About MC-Bauchemie MC-Grout SV

MC-Grout SV is MC-Bauchemie’s answer to one of the most stubborn problems on a heavy-industrial site: getting a dense, void-free grout under a large, intricate base plate where you simply cannot get a vibrator in. It arrives as a dry, factory-blended powder in 25 kg bags, so the aggregate grading, the silica fume content and the expansion chemistry are all fixed at the plant. On site the crew only controls the water, which removes most of the human variability that ruins a foundation grout. Add the specified 3.0 to 3.5 litres per bag, and the powder turns into a genuinely self-levelling slurry that seeks its own level and creeps into ribs, pockets and bolt sleeves without help.

What sets the “SV” grade apart is the combination of very high flow and a low water-cement ratio, held below 0.35. Ordinarily you buy flowability with extra water and pay for it later in bleed, segregation and shrinkage cracks. Here the polycarboxylate ether superplasticiser does the job the water would otherwise do, dispersing the cement so the mix stays fluid without becoming dilute. The result is a grout that pours like the high-water mixes contractors are used to, but sets into the dense, low-porosity matrix you would normally only get from a stiff, rammed grout. For engineers commissioning rotating plant, that difference shows up as tighter load transfer and fewer callbacks.

The technical insight

The performance of MC-Grout SV rests on two mechanisms working against each other in a useful way. First, the polycarboxylate ether superplasticiser wraps around cement grains and keeps them electrostatically and sterically apart, so the paste flows freely at a water-cement ratio (under 0.35) that would otherwise be almost unworkable. That low ratio is what delivers the density, the low permeability and the greater than 60 MPa compressive strength at 28 days. Second, a controlled gas-generating reaction produces a slight, measured expansion while the grout is still plastic. As ordinary cementitious grouts cure they shrink and can pull away from the underside of the plate, leaving the very voids you were trying to eliminate; the expansion here offsets that contraction so the hardened grout stays in full, positive contact with both the plate and the foundation. The silica fume is the third player, packing into the spaces between cement particles to refine the pore structure, lift late strength and improve resistance to the oils and aggressive exposure common around machinery. Because the formulation is chloride-free, it does the job without introducing a corrosion risk to embedded anchor bolts or reinforcement.

Where it is used

• Grouting turbine and generator soleplates in thermal, hydro and captive power plants
• Seating transformer and high-voltage switchgear bases where level accuracy is critical
• Bedding and replacing bridge and viaduct bearing pads
• Grouting rail track baseplates and tie plates on metro and heavy-haul lines
• Fixing precast concrete column bases, capitals and connections
• Foundations for presses, forging hammers, compressors and other vibrating heavy machinery
• Filling deep, congested base-plate voids that cannot be reached with a vibrator
• Anchor-bolt pocket and holding-down bolt grouting under large equipment

Key advantages

• Self-levels into complex, ribbed base plates without any vibration or rodding
• Shrinkage compensated by controlled expansion, keeping the grout in full contact with the plate
• Reaches greater than 60 MPa at 28 days for confident structural load transfer
• Very high flow (greater than 300 mm on the flow table) at a low water-cement ratio, so fluidity does not cost you density
• Factory-premixed with silica fume, so mix quality does not depend on site batching
• Chloride-free, protecting anchor bolts and reinforcement from grout-induced corrosion
• Fast strength gain shortens the wait before equipment can be aligned and loaded
• Single-variable mixing (water only) makes results repeatable across different crews

Limitations & considerations

• Pour thickness per lift is bounded; very deep sections may need extended aggregate or multiple passes, so check the datasheet before deep pours
• Highly fluid grout demands tight, leak-proof formwork and shuttering or it will simply run out of the gap
• Over-watering to chase even more flow will wreck the low water-cement ratio, causing bleed and shrinkage
• Expansion is timed to the plastic phase, so it will not remedy voids left by placing too slowly or in interrupted pours
• Cementitious chemistry is not suited to strong chemical or acid exposure where an epoxy grout is the correct choice
• Set and strength gain slow noticeably in cold conditions, calling for temperature planning outside the 20 to 40 degrees C working range

Selection & best practice

Specifications

Industry use cases

How we position MC-Bauchemie MC-Grout SV

MC-Grout SV sits at the high-flow, self-levelling end of the MC-Bauchemie grouting range and is the grade to specify when a large or ribbed base plate rules out vibration. Where early load-bearing capacity and chemical resistance matter more than pure flowability, the epoxy-based MC-DUR Grout from the same MC-Bauchemie family is the stronger choice, and for straightforward machine bases the standard MC-Grout is the more economical option. Across our other brands we can offer directly comparable free-flow precision grouts, so specifiers standardised on a particular manufacturer are not forced to switch: Fosroc’s Conbextra family and equivalent products from Sika and Master Builders Solutions all address the same base-plate grouting duty. For aggressive chemical or acid exposure, we would steer you to an epoxy grout rather than any cementitious option, including this one.

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