Advanced Nuclear Material Research Center
- Apr 8, 2025
- 1 min read
Location: Chalk River, Ontario, Canada
Award: Innovative Applications
Project Team
Owner: Canadian Nuclear Laboratories
Contractor: Bird Construction
Engineer: Atkins Réalis
Concrete and Slag Cement: Heidelberg Materials
The Advanced Nuclear Material Research Center (ANMRC) project is a first of its kind Nuclear Laboratory in Canada. The project is being built in accordance with CSA N299 and N287.5 standards. Slag cement was used in controlled low strength material (CLSM) backfill placed between bedrock and raft slab foundations (approximately 10 m [33 ft] deep). The engineering team required that the CLSM strength was between 2 to 5 MPa (435 to 725 psi) at 28 days; an exceptionally narrow strength requirement.
Application Type
Application Type | |
% Slag Cement Replacement | 50% |
% Portland Cement | |
% Portland Limestone Cement | 50% |
% Other SCM (if applicable) | |
Aggregate | 1550 |
Water/cement ratio | |
7-day strengths | |
28-day strengths | 2-5 Mpa |
Great write-up on the ANMRC project. The 2-5 MPa strength window for the CLSM backfill is impressively tight tolerance work, and it is striking how 50% slag cement replacement was used to hit that target. Projects like this show how careful material calibration can drive real engineering results. I rely on a Mouse DPI Analyzer for similar measurement work on the hardware side, since it is a useful reminder that validating actual physical response against the expected value matters everywhere.