A hydraulic setting self-levelling and smoothing compound is intended to provide a smooth, flat surface when applied to hard, inflexible sub-floors such as sand/cement screeds or concrete. It is used to stop water and leaks in concrete and masonry constructions, making the structure solid and durable.
BS EN 13408 is a European Standard on the methods of test for hydraulic setting floor smoothing and/or levelling compounds. The main aim of BS EN 13408 is to provide the best industry guidance to ensure construction materials contribute to the structural integrity of your civil engineering works and hydraulic structures.
BS EN 13408 specifies a test method for the determination of bond strength between a cured hydraulic setting smoothing and/or levelling compound which is referred to as "smoothing and/or levelling compound", and a standard substrate.
BS EN 13408 on hydraulic setting smoothing and/or levelling compound bond strength is useful for:
Bond strength is defined as force per unit area which has to be applied perpendicularly and centrally to the bonded area in order to produce a failure. The test method carried out in BS EN 13408 is to assess the bond strength between a smoothing and/or levelling compound and a standard concrete test slab. The tensile strength of a defined area between the compound and the supporting test slab is measured. For this purpose, metal plates are bonded to the smoothing and /or levelling compound test specimen using a suitable adhesive and pulled off perpendicularly and centrally using a tensile tester.
In this regard, BS EN 13408 provides the requirements of apparatus and materials used for the test and includes standard test conditions and procedures to evaluate the bond strength of smoothing and/or levelling compounds.
As a result, you can evaluate the performance of smoothing and/or levelling compounds and demonstrate the ability of materials to contribute to the stability and structural integrity of civil engineering works.
Overall, the bond strength test is vital to ensure sufficient load-bearing capacity in view of future stress on the floor.
EN 13408:2002