. The decision was made to infill the tunnel with the cost-effective, lightweight infill material Filcor 20 Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) with a Flame Retardant (FR) additive. An additional benefit of this solution is that it would be reversible should the tunnel ever need to be re-commissioned at a later date.
The Solution
The 420.0 m long, 4.3 m wide and 5.1 m high tunnel had previously been sealed off at both ends and the adjacent cuttings filled in, with the only remaining access points via vertical shafts at each end. Due to the restricted opening of the access shafts, the Filcor 20 EPS was manufactured in 1200mm x 600mm x 500mm blocks to reduce wastage and allow for manual handling within the confined space. As the tunnel was previously used for rail and its location was under a trunk road, the precaution was taken to protect the Filcor 20 EPS blocks from any potential oil deposit build-ups and fuel spillages by using the Cordek VOC Membrane to line the tunnel prior to installation.
The Process
To ensure that the Filcor 20 EPS blocks were able to fit down the access shafts, a sample block was provided at the required dimensions to test the practicality of this method. Following successful trials proving that suitable access to the tunnel could be achieved, the tunnel was lined with the Cordek VOC Membrane that would encapsulate the Filcor 20 EPS blocks. Due to the vast void there was to be filled, the site received two articulated vehicle deliveries of Filcor 20 EPS blocks a day, three times a week to meet the installation programme for the project. Once offloaded at the surface, the Filcor 20 EPS blocks were lowered down the access shafts and onto a specially designed monorail system to travel the length of the tunnel. The blocks were built up gradually in stepped layers to allow for safe working at height. Once complete the access shafts were filled with concrete to seal the tunnel and prevent any potential damage to the Filcor 20 EPS blocks in the future.
Summary
Deliveries were made from December 2017 until March 2018 and in total 116no. articulated vehicles delivered 21,342 no. Filcor 20 EPS blocks to site. The use of large, articulated vehicles helped to reduce the impact on the surrounding neighbourhood, as it meant that the number of deliveries was reduced to a minimum. Ultimately, the project was delivered in full, on time and within budget with minimal disruption to the local roads networks, residents and businesses.
Cordek Supply - Folkestone Urban Sports Park
A scheme designed by the award-winning Architects Guy Hollaway, The Urban Sports Park in Folkestone includes the world’s first multi-storey skatepark. The state-of-the-art facility is set on four levels and includes a skating area, climbing wall, new boxing club and café. Following the planned opening in late 2019, it is hoped that it will attract visitors from a wide radius across the South-East of England and beyond, providing an exciting and innovative opportunity for young people in the community.
Cordek were requested to design and supply a bespoke formwork solution to aid the construction of the integral, reinforced concrete slab soffit for the large skating bowls on the first floor.
Project Scope
The project Architects proposed a design that would provide both the durability and flexibility to modify and upgrade the facility as skating trends evolve. The concept was for the curved underside of the concrete skating bowls to be suspended above the underlying café space, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the surroundings. A polished concrete finish was used for the skating surface with the external soffit clad in Glass Reinforced Gypsum (GRG) panels.
It was essential that the structural concrete layer of the skating bowls, sandwiched between the external surfaces, was dimensionally accurate and shaped precisely. Cordek provided a bespoke formwork solution to construct the basis of the skating bowl profile, suspended five meters above the ground floor.
The Solution
The complex shape and geometry of the skating bowls meant that a traditional formwork system would not be a suitable method of construction. The solution provided by Cordek involved the use of bespoke formwork units manufactured from Filcor Expanded Polystyrene which were accurately formed to the exact dimensions and profile required. Following confirmation that the formwork units had been accurately machined, an Epoxy Resin Seal Coat was applied to the casting surface to aid striking and provide the required finish to the concrete surface. As the formwork units had to be manually handled on site, the maximum size of each unit was determined by the permissible handling weight allowed.
The Process
The concrete frame sub-contractor Darby Groundworks Ltd provided the Cordek Project Design Team with Auto CAD drawings which were converted into a Solidworks format, so that a digital 3D model could be produced. Following approval of the 3D model, CAM data was then extracted allowing each individual formwork unit to be profiled using a CNC 5-axis router before an Epoxy Resin Seal Coat was applied.
An installation plan for the formwork solution was provided, indicating the location and positioning required to ensure the individual units fitted together by hand-assembly on site. The formers were located on three tier supporting timber decks, set at varying heights and integrated with the flat plywood floor formers to create seamless joints. Some of the formwork units were layered above others to create the desired shape, with dowelling rods used to secure them in place.
Once the formwork units were positioned, steel reinforcement was placed onto them, before sprayed concrete was applied over a four-day period to create the 500mm thick structural soffit slab. Finally, the formers were removed, and the upper surface of the reinforced concrete slab finished by polishing, with precast cladding panels secured to the underside.
Summary
In total 254 Filcor units were manufactured and supplied by Cordek, with 10 deliveries made over a six-week programme, in order to meet the contractor’s construction program and minimise the requirement for storage on site.
The challenge of suspending two large concrete bowls from the first-floor slab was ambitious, but the carefully crafted design has resulted in what is hoped to be the UK base for the next generation of extreme sports athletes.
