After being used for construction of some of the most famous structures in the world such as the Pentagon, Empire State Building and Burj Khalifa, MCI technology is now being used to preserve Vukovar’s water tower, hit more than 600 times during the siege of the city.
Cortec Corporation has donated funds for reconstruction of Vukovar water tower, which was almost destroyed in the 90s Croatian War of Independence. The water tower is the city’s most famous symbol of suffering during the Battle of Vukovar, but it also represents victory and new life. It was one of the most frequent targets of artillery, but it never collapsed under the onslaught.
Cortec has donated its world renowned MCI technology, which revolutionizes the way the service life of concrete structures can be extended. The technology prevents corrosion of the water tower’s reinforced concrete structure, which is a major part of the memorial monument project.
Work on the monument has started, and is now at the highest level of activity. Corroded surfaces of the water tower have been unprotected and rusting since the end of the war, over 23 years ago. After having mechanically removed the loose rust and scale, Cortec’s CorrVerter MCI was applied by brush directly to the metal surfaces.
This environmentally-friendly, fast-drying, water-based primer converts rust into a hydrophobic passive layer. The coating offers a convenient, low-labour option when performing repairs on heavily corroded rebar and other metal surfaces. It penetrates and eliminates rust and protects the bare metal against further rusting.
CorrVerter works by combining a unique formulation of chelating agents with a highsolids waterborne latex that has extremely low water vapour permeability. The coating is recommended for application on rusty or poorly prepared steel surfaces where further corrosion protection is required, and where good surface preparation is difficult to achieve.
Advantages:
• Offers engineers, owners, contractors, DOT’s, and other government agencies a convenient, low-labour option when performing repairs on heavily corroded rebar and other metal surfaces
• Coated rebar has equal or better bond strength to concrete
• Can be top-coated with water or solventbased topcoats (tannic and phosphoric acid converters can only be top-coated with solvent-based topcoats)
• Better protection against re-rusting than tannic or phosphoric acid-based converters
• Works in HCl, H2S, SO2, and CO2 vapour environments
• Water based and non-flammable, noncombustible
The water tower structure will not be restored to its original function. It will become a memorial to the pain and suffering lived through by the residents of the city of Vukovar.
Croatian-American entrepreneur Boris Miksic, CEO of Cortec Corporation has participated in numerous projects during his long term career, but notes that restoration of Vukovar’s tower has special significance: “This is a very emotional moment as Vukovar is in the heart of every Croatian citizen. We are proud to donate this technology which will preserve Vukovar’s monument for all generations to come. This symbol of one of the most destructive wars in modern history is warning that it must never happen again.”