History
EARLY HISTORY OF PUDLO
Since Tudor times clay has been puddled to enable river banks and earthworks to remain watertight. From this verb comes the generic trade mark Pudlo. Pudlo is the world's first integral waterproofing admixture for use with concrete and mortar. Pudlo has been in continuous use since Victorian times for waterproofing both steel reinforced and non-reinforced concrete.
Henry Faija an engineer and an authority on Portland cement, had by 1875 set up a Portland cement testing laboratory in the UK. This facility, which was quoted in a number of early Pudlo technical reports was operational until at least 1890 and carried out a series of tests on Pudlo. Faija died at the early age of 49 in 1894 and the "the long term effects of the use of Pudlo" to which he referred relates to Pudlo modified concrete produced around 1880.
By 1913 Cassell's Reinforced Concrete, a treatise on practice and theory of concreting contained a reference to Pudlo in the section dealing with waterproofing of concrete. Other work, dated 1914, mentions the beneficial effects of Pudlo on strength development.
WORLD WIDE USE
During the next 40 years Pudlo modified concrete appeared in major government approved construction projects in, for example, Japan, Canada, Spain and the Netherlands. Included was a large cement works which was 'Pudlo-ed' below ground. Product testing was maintained by David Kirkaldy & Son in the 1930's and by various academic institutions including Cork University, Ireland.
Custom for the product was such that by 1920 the Instructions or Directions for use were translated into, for example, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Greek, Japanese, Hungarian. Leading journals including The Builder, Specification, Building Trades Journal, etc. carried advertising literature citing examples of use, which include, sewerage treatment works, the Bell Telephone H.Q., and a 5 million gallon reservoir.
In 1992 David Ball Group plc. established in quality sands and cements acquired the company Kerner-Greenwood of Kings Lynn, Norfolk, the manufacturers of Pudlo.
The new owners commissioned independent research within the Department of Civil Engineering Imperial College London, on the effect of generic materials and admixtures on the durability, performance, pore size characteristics and microstructural properties of concrete.
KEY DATES
1892 - 1894
Henry Faija a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers completes independent testing and declares PUDLO to be the worlds first integral waterproofer for concrete.
1913
Cassell's Reinforced Concrete standard reference work refers to PUDLO as a commercial waterproofing material.
1920 - 1960
World-wide use of PUDLO in major projects, by 1960 PUDLO is recognised as the worldwide market leader and a byword for waterproofing structures.
1970
David Ball Group is formed to build the David Ball Specialist Sands world class brand and develop the David Ball InstaRange of high performance Concrete Repair and Waterproofing Systems along with Specialist Cements.
1992
David Ball Group acquires Kerner Greenwood and Company, manufacturers and distributors of the world's first and most successful concrete waterproofing compound, PUDLO.
1992 - 1996
Independent research and development of the performance of PUDLO carried out by Concrete Durability Group, Department of Civil Engineering, Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine, London.
Improved and developed PUDLO re-launched worldwide.
The process of research and development is both an ongoing process and a fundamental guiding principle of David Ball Group plc, which continues to the present day.