Zapotillo Dam, Mexico

Facing concerns about the durability of the concrete and the reliability of the water supply, CONAGUA’s construction team sought solutions that would ensure the durability of their concrete. That led them to sourcing KIM and Hard-Cem admixtures to provide quality waterproofing and abrasion and erosion resistance.

With KIM, the construction team’s concrete would reap the benefits of having an award-winning waterproofing admixture that’s been certified by NSF to be safe with potable water. The concrete would become permanently watertight and safe from any waterborne contaminants. And it would all be thanks to KIM’s unique Krystol® technology. Designed to disperse throughout the concrete mix during batching, this technology would imbue the concrete with the ability to chemically react in the presence of water and unhydrated cement particles. As a result, even the slightest presence of water would allow the concrete to react to form solid interlocking crystals, which would fill up the capillary pores and micro-cracks of the concrete. That would ensure that the water would not be able to pass through the concrete and that the concrete itself could self-seal hairline cracks even under heavy hydrostatic pressure.