Project: Groninger Forum
Location: Groningen
Product: Self-Healing Repair Mortar MR3
Size: Few meters of crack

The Groninger Forum is realized with an excavation of diaphragm walls. The diaphragm walls will remain visible users. The car park comprises five storeys underground, which particularly in the lowest floor has a high groundwater pressure. At various locations sweat stains and smaller leaks are visible by micro-cracking. As a result, in consultation with the implementation team on site, it was decided to stop these leaks by applying the newly developed self-healing repair mortar MR3.

The crack is first cut to approximately 50 mm deep to achieve sufficient adhesion surface. Then a fast-setting cement was applied into the open cracks to minimize the influx of water. Immediately after the drying of the fast setting cement Basilisk Self-Healing Repair Mortar MR3 was applied. Because of the low-shrinkage properties of this mortar, a good adhesion with the underlying concrete was achieved. By the addition of fibers to the mortar the occurring tensile stress – as a result of the water pressure after setting – is more uniformly distributed, resulting in reduced micro-cracking. The present limestone-forming bacteria in the mortar could effectively seal (after hardening slightly present) micro-cracks. Ten weeks after applying the Self-Healing Repair Mortar MR3, the original cracks were watertight.