Uneven areas in concrete where areas of the slab have raised or sunk are dangerous tripping hazards. Fortunately, with the use of a concrete scarifier, it’s quick work to eliminate trip hazards on uneven concrete. Check out the video below to see us tackle this task or read the step-by-step tutorial below.

Common Causes of Uneven Concrete

While it’s important to eliminate potential problems when pouring a concrete slab, there are some factors that are simply unavoidable. However, these factors can often cause areas of concrete to heave, sink, crack, or shift, especially around the joints. The most common causes of this are:

• Tree roots grow under the slab.
• Rainwater eroding the soil under the concrete.
• Uneven ground shifting over time.
• Poorly mixed concrete leads to excessive shrinking during the cure.
• Freezing and thawing of the ground under the slab.

Many of these factors are unavoidable, so it’s important to do regular checks of your concrete to do any needed repairs as soon as possible.

Using a Concrete Scarifier

While concrete grinders and shot blasters remove concrete in “microsegments,” these machines aren’t ideal for the aggressive removal and planing of an uneven section of concrete, thus the need for a scarifier. A concrete scarifier is also called a milling machine or a surface planer. It’s equipped with a rotating drum that can be fitted with cutting wheels made from hardened steel or tungsten carbide. These cutting wheels work in conjunction with a powerful motor to cut into the concrete, leaving an aggressive profile.

To create a smoother transition from the break, follow these steps:

1. Check the equipment for any concerns and fit it with a high-profiling cutting tool. Then connect it to a power source.
2. Run the scarifier back and forth from the high to low area of concrete and back again to taper the concrete. This will create a slope rather than a sharp divide.
3. When the slope is achieved, then run the scarifier perpendicular to create a rough, non-slip profile and even out the tapered slope so it’s less noticeable while walking.
4. With just a few brief passes vertically and horizontally over the break, the area is much safer for people walking in the area.

Order Your Concrete Scarifier Today

At Substrate Technology, Inc., we carry a wide variety of surface preparation machinery, including the Airtec Euro-Sprint ES-200 Scarifier for smaller, quick jobs as well as heavy-duty scarifiers for larger tasks. In addition to chipping concrete for breaks, you can also use this machine to remove paint or traffic lines from asphalt, remove plastic or rubber coating, or clean away ground-in dirt deposits. To learn more or to get a quote on supplies, call us at  +1 (815) 941-4800 or fill out the form below to get started.